Young people who are changing the face of disability sport

It is through the London 2012 legacy programme, International Inspiration, designed and implemented by UK Sport, in partnership with the British Council and UNICEF, that these young leaders have been trained to help organise school sports activities that promote inclusion and deliver social messaging.

Changing perceptions through school sport
In the run up to the Paralympic Games, fourteen year old, Anthony from Trinidad and Tobago, who was born with Right Primary Focal Femoral Dysplasia resulting in his right leg being much shorter than his left, helped organise a Paralympic School Day. Himself a keen swimmer, he wanted other children to experience what it is like to have a disability.

“We had a Paralympic School Day with persons playing basketball with amputees, sitting volleyball and blind football… we would take their hands and tie them so that they could see what it is like to be disabled,” he said.

Anthony believes these activities will give people a greater understanding of what it is like to be a young disabled person, as he himself faced many challenges before he began taking part in International Inspiration:

“When I was in Primary School, people used to tease me and it made me feel like hiding away. People try to show you up because they have all their limbs and it makes you feel down there.”

He believes his participation in International Inspiration has helped change this, “When I started all these activities, they stopped because they saw that I can do it too, so why would they make fun of me?”

Personal development through sport
Sixteen year old Mary from Tanzania is a member of her school’s International Inspiration Club, which organises activities for people in her school and community. She shares the impact International Inspiration has had on her personal development and the role sport can play in helping bring social change:

“Through activities at my school, we are encouraged to be good leaders and have good behaviours, like respect, love and peace and how to live in our society.”

Sport has the power to create a strong legacy in both the UK and internationally, and Sixteen year old Erica from London, who joined Anthony and Mary during the relay believes it is the ‘extra mile’ of young people that will help strengthen this legacy.

“Sports make us active, gives us good communication skills and make friendships with different people,” finishes Mary.

Visit the UK Sport website for more about International Inspiration