Athletes & Disabilities - Week 7

In class when we were first asked to write down names of athletes whom we knew with disabilities, I drew a very large blank. The only thing I could think of were the Special Olympics/Paralympics and I began to rack my brain to try and recall a name. Nothing came. Finally I thought of one person, than another, and before I knew it, I had a little list going. I guess the reason I was drawing a blank at first is because athletes and disabilities are generally two terms that I don't associate together very often. After taking the time to think about it, however, I knew a kid in my high school that was legally blind and terribly awful at sports. That was okay though, because he just loved playing him. His name was Chad but I can't remember his real last name because we always called him Chad Pennington because he loved football so much. Anyways, the coaches allowed him to play on the JV team with very little playing team, seeing how it would b dangerous to him. Another example is a friend of mine from a different school that was exactly the opposite of Chad. He had no left hand, it was just a limb, but he was the best wrestler at his school. I'm not sure of his exact accomplishments, but his name was Tony and he won several tournaments. I think knowing people like Chad and Tony have helped me realize that disability definitely doesn't mean immobility. Despite their differences in athletic talent, neither of them let their disabilities prevent them from doing exactly what they desire.
Finally, I recalled a movie I watched in another class entitled "Murderball." It's a very intense game where many quadriplegics participate in wheelchair rugby. After watching that film, I had an entirely different perspective of individuals in wheelchairs. They are not weak and most certainly not helpless. The quadriplegics who played "Murderball" were determined, strong, athletic, and inspired.