Paralympian Hopes to Change Perceptions

Double Paralympic gold medallist, Hannah Cockroft, is supporting a children’s charity campaign to further improve attitudes towards people with disabilities and build on the success of the London 2012 Paralympics.

The out spoken 20-year-old wheelchair racer, who has cerebral palsy, says she often meets people who assume she’s stupid because she’s in a wheelchair.

Hannah commented: “Some people pat you on the head or treat you like a dog, which can be patronising.  Just because your legs don’t work, it doesn’t mean your brain doesn’t work.”

The Paralympic champion is supporting children’s charity Whizz-Kidz’s manifesto ‘Generation Inspired?’, which aims to change people’s perceptions of those who have a disability.

Wheelchair Access and Inclusion

Containing the hopes and opinions of young disabled people, the manifesto provides recommendations for applying the Games’ ethos and inclusivity into everyday services.  Hannah personally delivered the report to Downing Street for the government to consider.

One of the areas highlighted is wheelchair access on public transport.  Hannah explains: “We should be able to get on a train like everyone but if you’re in a wheelchair you have to phone ahead before your journey to make sure there are ramps.

“I start to feel like a pain asking for ramps all the time and sometimes I get forgotten and miss my stop.  Buses often only have one space for wheelchairs so if I’m going out with a friend who is also a wheelchair user we have to get different buses.”

Whizz-Kidz chief executive, Ruth Owen, hopes improvements can continue to be made in the coming years.

Ruth said: “The London Paralympics shone a spotlight on the talent, skill and ambition of disabled people.  However, it will be a hugely missed opportunity if we don’t capitalise on the legacy of the Games – not just to create more access to sport but to offer greater opportunity for young disabled people across all areas of society.