Perceptions of disability are changing. There are more opportunities for differently-abled individuals to participate in sporting events such as the Paralympics. People are in awe of athletes who, by overcoming physical challenges, reflect immense commitment and display sportsmanship on the field.
The Paralympics are a series of sporting events for people with disabilities. They range from physical disabilities– including impaired muscle power (e.g. paraplegia and quadriplegia, muscular dystrophy, post-polio syndrome, spina bifida), impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency (e.g. amputation or Dysmelia), leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis–to visual and intellectual impairment. Sports for disabled athletes have existed for a century. Earlier sports for disabled people were divided into three wide categories that included visual impairment, physical impairment, and intellectual impairment.
Sports for the visually impaired have had the longest tradition. The first large-scale game for blind athletes was the International Silent Games. It was held in 1924, in Paris, with athletes from nine European nations participating in it; the games were the brainchild of Eugène Rubens-Alcais, who was hearing impaired.
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