Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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London 2012: an inclusive legacy
Games will transform perception of disabled people, according to a report published yesterday.
With just under 500 days to the go until the beginning of the Paralympic Games, a joint DCMS/Office for Disability Issues (ODI) report has hailed the steps already taken to ensure that everyone can benefit from hosting the 2012 Games. The report, London 2012: a legacy for disabled people, lays out the opportunities and benefits that the Games will deliver for people with disabilities.
These are organised in three main priority themes, chosen by disabled people from Equality 2025, a publicly-appointed advisory body. The priority themes are:
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to transform the perception of disabled people in society, in particularly their economic contribution to society
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to support opportunities for disabled people to participate in sport and physical activity
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to promote greater participation in the community through the Games
The report shows in the ways that London 2012 is already delivering improvements to the lives of people with disabilities, including offering jobs, training, sport opportunities and an uplift in awareness across the UK.
Once in a lifetime opportunity to make a difference
Sports and Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson, writing alongside Maria Miller, Minister for Disabled People, in the introduction to the report, notes: “Disabled people play a fundamental part in every aspect of the Games, from planning to construction and staging, as employers, employees, volunteers and world class athletes.
“Yet, it was the scale of London’s legacy ambition that set our bid apart and offers us a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a meaningful difference for over 10 million disabled people in this country and the disabled people expected to visit a highly accessible and inclusive Games in 2012.”
The report, which is also available in an easy-read illustrated format, is available on the Office for Disability Issues website.
