The Olympics legacy

Standing in line in the Apple Store yesterday I found myself next to a former Olympics swimmer of considerable repute and height. A timely reminder that I had meant to comment upon the Olympics legacy some weeks ago.
London excelled itself with the arrangements and Team GB's amazing success in both the Olympics and the Paralympic Games that followed. The former put my scepticism to route - none of my doom and gloom occurred apart from an embarrassing loss of some American athletes at the start of the games (using a beta version of Apple Maps?). The latter has to be one of the most amazing transformations of public perception ever recorded.
We are used to seeing people with disabilities as objects of pity and deserving our sympathy. In my nearly 60 years that has always been the case. Selling copies of the Big Issue has replaced selling matches. An expectation that they all live on benefits and are best kept out of view. Extreme maybe - but I fear not actually to far off the mark.
London 2012 changed all that!
Setting aside the compassionate journalism that preceded the games, within the first few days of the Paralympics it became clear that here was a group of people who we don't see or hear about - not because they need to eek out some miserable benefit- supported existence - but because they are in the swimming pools and athletics academies training day after day to build their strength and skills. We (and I include myself very much in this statement) very quickly realised that we were watching some extraordinary individuals achieving some frankly incredible results.
These people are not objects to pity or apologise for; they are though very real heroes and heroines who have in many cases overcome incalculable difficulties to achieve their places in their various national teams. To then win an award is doubly excellent … but for many just getting there is and was a personal victory that the rest of us should find genuinely humbling.
Looking ahead - what needs to change as a Paralympics legacy?
Public parks and town centres need to be more accommodating of the needs of people with disabilities (changing places lavatories must not be shared as nappy changing areas, pavements need adjusting, signs need lowering … ). Paralympic models need to walk the catwalk, take part in the reality television shows, quizzes etc. In short we need to reappraise the world from the artificial handicap of a wheelchair, blacked out spectacles or limited limb ability and then based upon our likely failure to achieve anything, make a genuine effort to reintegrate these hidden heroes and heroines into our playgrounds, onto our streets and into our hearts.
After 2012 there must be no return to the perception of people with disabilities needing hand-outs. They must be able to take their place alongside the rest of us and be allowed to play their part in our society. That they want to and that they can was proved beyond any doubt at these Games!
And that really is a legacy.