The Final Takeaways
Have you ever heard of WeThe15? The global human rights movement that represents the 1.2
billion people in the world with disabilities?
Over the past 15 weeks I have increased my knowledge about disabilities tremendously, yet today was the first time I have ever heard of WeThe15. This was a common theme throughout the class. I learned something new each week about disabled sports that I had not known before. It felt as though there was always something new to learn. Although I come from a family that has experience with disabilities, there were still so many different areas that I discovered for the first time over the course of these 15 weeks.
Going into this class, I felt like I had a rather strong understanding of disabilities due to my family life. I have an extremely close relationship with my older sister who was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when we were both little kids. We grew up living and learning how to navigate it as a family. My brain is definitely wired to pick up on things that would make things such as transportation easier for my sister. I understand the things to look out for like how many steps, if there’s a ramp, are the bathrooms accessible. These are things that people commonly overlook when it is not something you are experienced in. However, this has always just been my life. Disabilities are not something I have researched for more information, yet I felt like I knew a lot about disabilities that would also be comparable to disabled sports.
However, this was not the case. Learning about disabled sports was a whole new side of disabilities that I had not been exposed to before. I have learned about the Paralympics and the history of the people involved in creating a way to create sports for wounded veterans as well as other people with disabilities. I was also intrigued to learn about how much time effort is put into coming up with categories for these sports that create an equal opportunity for each athlete with disabilities.
This class has added a new perspective to my mindset towards the value of sports for individuals with a disability. I have always been supportive of inclusivity in sports because everyone deserves to be treated equally. After learning more in this class, I have a greater appreciation for the health benefits that the sports have on the athletes. Disabled sports allow for athletes to be part of a community, work as a team, boost their self esteem and create happiness.
This class has also given me a new mindset about disabilities and the impact of society. The fact that I learned a plethora of information that I had never heard prior to this class highlights the limited awareness about disabilities. The way society as well as social media portrays people with disabilities has a direct impact on the way the world treats and values these individuals and disabled sports.
In order to promote disabled sports I hope to volunteer to help run sporting events and fundraisers. I would also love to be involved with the PCAS that was discussed in my previous blog. By doing this, I hope I can create opportunities for individuals with disabilities to be involved, included, and heard.
To learn more about the WeThe15 movement click the link below:
If you would like to learn more about disabled sports, you can click here to view a simple break down to make sure people with disabilities can participate in sports
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