Paralympic Games and Greater Inclusivity – A Work In Progress

This blog follows on from this ‘open letter’

I have posted the response received from Paralympics GB / Every Body Moves on social media in recent weeks but am now actioning the next step.

Response received 7th September 2024.

Dear Sally,

Thank you for taking the time to write to us. We appreciate your concerns and hope that the information contained in our latest blog post outlining some of the background to Every Body Moves goes some way to explaining our name and purpose.

Co-production is fundamental to our programme, so please do reach out if you’d like to know more or be involved in the future.

Very best regards

Barry Lloyd

Programme Manager

ParalympicsGB | Every Body Moves

The blog post mentioned in the reply has the title – ‘A bit of background on our Every Body Moves approach.’  This generic sounding email makes it seem as though Mr Lloyd hadn’t read my ‘open letter’ and sent out a standard response to criticism. However, this was constructive criticism from an organisation that represents part of the disabled community.

Next step

Extracts from the blog –

‘Every Body Moves powered by Toyota is a ParalympicsGB programme designed and co-produced with the disabled community to champion inclusion and empower disabled people to become more active.

The name “Every Body Moves.” Is more than just a title – it’s a purposeful play on words that has been co-produced with the wider disability community to reflect our shared values of inclusivity and empowerment. The name was carefully chosen through extensive collaboration with the disabled community including our lived experience advisory board and the award winning disability-led marketing agency Purple Goat, highlighting our commitment to centring the lived experiences and voices from within the community.’

At the heart of Every Body Moves is the social model of disability, which recognises that it’s society’s barriers, rather than individual bodies, that disable people. We strongly believe that disability is not about what you can or cannot do, but about how society fails to accommodate and celebrate the diverse ways people live and move. That’s why we say, “Every Body Moves,” – because every body, regardless of ability or impairment, moves in its own unique and meaningful way.
We will champion that unapologetically.’

I am wondering if any representatives from the energy limiting conditions community were involved in this collaborative work. Because a heck of a lot of us with this range of conditions do not see this #EveryBodyMoves campaign as inclusive or empowering. No amount of lifting of ‘societal barriers’ would enable us to participate in exercise/increase our exertion. With that in mind, here is the next bit.

Invitation ‘open letter’

Dear Mr Lloyd,

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to reach out following your response to my correspondence regarding the #EveryBodyMoves campaign and the important conversation that must be had around its inclusivity for all disabled individuals, particularly those living with energy-limiting conditions such as M.E. and Long Covid.

To address these concerns, I would like to propose an online ’roundtable’ discussion (many in this community are still COVID19 cautious). This gathering would allow us to engage directly with individuals experiencing these conditions to better understand their perspectives and identify ways to ensure that the next Paralympic Games are more inclusive (even if only in the form of a public caveat to reduce stigma).

I hope you agree this conversation is important and necessary.  Please feel free to invite others who may also want to participate in this crucial dialogue.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to foster greater inclusivity. I look forward to your response.

Warm regards,

Sally Callow

Founder – ME Foggy Dog

Managing Director – Stripy Lightbulb CIC.

Email sent 18th September 2024, obviously I’ll keep you posted on developments.

Love

Sally