Sport

Joanne O’Riordan: Come and see what the badass 15 per centers can teach you

You can use this time to become an ally, to learn what it’s like to have a disability

Ireland’s Jordan Lee during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo. Photograph: Tommy Dickson/Inpho
Ireland’s Jordan Lee during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo. Photograph: Tommy Dickson/Inpho
Joanne O'Riordan's picture
Joanne O'Riordan
Thu Aug 26 2021 - 06:00

I’ve been very fortunate with my job. I have gone to some incredible sporting events, witnessed some of the greatest comebacks of all times and I’m continually amazed and mesmerised for the athletic feats that I see day by day.

However, the Paralympics mean something even more to me. I have written before about how all my life I have never participated in sport, for the simple reason that I have never felt overly welcomed (in fairness, my classmates and friends all tried!) But I have also never found anything that let me show my competitive streak time and time again.

Obviously the London 2012 Paralympics were some of the greatest things that I have ever seen. From people missing limbs able to swim (something that was cut short for me due to a back operation), people managing to run on blades that are no wider than a kerb on a footpath, people managing to wheel themselves over 800m and over 30km an hour.

Funnily enough, though, it wasn’t necessarily the great athletic achievements, but the fact that people with disabilities had come together, irrespective of their disability, and just showcase their talents for everyone to see.

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It was the ability to use humour, sport, storytelling and a wish and desire to highlight that despite having a disability, as long as you strive for a goal and work hard at it every single day then you too can achieve amazing things.

Of course, this added an entire new meaning to my life. I knew that in a lot of ways, society wasn’t necessarily built or geared towards me. I knew that no matter what I did or where I went that I would have to adapt or struggle or jump hurdles in order to achieve everyday goals.

So initially, I shied away from the entire Paralympics. I didn’t like the fact that there are people with disabilities doing incredible things and being used as “inspiration porn”.

I never liked the key message delivered by some of the Paralympic outlets. I didn't care about the idea that just because you have a disability doesn't mean you can live a long and full and healthy fulfilling life.

That’s not the case for a lot of the 15 per centers who exist and identified as having a disability. But gradually, as the conversation shifted and as people started becoming more aware, I slowly noticed that the Paralympics could be used as a tool to teach, educate, and be a mirror to society to highlight what people can achieve if everybody, including people without disabilities, come together and strive towards one common goal.

It’s not always winning a Paralympic medal, it could be something as simple as installing a ramp in your workplace, inserting wheelchair accessible toilets for everyone who needs them, and also reaching out your hand and offering a little bit of help along the way.

So, while it definitely sucks having a disability, there are incredibly great things to it too. I’ve never in my lifetime actually managed to pay for a drink for myself, primarily because I always use the excuse that the bar is too high for me to talk to the barman. I’ve never had to queue properly at the supermarket, because the little old lady at the front decides I’m more in need of the front spot then she is.

But also, I have realised how every single one of the 15 per centers who globally live with a disability are actually totally badasses. Because every day we have to navigate our society, we have to go through world, we have to jump hurdles, but every day we come out of it at the other side. Sometimes a little bit broken and sometimes a little bit tired, but more importantly, we are some of the only people on the planet who know that if what we want in society is achieved that society will be better as a whole.

So, this year for the Paralympics my only plea to you is this. Don’t point and try and tell your child just because someone is missing a limb means they’re lazy or inadequate, don’t look at the person who was blind running 100m in over 10 seconds and say that you wish you could do something with your life.

You are the only person that is in charge of your life and if you want in a single moment you can change your life for the better. You can also use this time to become an ally, to learn what it’s like to have a disability, educate yourself on the realities And more importantly help us to help you.