Having viewed most Paralympians as being on a different planet when it came to challenging the inaccessibility of our society, I note that wheelchair racer Hannah Cockroft has decided to break the mold and speak out against the government’s lack of support for disabled people.
I take my hat off to her as many Paralympians have told us in the past that they risked upsetting sponsors etc. if they were to use their position to challenge the status quo and be seen to rock the boat.
Speaking to Guardian journalist Paul MacInnes, Hannah told him that Britain is an “incredibly scary place for disabled people right now” with the government “failing to listen” to the needs of some of the most vulnerable people in society.
She said that the recognition achieved by Paralympians in the decade since London 2012 has meant that public perception has become one of overcoming adversity (what we perceive as the Super Crip stereotype), when the truth is that the struggles disabled people face have only grown in that time.
“You see us go out on the track and field and you see us do incredible things and suddenly our disability (sic) disappears in people’s eyes. We come across as massively independent and that we can conquer the world, but we can’t. I still can’t get on a train on my own I still can’t catch a bus. I still depend on Personal Independence Payments.
“The segregation between Paralympians and every other disabled person is damaging. Britain is an incredibly scary place for every disabled person right now. You feel targeted with every announcement that comes out; you feel unsupported.”
Hannah hopes that the Paris Paralympics will return the spotlight to disability sport and activism but argues that the momentum for change commonly accepted to have sprung from London 2012 fizzled out a long time ago.
“I think I really noticed it in the journey between Rio and Tokyo. That was when I noticed the TV coverage fall away, we didn’t get the crowds anymore, we didn’t get integrated as much as we had been the previous four years. Everything started to disappear.”
For further information about Hannah’s stand please read Will Reynold’s DAO blog.
NB: The new disability flag, unveiled in October 2021 by its creator Ann Magill, shows a straight diagonal banner of five colors on a dark background. The flag is an update of Magill’s original 2019 disability pride flag, which showed the banner with zigzag lines.
Description of cartoon for those using screen reading software
Crippen has created a caricature of Hannah Cockroft seated in her racing chair with ‘Disablist UK’ printed on her chest (replacing the original ‘Great Britain’ logo) and holding the flag of the disabled people’s movement (replacing the Union Flag).
Crippen Cartoons 