The Paralympics are over! :(

I thought I was sad when the Olympics finished...But the Paralympics really blew me away, and I am genuinely sad to see the closing ceremony - which by the way is pretty awesome so far (yay coldplay)!!!

I think the coverage in the UK has been great, and has really broadened peoples minds, and completely changed peoples ideas. Not many things make me say this, but the Paralympics have made me proud to be British. It's amazing to see how many people have gotten behind these games. Being in Stratford for the last week of the games really illustrated this.

On my commute in the mornings you had the usual suits on their smartphones, bleary eyed people heading to work or somewhere else, only of interest to them, emotionless silent individuals on their usual route; and then you had the gamesmakers in their wonderfully distinct uniforms, the security in their green outfits and people dressed head to toe in union flags. There were people with the official tshirts, people with their faces painted, carrying flags and banners. Hundreds of excited children who broke the 'unwritten rule' of tube and train travel in London, by chattering away excitedly to anyone who would listen. Amazing!!!

Seeing someone who is disabled shouldn't make you feel uncomfortable. And having a disability shouldn't make you uncomfortable. I think this is something that has been changed by the Paralympics in the UK, for example I've noticed so many more people with amputations that are no longer wearing the aesthetic prosthetics.

I have had family and friends ask me countless questions about disability, about the conditions and the symptoms and mostly about how the athletes would be affected by their disability. Now I've talk at, to not, at, everyone who would stand still long enough about disability, and bore people to death with stories of 'oh my gosh, this is so cool a person with x condition is in y newspaper for doing z activity, how amazing is that' and I got the usual of 'yeah that's good'. Now, those people are happy to engage in conversation with me about such things. This is why the Paralympic coverage is so good, it's been brought to the attention of the general public that disability isn't something that is to be 'pitied' (as a relative once described to me). It showcases the hard work and determination of people living with a disability, and how this doesn't mean they stop doing things because of disability; they just do it differently.

xx