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Beyond Sport : The impact of the Paralympics on disability perception and innovation. 

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By Dr Tamsin Holland Brown, Clinical Lead, NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, ARU

On the first day of the Paralympics 2024 in Paris, the Global Disability Innovation Summit convened at the British ambassador residence to think “Beyond Sport”. 150 research and business leaders, including the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur team, were invited to attend an inspiring panel discussion before having the opportunity to network and discuss disability, innovation and strengthening the global network of those championing disability justice. 

 “The Paralympic Games is one of the most visible and celebrated representation of disability, with audience figures showing global reach in the billions”

International Paralympic Committee, 2017 

The world report on disability, 2011, evidences the link between disability, stigma and poverty [2]. The inspiration and engagement of the Paralympics reaches wide audiences and changes mindsets. It demonstrates what is possible and at the same time showcases the role technology plays in participation and independence. 

The media coverage of the Paralympics changes the way differences in abilities are perceived and talked about [3]. In 2020 Pullen, Jackson and Silk reported “focus groups with non-disabled young people in England before 2012 [Olympic Games], found themes of disgust and discomfort with different, impaired bodies” but after the 2012 Paralympics, there was a documented “shift in attitude by audiences” [3]. Qualitative research shows viewers watching the Paralympics were “surprised at how emotive and thrilling the Paralympics was”, with 67% of respondents watching more than they intended to [4]. Channel 4 broadcast around 500 hours of Paralympic sport back in 2012 (an increase by 400% compared to the previous Paralympics in 2008) watched by ~69% of the population. Since then, more diverse and differently abled presenters have been trained [4]. The Paris Paralympics is “set for record Paralympic coverage” (www.paralympic.org).

The Paralympics also draws attention to assistive technologies, although tech enabled athletes can be seen as more “functional” which authors Pullen Jackson and Silk (2020) argue can lead to “potentially damaging stigma hierarchies of disability preference framed by ‘ablenational’ sentiments” [3]. There are also concerns of a wide tech gap between what athletes from low and high income countries can access. 

However, the Paralympics provides a platform to highlight that 1 in 7 people have a disability globally and access to assistive technologies can enable independence, opportunities and achievement for individuals. Economic development is possible when assistive technologies can support people to remain productive within the workforce, reduce health costs and prevent recurrent admissions to hospital [5]. Of the twelve recommendations produced by the Global Report on Assistive Technologies, GReAT, in 2023 [6], three focused on international cooperation, investing in enabling environments, an “enabling ecosystem” as well as increasing public awareness of assistive technologies and combating stigma [6]. 

Dame Menna Rawlings, British ambassador to France, hosted the Global Disability Innovation Summit  in Paris at the beginning of the 2024 Paralympic Games to focus on “disability, innovation and the power of Paralympic legacy” to give a platform to the voice of Paralympians, disability activists and those showcasing innovative technologies (which included Go Assistive Tech, Hope Tech Plus, Koalaa, Tilting the lens, Wazi, and European Space Agency). 

Dame Rawlings recalled the history of the paralympic movement arising from the Stoke-Mandeville games in 1948, where the first competition for athletes using wheelchairs was launched [7]. She additionally pointed out the accessibility building work that had been carried out to improve the accessibility of the ambassador’s residence. The highlight for many was the beautiful red carpeted accessible ramp, covered in flowers welcoming invitees to the front door (figure 1) before they collected their badges and were shown to the speaker’s hall where attention had been paid to audio, visual and BSL (British Sign Language) needs. Many people commented on the comfort in and ease they felt within an inclusive environment.

The Global Disability Innovation (GDI) Hub, who co-hosted the summit, has a global approach to inclusive innovation, building an ecosystem, where solutions are accessible for “a world without barriers to participation and with opportunity for all.” [2]

Event speakers included John McFall who spoke of the importance of sport as part of the rehabilitation and recovery process after a life changing illness or injury. With his own lived-experienced of amputation and technology use, John went on to compete as a sprinter in the Paralympic Games, then become a doctor specialising in trauma and orthopaedics, and then become an astronaut. Sinéad Burke (CEO and founder of Tilting the Lens) spoke about ‘unlearning’ preconceptions, diverse leadership and inclusivity for the benefit of all. Christophe Debard, head of ProtoSpace and founder of the Humanity Lab, which facilitates employees to volunteer their skills and time towards creating a meaningful solution to improve lives of others, was enlightening about his own journey after life changing surgery as well as the extraordinary innovations that can be achieved through volunteers. Cara Elizabeth Yar Khan (www.carayarkhan.com) is a powerful disability advocate with knowledge built from humanitarian work with the United Nations and lived experience of myopathy, who has also joined the Global Disability Innovation Hub. 

The ‘Para Sport Against Stigma’ study found that the Paralympics offers “relevant, emotive and powerful counter narratives to deep seated stigma”, since watching the Paralympics caused participants to abandon expected feelings of prejudice or pity and instead feel  joyful, hopeful  or “emotionally moved”,  changing their mindset about what was possible. The research also found that “Para athletes are powerful role models and can counter internalising stigma” [8]. A disability inclusion education programme in Malawi called i’mPOSSIBLE trained over 100 physical education (P.E.) teachers and special educational needs teachers  in over 100 schools, resulting in increased appreciation of diverse talents, increased inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream activities, and this improved student confidence and concentration in class [8].

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) launched the “Equipped for equity” campaign during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which highlights the transformative impact of assistive technologies, not only in sports but in daily life and advocates for access to technology to enable participation and independence. In lower income countries around 3% of people who need assistive technologies can access them, whereas other higher income countries over 90% can access technologies [9]. The campaign highlights assistive technologies and urges “governments to remove barriers, such as high taxes on assistive products, and integrate access into Universal Health Coverage” [10]. Zambia has done exactly this and removed taxes on assistive technologies. 

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General is quoted as saying “around the world, many people still do not have access to crucial assistive technology… We call on governments…to prioritise these critical products, by integrating them in primary care programmes as part of their journey towards universal health coverage.” [9]

The NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme (CEP) team were represented at the summit. The CEP has supported the development of multiple assistive technologies over the eight years it has been supporting NHS staff to innovate for the benefit of patient care or the health system. Supporter of the CEP andMedical device partners of the Paralympics include CMR surgical (Cambridge Medical Robotics) who are revolutionising the operating room by enabling minimal access surgery to drive better surgical outcomes. Professor Matthew Campbell-Hill is a mentor on the CEP: As a health tech consultant and former medal-winning, GB, wheelchair fencing athlete, he supports clinical entrepreneurs and multiple innovations. Clinical Entrepreneur Nick Gompertz attended the summit due to his leadership around racially agnostic monitoring through Earswitch (www.earswitch.co.uk). It was also great to see Bradley Heslop, CCO of Dot Glasses attend from Kenya, since the reported success the affordable and adjustable Dot Glasses have been adopted in 15 countries to date (www.dotglasses.org)

The NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme is proud to have launched the Patient Entrepreneur Programme in 2024 to support patient-led innovation and diverse leaders in entrepreneurship (as well as recently establishing a partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society to support innovators working in the dementia space). Global partnerships are developing to share knowledge, innovations and networks. 

Further information on is available on the website www.nhscep.com and applications open in the autumn. 

References

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