Josh George: 24-Year Old Miracle Racer

Josh George is a 24-year old male who will be representing America in the Paralympics in T53 events, which range from 100m sprints to marathons. He, like Oscar Pistorius, is a proficient handicapped athlete who gives hope to those limited by their disabilities. When Josh was 4, he fell from a 12-story window and miraculously survived with full control of his upper body. He was determined to live a normal life on a wheelchair and became skillful in basketball and racing. As he became famous for his skills as an athlete, he flew to various countries, including Brazil and Australia, even before graduating from high school to participate in basketball events. In the 2004 Paralympic games, Josh received two bronze medals at the 2004 Paralympic games and he decided that he must continue to race. 4 years later at the Beijing Summer Olympics, Josh earned a silver and gold while setting a Paralympic record for the 100m. Then at the London Games, he won bronze in the 800m. Even in the midst of all the racing, Josh earned a degree in News Editorial Journalism in 2007 and even wrote for the New York Times. His most recent race was a wheelchair marathon in Seoul, in which he finished 7^th. He has been training incessantly and has set himself up for many races in 2013.

Cerebral Palsy Research Camp

            It has been a very long time since the previous post, mainly due to an overload of school-related work. Now that summer vacation has just started, I was able to make time to participate in some community service for the handicapped. This week, I just completed a three-week camp for research on children with various forms of cerebral palsy. During the camp, each volunteer, or interventionist, was assigned to a child and from 8:30 AM to 3 PM, the interventionist engaged the child in simple, repetitive activities to force the child to use their affected limbs more frequently through games.

One of the many activities that the
children enjoyed

            Data collected from these activities, such as the time it took for the child to complete a certain task or the number of the child was able to do something over a 30-second period, will be used for research after the camp. For example, two different methods of rehabilitation were used, CIMT and HABIT. In CIMT, the interventionist used a sling or cast to restrict the child’s good limb to force the use of the affected limb only. But in HABIT, bi-manual activities were encouraged in order to familiarize the child with using both hands comfortably. Comparing the effects of the two rehabilitation methods is but one of the goals of the camp.

            Although the primary purpose of this camp was research and data collection, it also was a form of community service since the affected children had fun playing various game with the volunteers for three weeks. The main lesson I learned was that these handicapped children, although they had trouble participating in all the games, still could find joy in attempting to play such games. In other words, they are just as capable as unaffected people to play games and have fun. I sincerely hope that unaffected people are willing to sacrifice some time to invite the handicapped to join in and have a great time together.

Image: https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/561068_430007027022073_1742093056_n.jpg

Gov. Cuomo's Alarming $120 Million Cut

Earlier this month, Democratic Governor Cuomo of New York, announced a budget plan in which he would cut $120 million in non-profit organizations that help the handicapped individuals. This plan has caused commotion in the State Assembly and State Senate as many politicians still firmly believe that money that helps disabilities should not be cut. For example, Sheldon Silver, the State Assembly speaker, said, “We all recognize that its important to protect our most vulnerable citizens … and would result in severe hardship and diminished services for individuals with hardships.” Lawmakers worry that the spending cut will have negative impact on the disabled of New York while Governor Cuomo argues that “it’s not always true that more money is better results.” Although I feel uneasy about the massive financing cut, I hope that the state government finds a way to ensure that the disabled are still adequately cared for.

London Olympics Transportation for Disabilities Part I

The 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics. There are many ways the government is preparing its transportation facilities to help those with disabilities access various parts of the city easier. To begin with, Stratford Station, one of London's largest railway and metro station is situated right next to the Olympic Park. Therefore, the London City Council is investing about $140 million into upgrading various parts of the station. Nine more lifts around the station will assist handicaps access the multiple levels of the station. In addition, the city council will change the entire floor material to a more tactile substance so that wheels can travel easier. Moreover, better signs and highlighted floors will help those with visual impairments. The new Javelin trains will be running the tracks around London. These trains are high-speed trains with better accommodations for those with disabilities. Finally, the last upgrade to the train station will be hearing and viewing centers all around the station. Those with visual or auditory impairments can approach these help stations and press buttons to ask for help. That is a good start for the London City Council. I think they are doing a good job, as of right now, upgrading facilities to accommodate those with disabilities.

The Blade Runner

Oscar Pistorius, one of the figureheads of paralympians is sprinter who is famous for his determination to defeat his disabilities. The South African sprinter was born with an abnormality in his legs. Eventually, his legs had to be amputated. Nevertheless, coming from a sports-crazy family, he was determined to be a sprinter. Up until now, he has trained with great determination. Despite numerous injuries, he has continued to practice for championships. Thanks to all this training, he is a fast man indeed. Although he runs on artificial carbon fiber lower legs, he made it to the semi-finals of the International Track Championships at Daegu, South Korea. 2012 is the year of the Olympics and the Paralympics. He plans to win a gold in sprinting at the event. Currently, the sprinter holds the record for paralympians for the 100m and 400m. We wish him good luck in his training for the Paralympics

2012 Paralympic Summer Games Part 2

Adding to the previous description of the 2012 Paralympic Summer Games in London, I will be describing some of the events that will be held during the games.

The largest event in the Paralympic Games will be the Athletics event. At first, I was confused because the term "Athletics" was very broad and vague. Then, I learned that this event was a series of games, including running, pole jumping, and wrestling.

Another interesting event was Boccia. This event is where participants shoot balls so that they end up closest to a certain point.

2012 Paralympic Summer Games

This year, 2012, is the year of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The Olympic Games have been regarded as the largest and foremost sport event of the twentieth and twent-first centuries. However, there is another Olympic Game that will be held this year just for the disabled. This is the Paralympic Games. Right after the Olympic Games end in the summer and the winter, the Paralympic Games start. It is also one of the largest sports competitions in the world, with thousands of disabled athletes participating in hundreds of events.

The Paralympic Games started out as a festival in Britain for World War II veterans who were disabled after the war. Then, it grew to an annual competition with hundreds of British Veterans. In the 1970s, this event became an official competition and it started to gain international recognition. Now, in the twenty-firs century, it is the main competition that disabled athletes aim for.