By Cole Manley
This week I was thinking mainly about my dad, about his life and love, about what an amazing father he was.
I am sure that I will write much more about him in the days and weeks and months to come, but I wanted to write about something else this week, the “Rising Phoenix” documentary on the Paralympic Games.
Paralympic for parallel to the Olympics, not for paralyzed, as is sometimes thought.
The documentary explores the history of the Paralympic Games and how they came into being, focusing on a handful of elite athletes who have overcome tremendous odds to master their sports.
Followers of the New York Marathon will know the name of Tatyana McFadden, who has won 17 Paralympic medals in addition to her many victories over the marathon distance. Just an astonishing level of excellence and consistency.
I was also inspired by the story of the French sprinter and long-jumper Jean-Baptise Alaize. He was born during a civil war in Burundi and lost his mother to the violence and his legs to a machete attack.
I’m also aware that there is so much more that I have to learn about the Paralympics, about the particular challenges disabled athletes face. When the Olympics receive the media attention and the money, there is a void in understanding and education about the Paralympics.
Perceptions are beginning to change, as this documentary so capably illustrates, and athletes including McFadden and others are leading this organizing.
The documentary was released on Netflix in late August. Your faith in humanity may be partially restored after watching it, at a time when we could all use a little hope and perseverance.
The physically less abled often have one characteristic in common with many people of color: their differentness is obvious. Other people who are different from the privileged white heterosexual males, e.g., LGBT people, can choose whether to stand out and thus have the opportunity to be allies.