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Disability in the Paralympics

Source: encyclopedia.com

Disability classification is the method used throughout the Paralympics movement to create and run fair athletic competitions. The mission of Paralympics sports is to include as many people as possible who have physical and/or intellectual disabilities. 

There are six broad Paralympics categories: Athletes can participate in the Paralympics if they are an amputee, have cerebral palsy, an intellectual disability, use a wheelchair, have vision impairment (e.g. blind), and "others."

The amputee category is one where the athlete has lost at least one major musculoskeletal joint; the ankle, knee, and elbow are common examples. If an athlete only had a single finger or toe missing, then they would not qualify to be in the Paralympics. 

Cerebral palsy is a genetic disease that affects how the brain and body works. Many athletes who suffer from cerebral palsy compete in events that require wheelchairs.

Intellectual disability. The Paralympics define this disability as one when the athlete had this disability before reaching the age of 18 years, and when there is proof from doctors that the athlete has a limitation of mental function in two or more specific areas. Academic performance, communication skills, community living skills, the ability of the athletes to safely care for themselves, and their ability to live on their own are the standards against which the disability is assessed.

Wheelchair athletes are those who have had a minimum of 10% loss of function (use) in the lower limbs e.g. legs. The most common illness or injuries that these athletes have are: paraplegia, quadriplegia, poliomyelitis or amputation. 

Vision-impaired athletes range from those whose eyesight requires significant correction by way of lenses to athletes who are entirely blind.

Others (les autres in French) is the category that is reserved for disabled athletes who do not meet the requirements of the previous five categories. A common disability found in the ‘les autres’ or ‘others’ category is that of dwarfism.