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FUN FACT: The Paralympic Games began back in the 1948 London Olympic Games, when there was a competition organised for wheelchair athletes named the Stoke Mandeville Games. There were 16 injured servicemen and women who took part in archery competitions. Eventually, this competition evolved into the Paralympic Games, which first took place in Rome, Italy, in 1960. This was a milestone event, and over 400 athletes from 23 countries took part. Katie Kelly, who has been an invaluable member of the Achieve Australia Board since April 2023, will be competing in the upcoming Paralympics. Read her full story at: https://lnkd.in/gxDWKHiY #IHA #inclusivehousingaustralia #specialistdisabilityhousing #Paralympics #SpecialistDisabilityAccommodation #disability #inclusion #accessibility #SDA #disabilityinclusion #disabilities #disabilityhousing #disabilitysupport #disabilitylife #housing #disabled #socialimpact #disabilityhome #disabilityservices #home #accommodation #disabilitycommunity #disabilityawareness #disabilitycare #advocacy #disabilityadvocacy #awareness #support #health #specialneeds

Segregated vs Inclusive The extreme #inclusion advocates demand that #specialschools and #supportedemployment be eliminated because they are “segregated”. They say that these specialised services for people with intellectual disability cannot be seen as real choices because it’s the only option available . So it always surprises me to see other segregated events and settings be celebrated without any such protest. The latest one is the section of our swimming team for the Olympics (see story below). It’s a fabulous event celebrated by all -including me - and now they include the #Paralympic cohort as well. So what’s the problem you might say? Swimming athletes with intellectual disability -and many other types of disability - are not included because there is no opportunity for them to compete in Paris . That’s fine by me because I know it’s impossible to make everything fully inclusive for all. But I want everyone to see these events for what they inherently are -segregated. This story shows why Choices are so important for real inclusion and how one size can never fit all. It also shows why labels like segregated or inclusive are increasingly unhelpful. We should be talking about belonging and wellbeing because that’s what matters. #inclusion Liz Gosper OAM

“The Paralympics should start right after the Olympics!” Here’s why it doesn’t: The Paralympics has to renovate the Village and performance venues so that they are accessible to the athletes that will be using them. This means making it accessible for the variety of athletes coming through. The Paralympics focuses on “ six main disability categories which include: "amputee, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, visually impaired, spinal injuries and Les Autres (French for "the others," a category that includes conditions that do not fall into the categories mentioned before)." This is why the Paralympics will begin August 28th. Make sure to tune in! #Paralympics #Olympics #Disability #Neurodiversity #Paris2024

🚀 Exciting news! Google is on a mission to explore the true meaning of inclusion. Watch the video below to find out how. #InclusionMatters #DiversityandInclusion #MissionInclusion 💡🌍

Will you be watching the Paralympics? What is your reason for watching? Channel 4 recently commissioned research that showed nearly 60%of people said they watch the Paralympic Games to “see athletes overcoming their disabilities” whereas just 37% say they watch the Paralympics for “exciting sporting competition." Nana is a disability advocate which is driven by his personal experiences and his passion for making a difference in the lives of those with disabilities. He believes that the Paralympics provide an opportunity for disabled athletes to demonstrate that they can compete on the same level as able-bodied individuals. Despite the societal tendency to view Paralympians as "superhuman," the event highlights that athletes with disabilities are equally capable. Having a disability doesn't make someone superhuman—it simply means we compete in sports with different challenges. Channel 4's Paris 2024 Paralympic Games campaign challenges patronising attitudes using it's "Considering What?" theme which is a good move away from the previous "Superhumans" theme. We'll be watching the Paralympics with the same vigour that we watched the Olympics as there are always many lessons to be learnt from the world of sport that can be transferred into organisations. #Paralympics #Inclusion #Disability

“With 100 days to go until the Paris Games, the IPC’s Andrew Parsons says it is vital for disability rights they are the best ever.” “We’re talking about the 4,400 athletes living in the village, but we also want to be able to influence positively the lives of 1.2bn people with disability,” Parsons says. “We have the feeling that persons with disability have been forgotten in some of these international debates. If you see some other movements, and we applaud them all, [those related to] gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation have moved a lot, while the persons with disability have been left behind. “The pandemic has shown us, if you see the number of persons with disability and the kind of health assistance that was provided to them even in very developed countries, the policies that were designed to be very inclusive were not,” says Parsons, who does not have a disability. “Sometimes you don’t see persons with disability in those top discussions [and this is] fundamental to design the policies that will lead to real inclusion.” “I believe we have the best platform to help change that because, if you think on sport, politics, culture, whatever, the Paralympic Games is the only event of global impact that puts persons with disabilities centre stage. That’s why we understand the responsibility we have. “In September, the United Nations will host its summit for the future to look again at its sustainability goals. In this critical moment wWe have the Paralympic Games as a platform one month prior to it. It’s a very good opportunity that we don’t want to waste.” Paris 2024 - Comité d'organisation des Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques de 2024 International Paralympic Committee #Paris2024 #Paralympics

This happens all too often to people with disabilities, especially those with an invisible disability. We recommend the post below and our own Best Practice on this topic: https://lnkd.in/dkHWG8WA

The Olympics begins today in Paris, France, so I thought it apropos to note that the 2024 Paralympics will follow beginning on August 28 and ending on September 8. Like the Olympic Games, the Paralympics are for elite athletes. The difference is the Paraolympians all have at least one disability that falls into one of six categories: 1. Amputee 2. Cerebral Palsy 3. Intellectual Disability 4. Visual Impairment 5. Spinal Injury 6. Les Autres (the Others) “Para” translates to “Alongside,” meaning that the event occurs every four years following the Olympic Games. The objective of Special Olympics, on the other hand, is to offer sporting competition to athletes of all abilities. To participate, the athlete must have an intellectual disability. #Paraolympics #disabilities #disabilityempowerment #disabilitypride #Athletes #Epilectra #GraphicNovel #superheroes

"3 Things Audiences Can Learn From The Paralympic Games" by Andrew Pulrang for Forbes This year’s Paralympics will include 22 events – including a range of adapted and originally designed sports as broad and diverse as the Olympic Games themselves. And arguably more so than the Olympic games, the Paralympics are touted as being about more than the events themselves. From the Paralympic website: "The Paralympic Games are more than just a sporting event – they offer a unique opportunity to shine a spotlight on sport and disability, inspire individuals, bring about social change, and promote inclusive professional and sports opportunities for people with disabilities." #DisabilityRights #Paralympics #WeAreBillionStrong #AXSChat #Equity #SDGs #DisabilityInclusion https://lnkd.in/e9ATZeMs

Fabulous story about disability inclusion and the difficulty or impossibility of one setting to fit all. As you read this, pls also consider athletes with an intellectual disability who are locked out of the Paralympics so gave set up their own event. So what’s the answer ? The answer is lots of settings and choices and ongoing evolution to keep pushing inclusion along and simultaneously respecting the human right of people to gather with their tribe in any settings they want. This story also shows the problem with the label “segregated”. Not everything segregated is bad -we all do it. A feeling of “belonging” is what’s key to inclusion and any setting that generates that is on the right track.