Royals in wheelchairs trying to do sports

[Wouldyouguess]

I was just looking thourgh photos of Harry and Megan taking wheelchair curling lesson somewhere. I remember seeing a similar type of even where the Princess of Wales was also doing some sport of event trying it out in a wheelchair (wheelchair rugby)
I know this is probably a way to look 'inclusive' but I also find it quite offensive to me as someone who has a disabled person in family to see able bodied people 'having a go' at being disabled for 10 minutes and going 'oh this must be so tough', 'power to you disabled people you're so inspiring'.

Maybe offended was not the right word. I just find it weird/unnecessary for able bodied people to do PR stunts in wheelchairs for cameras and popularity sake, royals of ex-royals. Because I see daily struggles of disabled people around me and it's not that glam.

Oh wow thank you!
And how do you know how much time I spend with my dependant? I presume you know everything there is to know about physical and mental disabilities, would love to come and teach families in positions like ours how to communicate with people with similar level of handicap we experience, because most professionals we met had not much to say.

Surely its a good thing to shine a light on the fact that disabled can play competitive sports just like everyone else, and they can actually have fun as well. There's nothing like having the Royal family there to get it into mainstream.media

Who are you to challenge that poster's lived in experience?

It is a good point- I suppose though (I must say I didnt know some of these were designed for abled and disabled people to play)- why get in the wheelchair to begin with? They could go and be spectators.

For me somehow it's a bit like putting a hijab on for 10 minutes and saying- oh I now experienced struggles of a muslimg person. It does not sit right with me.

Maybe I am very wrong about it. It grated me for some reason though.

Maybe they could also all use a wheelchair for a day and try getting into restaurants, pubs, shops, use taxis and public transport etc. It might help highlight how difficult is is to do those things ad hoc without having to check up on accessibility first and plan ahead.

There's a number of charities who work on building disability awareness and inclusion who will carry out workshops like his as part of their training for able bodied people. The facilitators are wheelchair users. I would say that being offended because you know a disabled person is a bit... off especially when disabled people are working for these charities and running these events.

For me somehow it's a bit like putting a hijab on for 10 minutes and saying- oh I now experienced struggles of a muslimg person. It does not sit right with me.

I think it's more like admiring a beautiful scarf that can be used as a hijab but is also quality silk or a beautiful pattern/colour. You don't need to be Muslim to appreciate the fabric.

It is a good point- I suppose though (I must say I didnt know some of these were designed for abled and disabled people to play)- why get in the wheelchair to begin with? They could go and be spectators.

James is a 10 year old wheelchair user who loves rugby and would love to play. He is the only wheelchair user in his school. There is a thriving rugby scene in the school. The PE teacher thinks that a way to include everyone is to make wheelchair rugby the that sport everyone, including James, can play. James, in this scenario can’t play wheelchair rugby on his own while everyone else is a spectator.

"For me somehow it's a bit like putting a hijab on for 10 minutes and saying- oh I now experienced struggles of a muslimg person. It does not sit right with me."

Also if anyone plays 10min of wheelchair rugby and then thinks they know the life of every wheelchair user they're probably a hopeless case. I don't see many people being ignorant enough to think that they could possibly know anything after such a short experience. From what I've witnessed, it's more about promoting disabled sports players and encouraging others to recognise the skill, the strength and the training and work that goes into wheelchair sports.

As a student in spinal injuries we all spent a day in a wheelchair. We also had to experience all the moving and handling our patients do. I'd say it was invaluable, you don't quite realise how much nurses get in peoples personal space till it's done to us.

If it's about understanding the experience for another person then fine. If it's for your own publicity then no.

Plus manual self propelled wheelchairs are really good for fitness. Excellent for your cardio vascular system and upper body strength.

Lol nice try, you can start a thread anyway . The only reason a royal used was set up is because people were tired of seeing the endless threads like this in chat or aibu.

Plenty of people who aren't physically disabled enough to need a wheelchair compete in wheelchair sports because they either do it that way or not at all.

They also IME love people to give a try and realise how hard it is.

If the only way to play rugby with your AB friends is wheelchair rugby most people would rather friends played in a wheelchair than their friends played whilst they watched from the sidelines.

But as with everything in life people will have different opinions. As long as the viewpoints of disabled people are being heard and published and by AB people on their behalf then everyone's opinion is valid.

Not by AB people on their behalf

I am an MS patient, it doesn’t offend me in the least.

Agree

I think we'd see a lot of change in more accessible and inclusive environmental design that's for sure

My DD plays wheelchair basketball. She’s disabled but she doesn’t use a wheelchair in day-to-day life.

Her original team here actively advertised for able bodied people to join to make up numbers as they couldn’t compete with other teams without enough people. They made clear to the “fakes” (their name for AB folks who joined) that any new disabled participant joining would take priority.

I mentioned the thread last night to DD (I said “friends and I were discussing and she said “so mumsnet then…” 😂) and her take on it is that if the photos of someone famous or royal get it into a paper or on a website where someone may see it and see it as an option for them then she’s ok with it, but she she also said that one wheelchair user she used to play with wouldn’t like it at all. They didn’t even like disabled people like her playing the wheelchair game as they felt it was using the chair as a prop.

She reminded me that she got into it when some people came into her school to demonstrate and she, and the other children, had a laugh watching their able bodied HT only managed to spin himself in circles in the chair.

why do you find it so uncomfortable or weird really ? finding out how disabled people play sport is a positive thing surely ? isn't it better that they have a go take part than watching and clapping from the sidelines not really understanding how .the game is played from a sitting position as I said they are not pretending to know what it's like to have a physical disability they are just taking part in a sport that wheelchair users are playing. being disabled is hard enough some days without it becoming a them and us situation.

I don't recall such outrage when Kate took part in wheelchair rugby in October 2023. Look at those comments!

Oh dear

This is why she played. She played during a visit to my husband's wheelchair rugby team, she was absolutely lovely, and they had a great day, whilst raising awareness of disability sports. There's always someone to complain or be offended!