How safe do you feel in your community? Do you feel disability leaves you vulnerable to abuse or assault? Ever thought what you could do about it?

I grew up sporty. Despite living with a disability my entire life I never saw myself as inherently vulnerable. I still don’t for the most part. But the world we live in certainly has been taking a weird and wacky turn lately so I came to examine not only my safety but being able to protect my family. 

Recently I have started taking Krav Maga lessons. Krav Maga is a military self-defence and fighting system developed for the Israel Defense Force. Partly for fitness, partly for the challenge and of course partly for the peace of mind. Knowing that I have done everything I can do to keep myself and my family safe. Disability and all. 

For you see Krav Maga, and a good number of other self-defence styles work from a strength-based framework. Exactly how our disabled community wants our support systems to work. It identifies your strengths and puts them to purpose neutralising whatever threat comes your way. 

"But you are a former Paralympian!" I hear you say. "What can I, as someone less sporty do?" The first thing I learnt is as much as I love going to town bashing the stuffing out of a punching bag, it’s not at all about that. My sessions have been far more taxing on my brain than they have been on my body.

Self-defence is about ideally about never putting yourself in a position of potential vulnerability in the first place. Ensuring you tuck your wallet away out of sight. Not in the back of your chair as many of us are guilty of. Ensuring that you don’t lead yourself down a path where you couldn’t retreat back from whence you came. Is it safe to use that ATM late at night? Can I take a path that keeps me in sight of others? Keeping your eyes open to potential trouble well before it turns nasty. Using your brain much more than your brawn. 

It’s only once all this has passed that you ever regretfully need to put into place any of what you have learnt physically. Once you do make that decision though. Use your strengths. You carry keys, use them. You use a power chair with a big footplate hell yes. Your mobility aid gives you mobility, it will also be your closest weapon. 

Next time someone tells you that you are inherently vulnerable because of your disability, promise me one thing. Take that as a challenge. A challenge not to be that person. To be smarter. To be stronger. Be someone that others won't want to cross.    

About the writer:

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.