Improving Access to Physical Activity Opportunities for People with Disabilities [Podcast Series]

• [:54] Dr. Bantham introduces her guest, Joel Dembe

  • Joel is an Advocate for Disability and Inclusion, PR Professional, and Paralympian. 

• [1:10] Journey to being an advocate for disability and inclusion

  • “I wasn't a fan of being separated from the rest of my able bodied classmates when it came to any type of activity. You know, and obviously for me, identified really at a young age, the empowering feeling that physical activity gave me in spite of being in a wheelchair. And for me, it was my very first gym teacher, really working hard to include me with the rest of my classmates, through all gym activities.”

• [3:10] Identifying as an athlete

  • “And, you know, having the chance to look at Paralympians and look at confident athletes at a really young age, I felt that was the embodiment of disability that I wanted to be known as. I didn't want to be ‘hospital Joel.’ I didn't want to be Joel ‘special needs Joel’ relegated to a different class. I wanted to be a Paralympian. I wanted to be beyond my disability.”

• [4:50] Inclusive physical education

  • “And I think for any person, no matter what your abilities are, whether you use a wheelchair like I do or whatever, you look at what are the core skills that you're seeing here.  Okay, let's find a way to pivot around them or integrate them. And I think exposing other children to disabilities, and ensuring that people with disabilities are given skills to live independently at a young age, are super important.”

• [7:07] De-stigmatizing differences

  • “And so I feel really empowered to tell kids that differences are actually normal. I think we stigmatize differences at such a young age. And that I hope you see the end version of someone who's lived through those differences, but came out the other side in a very positive way.”

• [9:32] Making our own communities more accessible for people with disabilities

  • “And if there's certain pockets in our communities that are cut off from people with disabilities, then that's the easy embodiment for me to sort of discuss those issues of fairness. Because they're in our backyard, they're in our community. Not every playground, not every track is accessible. Not every hockey arena or baseball field is accessible. And that's the sort of idea that I want to put ahead here is, it's happening in our communities. We don't have to think so broadly around the world, there's change that can occur within our community.”

• [11:30] Reimagining physical education

  • “I feel like if you have a disability and you're really young or you have some sort of perceived difference, that gym should really be a way to do things independently. For me it was, I need to learn how to fail.  And I think we should be okay with gym being, any type of physical activity as an opportunity for kids to learn what it means to not succeed, but learning how to work hard to get over that obstacle.”

• [15:33] Connecting community partners

  • “And I often wonder if we expose children to...instead of seeing what the end user looks like in a wheelchair...but showcase the journey of someone learning to be independent, and I'm sure they'd, kids, would learn so much, and also perhaps even want a career in the health field…”

• [18:02] Advice to Paralympians

  • “I would say to athletes that the Paralympics, it goes beyond that. You're training for this singular goal that happens every four years. And you might have one shot to get there in your specific sport. But I'd also encourage athletes to pick up other sports along the way.  Your journey doesn't have to end at the age of 30.”

• [19:59] Lifelong journey in sport

  • “Try to stay around a little bit longer. Get involved in NSO—national sports organizations—get involved in Change for Good Health.  There’s so many ways to have a lifelong journey with sport that maybe isn't as demanding as a high performance athlete, but can certainly provide that same sense of value.”

• [21:37] Health equity for people with disabilities

  • “Fifteen percent of the entire world's population has a disability. And many of them live with health issues every day. And we need to do a better job, not only protecting the health, but ensuring that we're giving the proper tools and opportunities for people with disabilities to not only stay healthy, but stay protected during a pandemic.”

• [24:59] Expanding physical activity opportunities for people with disabilities

  • “We need to better integrate people with disabilities into all aspects of society. And I would start with health being the first thing, recreation opportunities, making fitness equitable. It's simple, I just want all people with disabilities to have the same opportunity to stay fit that able bodied people do.”

• [27:40] Becoming involved in advocacy

  • “And so I would say to students and everyone listening today, discover your own community and find those gaps. And make sure you're identifying how people with disabilities can get involved in whatever you're up to. And, and I would say to everyone, that COVID-19 has really exposed some of these gaps. And I think if we work together, we can make sure that we're not leaving people behind, no matter their abilities.”