Often overshadowed by the Olympic Games, Paralympic sport and disability athletes have always struggled for acceptance, recognition, and acknowledgement. This project addresses this situation by detailing the history of the Paralympic movement in Australia and its challenges, successes, and achievements through the creation of an interactive website, Wikipedia articles, a book, and an extensive archive.
Research Team
Professor Murray Phillips, Associate Professor Gary Osmond, and Tony Naar (Paralympics Australia)
Research Output
- A Website – Paralympic Stories - which draws together the many elements of the project and enables visitors to explore the story of the Paralympic movement in Australia according to their own interests, with links for further investigation through the project’s partners.
- Wikipedia Articles: over 1,000 Wikipedia articles about Paralympic sport in Australia, Australian Paralympians and the Paralympic movement, which have been collectively viewed more than 13 million times since the project commenced.
- Book: documentation of the history of the Paralympic movement in Australia through a written narrative (book manuscript for publication in 2022).
- Archive: A collection of historical material that is organised and widely available through partnerships with national memory and other institutions, including oral history interviews (National Library of Australia), photos (Wikimedia Commons and Paralympics Australia), video (Clearinghouse for Sport and the National Film and Sound Archive) and physical items (National Sports Museum).
Outcome and Impact
In addition to the creation of a history infrastructure (the collection and organisation of material) the project has delivered the following benefits:
- A public history project that changes the lives for people with a disability by using sport to expose and challenge ableism.
- Resources that connect a global audience about disability sport through an extensive website and a wide range of Wikipedia articles.
- Documentation and understanding of the history of the Paralympic movement in Australia that unites a diverse Paralympic community not only within Australia but internationally.
- Enables Paralympics Australia to work with the media, commercial partners, and the community to detail the story of the Paralympic movement and the achievements of Paralympic athletes in Australia.
Project members
HMNS Researchers
