The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games

The Visibility of People With Disabilities in Brazil as a Possible Legacy

Bibliographic Data

ID13049095
AuthorsDoralice Lange De Souza (0000-0001-7330-6156, Universidade Federal do Paraná, corresponding author), Ian Brittain (0000-0002-0590-4338, Coventry University)
Year2020
Volume10
Issue2
Pages334-353
Publication date2020-07-29
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCommunication & Sport (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2167-4795 • E-ISSN: 2167-4809
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/2167479520942739
OpenAlexW3042808731
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited22

There are claims that the Paralympic Games (PG) might contribute to a better world for people with disabilities (PWD). However, there are also claims that the PG might in fact be counterproductive to the PWD’s rights movement because they might promote the medical model of disability and/or ableism. In this context, we developed a qualitative exploratory study to investigate the legacies of the Rio 2016 PG from the perspective of disability rights activists and people involved in Paralympic sport managerial positions. In this article, we discuss one of the main perceived legacies that the PG fostered PWD’s visibility and a change in society’s perception of PWD. We conducted 24 open in-depth interviews and found that, for our participants, the PG worked as a showcase for PWD who were rarely seen in the media and in public spaces before the Games. This visibility helped to challenge negative stereotypes and stigmas associated with PWD, as well as possibly opening new doors for them. Our interviewees believe that we shouldn’t expect that the PG alone can change people’s perceptions and PWD’s status overnight. They are part of a larger and complex set of actions that are slowly contributing to this process

Ableism · Context (archaeology · Doors · Exploratory research · Geography · Perception · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · Visibility · Disability Rights and Representation · Engineering · Gender Studies · Inclusion and Disability in Education and Sport · Physical Education and Sports Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology