Something I have found getting back into sports, specifically the fun run circuit, way after my professional wheelchair racing career ended, is that you need to be much more a part of your own destiny when it comes to your inclusion in events. 

As we move forward as a society those competing professionally obviously and quite rightly take their inclusion for granted. They are elite athletes at the top of their game. The crowd wants them. The sponsors want them. The promoters want them. But where does this leave the average Joe or Jane person with a disability wanting to get involved in their local fun run, their local parkrun? To be sure some inclusion does trickle down from the top. The more you see a disabled athlete in the Sydney Marathon the more likely it is that the door will be open for you at a more local, more recreational level. But sadly, it's still not a given. So how do you negotiate a good outcome?  

First and foremost, it comes down to communication. Whether it be a new gym, a fun run, a cycling group ride - it starts with a conversation. Understandably those organising might not have had experience with disability before. We are 20% of the population which sounds like a big number, but we will always be outnumbered by those without disability. This means education will always be a part of a disabled person's life. Being someone’s teachable moment can get old real quick. But do it well and you will be doing every disabled person that comes after you a great service. 

Understand that the other party might come at this conversation from one of fear and apprehension. They may use phrases like ‘oh but our insurance won’t cover you’ or ‘but how will you...’. In my experience, these responses aren’t coming from a place of wanting exclusion but simply from not having experienced disability. If you are comfortable, work with them through these questions. Or seek out those who may have done it before. For every problem, there is a solution. Use analogies, if someone can push a pram in a fun run then draw that similarity to a wheelchair for example. Ask leading questions ‘so if I was to fall, would this be different to a person without disability tripping in your event?’. Working through scenarios can act as a safety mechanism and help event organisers to realise the sky is indeed not falling in. 

I understand it's tempting, especially for those of us with an advocacy background, to throw around phrases like ‘but the disability discrimination act says...’ or to jump straight to social or mainstream media. Believe me, I have been there and done that. To be clear there are times when this is wholly appropriate but 9/10 times the other side is simply unaware of the options for inclusion and the skills you have developed through years of living with disability. An ounce of education can sometimes be returned with a pound of inclusion that won’t just help you but those in your disabled community that come along after. 

Inclusion happens incrementally, being a part of this change can be incredibly rewarding.  

About the author: Geoff Trappett OAM is a former Paralympic Athlete. With a career that spanned 2 world championships, 2 paralympic games, a gold medal in Sydney 2000 and a world record. Following on from sport Geoff has transitioned to working professionally in multiple senior executive roles in the disability sector both within disability service providers and disabled person run advocacy organisations. Now leading his own social policy change organisation Inclusion Moves developing inclusion and diversity plans in the corporate world and speaking out on human rights and disability inclusion related issues.