Sport For Everyone. Possibly.

I wondered if there would be a major outbreak of enthusiasm for sport for the disabled following the (admirable, successful) 2012 paralympics in London.
Or even a meme lodged in the public mind that everyone with a disability could and should be in some sense athletic.

No, I don't want to detract from the dedication and achievements of paralympic athletes.
Or differ from the view that many with disabilities can be encouraged, with very positive effects, to take on activities they had not previously considered within their abilities.

It's just that I don't want to see the pendulum swinging to far the other way, where anyone who is disabled and not engaged in sport is obviously just not trying.  Or are merely invisible and forgotten, since they are not out being sporty in clubs and venues.

This has been on my mind while seeing all the paralympic sports in which I could not compete or participate,  and was crystallised by a piece in the BBC "Ouch" blog:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ouch/2012/09/boccia_a_sport_for_all.html

"Boccia: A sport for all."
But is it?


My comment there:
"I'm thinking...  Could I play Boccia?
Yes, if I allowed for it taking over much of my life.
An evening's activity I'd be paying for, heavily, for the next three days at the very least.
That's standard payback, with chronic fatigue syndrome.
Competitive Bonsai as a sport? The pace would be about right!"


No, I don't want to be negative, or to depress people.
But I don't want to be miscategorised, misunderstood or overlooked, either.

Not according to plan...

So while I was, this morning, largely recovered from the modest excesses of Sunday (i.e., having visitors) the idea pencilled in for today did not survive contact with reality.
No garden, not trains.

Rather, an unexpected phone call from the BBC "You and Yours" about an e-mail I'd sent, and the possibility of my contributing to today's programme on Radio 4.
("Will the Paralympics challenge negative stereotypes around disability?")
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mddl8

(I'm at 13.40)

We used the e-mail rather than putting me live, in the end.
But that was enough activity for one day.
Pretty much for the whole day, when added to Tuesday's regular two-hour (including rest) task of taking in and putting away the week's groceries.
Ah, well, the only "must" for tomorrow is being awake enough at the right time in order to let my cleaner in.

Hardly Paralympian heroism.
But then CFS doesn't really fit that paradigm.
Let's not get this wrong: the Paralympics coverage is positive and inspiring.  It's just that lots of people operate with "soundbite" mental images and idea, and the Paralympics gives only a very partial image of life with disability.
The other images, and more complex ideas need to be communicated as well.
(I did my "event", and posted an e-mail that got to air.)