Can Some Disabled groups Discriminate against Other Disabled groups ?
Can some Disabled Groups Discriminate against other Disabled Groups? I suppose that you might look at this question and think has he lost the plot. But before I go into this topic just sit and pause for a moment and think about the questions been asked. Can you think of any reason at all when somebody who is Disabled can Discriminate against another Disabled person. I know, when I first came across the situation that I'm going to put before you I thought to myself this can't be right or be happening ! but it is. So, any ideas how this can happen, no, well I'll try to make it clear for you, firstly I'll give you a clue to the area that it is involved, Sport?. Sport you say, you must be off your trolly, anyone who is Disabled in sport treat all other fellow Disabled sport players in the say way as they expect them to be treated. And yes you are correct to a point. And that point is when we try to reach the highest point we can achieve in our sporting prowess.
The Paralympics, now again I can hear your jaws banging on the floor, and I would again have agreed with you on this point. However, after recently taking up the sport of shooting, and in particular target shooting. I joined a local club who had, not only good disabled facilities. But also had a coach who had previously dealt with Disabled shooters before, so I was going to be starting on the right path. Anyway after joining my club and becoming severely bitten by the shooting bug, I was hooked. And my coach could see my eagerness to achieve better shooting abilities. He asked what I wanted to achieve out of my shooting, and I replied I want to enter competitions and win. Then jokingly I said I wouldn't mind been a paralympian shooter, and he said that if I train hard enough then he couldn't see why I could not apply. So after some discussion, I decided that I would have a crack at applying to be placed on the Paralympian pathway. And so I contacted various different organisations, like the Disabled Shooting Project, and Disability Shooting GB, also British Shooting and finally the IPC (International Paralympic Committee). All of whom were very helpful, but it was the last group I contacted that would be the one I really needed to be dealing with. And after emailing several people I was finally pointed in the direction of the person in charge of assessing Disabled shooters for the correct category in which they would be shooting under. Once they had their classification card, this is the card that officially tell the shooting judges what Disabled group you fall under.
Thank You One and all.
Now this is where things start to become more complicated, but clear for my story. I was sent a number of forms that I needed my own Doctor to fill out about my conditions, before I am asked to attend a medical assessment at Stoke Mandeville, the head centre for all Disabled athletes regardless of your sport. So I read through the forms and took them to my own GP to fill in for me. While I waited for surgery to tell me I could collect my forms, I started to do some research about the assessment procedure. And I was shocked and very surprised to read, that in order to qualify to become a Paralympian Shooter, you need to fall under, 1 of 10 types of Disabilities. Any one of the listed conditions and you could apply for assessment, this did not mean you would automatically be accepted as a Paralympian Shooter. And if your Disability did not fall under the list then you could not apply.
After I got my forms back from my GP, I sent them into the IPC headquarters at Stoke Mandeville, and there I would have to wait to hear back from them. However, I had my concerns about my conditions, yes I had a number of Disabilities and it was not going to be as easy as I was led to believe. I contacted my coach and asked him about my conditions, where he informed me that any Chronic pain condition was not acceptable as a condition under the IPC rules for inclusion in the Paralympic Squad. So, if you had a certain type of Disabilities these Disabilities excluded you from been included as a Paralympian Shooter. So, basically even if you were Disabled you did not qualify to become a Team GB Disabled Shooter, and part of the Olympian Squad. I felt let down and dejected after building up my hopes, but my coach said don't worry you have other conditions that could be counted as part of your qualifying conditions. But I was not going to get my hopes up, after all 2 of my main conditions that meant I needed the use of a wheelchair for my mobility. The first of my Conditions was Neuropathic Pain Syndrome, which is nerve damage which I had in my left knee after I had a fall, the other main condition I had was OsteoArthritis, this was widespread in all my major joints, both knees, both hips, both shoulders, both elbows, I had it also in my Ankles and the lower part of my spine. I also suffered with Spondylitis in my neck, plus a number of other conditions, but these ones were the ones that restricted my movements. Meaning I needed to be seated in my wheelchair to shoot, and I also needed the use of what Disabled shooters call the "Spring" It's a Shooting aid to help take the weight off holding the Target Rifle, it is better known as the Belgian Spring.
So, there it was in clear print, unless you had one of the listed Disabilities named by the IPC, then you could not apply to shoot as a Disabled shooter in the Paralympics. So, I my view and opinion one set of Disabled shooters was placed at a Disadvantage against another Disabled set of shooters. And to me this is where the Discrimination comes into play, one set of Disabled Athletes is been Discriminated against because their Disability does not qualify them to become a member of the Disabled shooting team in Team GB.
So how can it be allowed in this day and age when we try to promote fairness and equality for one and all, that we can discriminate those that are already at a disadvantage by the very fact that they are Disabled. But never mind that they are regarded Disabled, sadly they are not Disabled enough, this therefore exempts them from been accepted as a Disabled shooter under the IPC rules and regulations for acceptance as a Disabled shooter. Although, you can shoot as a Disabled shooter under the NSRA (National Small-bore Rifle Association) rules and regs, once you have applied for a Certificate of Dispensation. Which is awarded to Disabled shooters with photo evidence of how you shoot normally at your club, this photographic proof has to be accompanied with a letter explaining your Disability and why you need to shoot as you do using the items you use when you shoot. And that is it, so I'm in the process of getting my certificate of Dispensation. Which will allow me entry into any competition run or backed by the NSRA, nationally. Also I am a member of the STS which is the (Scottish Target Shooting) this allows me to shoot in competitions in Scotland, which is where I Live. So I hope I have given you food for thought, and if anyone out there wishes to explain my concern regarding the issue I have raised regarding the including and excluding of Different Disabled shooters in the world of Paralympic Sports, then I would be glad to hear from you and your thoughts on the topic I have raised. I do feel very strongly about this issue that is close to my heart, and I intend to raise the issue with the IPC and the ISSF ( International Shooting Sport Federation) Who are the Governing body of the World Shooting Championships. I would like to hear from you so please do get back in touch and drop me a line giving me your thoughts and opinions on my topic.
