Event Recap: 10 Takeaways From Diversability Unplugged: Disability & Adaptive Sports
By Neil Hughes
Pay disparities,
the classification system,
who gets to benefit from adaptive coaching,
And how the ableist society objectifies the disabled body,
All of these topics and more were touched upon in September’s Diversability Unplugged: Disability and Adaptive Sport
Let’s start with the context: it’s 2022.
For the able-bodied world, Olympic Gold is the standard of athletic achievement. Gold medalists spend their lives preparing to win at the highest level of competition and thus garnering media attention and high paying sponsors. Many kids dream of Olympic Gold for these reasons. Paralympics, however, started with disabled soldiers needing to have a purpose after war, and adaptive athletics enhanced other medical therapies. For disabled people participating in adaptive sport means being “perfectly imperfect” as Vasu says. Adaptive sport is the gold standard of Disability Pride and Inclusion on the world stage.
The funnel of opportunity best describes how adaptive sport works differently from professional sport. In non-disabled athletics the funnel points down and everyone is racing to be the one athlete that makes it out, while the rest of the competitors are wedged shoulder to shoulder at the opening of the funnel. In disabled spaces with intentional design, the funnel is pointing up and the athletic club gives opportunity to as many people as possible. As the community grows, more athletes join in raising the teammates to the top of the funnel and they climb out the top one by one. Success depends on getting out first, in the pointing down funnel. In the pointing up funnel being inside the funnel is just as good as getting to the top. Inclusion is the goal, not the sifting out who is best. Another way to say this is adaptive sport is an opportunity for community with the Paralympics showcasing the best of those communities.
We were joined by a powerhouse panel, which included: Vasu Sojitra (he/him) professional skier & adaptive athlete, Kareemah Batts (she/her) Outdoor Enthusiast & Paraclimber, Jenny Sichel (she/her) Paralympic Silver Medalist & Operations Director at NCIL, And myself, Neil Hughes (he/they), Paralympic Snowboarder & Adaptive Skateboarder
Before I list my top ten takeaways from the discussion, I want to name a few groups who could really benefit from watching Diversability Unplugged: Disability and Adaptive Sports:
Any disabled person. This discussion will help break down the discomfort you feel with Paralympics and the media exploitation of the Disabled community.
For people who do not identify as disabled, but have been uncomfortable with the same or similar issues. This video will give language and examples of how to be an ally.
Disabled athletes who aspire to Paralympic Gold under the banner of adaptive athletes. We need you to be informed so you can be a strong voice for anti-ableism and disability pride. You are best positioned to be the change agent needed for that equitable future. Thank you in advance!
My Top 10 takeaways from Diversability Unplugged: Disability and Adaptive Sports (with time stamps to catch it in the video):
Adaptive sport is life changing: 13:06 Kareemah Batts fell in love with climbing and changed her life. She wanted to know how to keep this feeling after two weeks at the Colorado Mountain School. So she started the Adaptive Climbing Group so she could keep those changes through the climbing community she needed herself.
Adaptive Sport opens doors you create through participation: 18:05 “I went above and beyond because that is something I wanted to do. I opened up doors hoping I could walk through one of them.” Jenny Sichel
Don’t buy into Shame. It is okay and better to use the word disabled: 25:25 “There is a sense of a weight being lifted off as they step out of that shame bubble around physical disabilities.” Vasu Sojita also finished saying, “Disability isn’t a bad thing, it’s ableism that is a bad thing” 27:59. “Humans are built around imperfection in the most perfect sense.”
Classification of athletes by non-disabled classifiers is the worst aspect of ableism in paralympic sport. 30:07 “All decision makers are still able-bodied people telling people how disabled they are to compete in the sport.” Kareemah finished the point with this example 31:25, “Might as well let men lead all the women’s empowerment groups, and white women lead BIPOC initiatives. Same intersectionality injustice.”
Definition of Classification and its worst side: 33:17 Jenny Sichel: Classification is to figure out what level you are at so you can be placed inside a functional classification category. The dark side of that is you can be the least disabled inside that classification and gain a competitive advantage. Jenny went on to say this system uses a medical evaluation and a functional evaluation. Both ways of viewing the disabled body are from the able-bodied sport world.
Disability History includes the Olympic/Paralympic pay gap. 38:22: Solved in 2018, but in 2016 Jenny earned $3,500 for her paralympic silver medal, while the same medal garnered $15,000 for an Olympian in the Rio Games. Since October 2018, the pay-out for medals are the same for either the Paralympics or Olympics.
The Adaptive Sports World changes lives. 45:23 Story of Noah Elliott who won gold after training with Neil at the National Ability Center 2016-18 and is now teaching hundreds of kids at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs every summer.
Everyone needs Disability Etiquette Training: Especially other disabled people. 56:24 Kareemah’s first requirement is to understand the culture then the sport. She uses scenario based training so volunteers live in the world of the climer. All of her leaders are volunteers and many of them are disabled. “People with disabilities need disability etiquette training.” Those born with disabilities benefit most from the training because it expands their skills in working with different access needs than the ones they were born with.
There is a para-sport out there for you. (1:01:00) “If you want to do para-sport then there is a sport for you.” Jenny added that what needs to change is the high barrier to entry.
Adaptive sport is about finding solutions. Adaptive sport is the solution. (1:06:10) “I don’t create the problem but I do have to create the adaptive solution.” Neil also said that Paralympic Gold is the best way to solve the biggest disability issue. “Paralympic gold is the best way to create visibility for disabled pride in a world set on devaluing and dehumanizing you. The biggest problem with post traumatic anything is depersonalization–which is a dissociative state–and the way you solve that feeling is by giving someone purpose.” Adaptive sport is a safe intersectional space for building that sense of self in relation to the community. A sense of self and purpose grows in relationship to the quality of our adaptive communities.
The final wrap-up:
Vasu would like help with elevating his passion project: Inclusive Outdoor Project with the tagline: “This space is made with you in mind.” A mountain sports focused organization with sliding scale options. For those of you who want to find joy on public lands.
Kareemah has an Instagram account @adaptclimbgroup and is happy to offer another partner event this October in Kentucky. The Adaptive Climber’s Festival. All clinic leaders are disabled.
Jenny Sichel would like to introduce people to the NCIL, National Council of Independent Living.
Neil wants to know: “Who is supporting you in your adaptive life? How are we breaking these boundaries to make what could kill us the best thing in our lives? Let’s get rid of the tragedy/disability stereotype and live a full life.”
I truly believe everyone would benefit from being in an adaptive sports community. Just as the Disability Leadership Collective is a community that produces opportunities for professional growth inside a supportive community, adaptive sport creates opportunities for physical growth in the same way. These activities are not recreational but transformational and life saving. If there were a sign above the doorway to adaptive sport it would read: “All Disabilities Welcome! Come on in!”
Please consider this your formal invitation to participate!
Resources to find your adaptive sports community starts with local adaptive programming in your area. Ask at your local parks and recreation and if Ron Swanson isn’t available to answer your adaptive questions, search for non-profits in your area. Good luck! And Welcome to our world!
For those interested in Paralympic Sport here is the site for athlete development with Team USA or email them at: paralympicsport.info@usopc.org
Watch the recording of the event below: