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Building on the dream
 Jennifer Piatt has captured global attention. The International Paralympic Committee invited the therapeutic recreation professor to this year’s Paralympic Games in Torino, Italy as a guest and observer—a visit that Piatt hopes will lead to future collaboration between the committee and Sac State.
Piatt is now applying to conduct research on how to increase the visibility of the Paralympics, the Olympic Games for athletes with limited physical abilities.
“I think awareness is really important,” Piatt says. “These are truly ‘Para-Olympian’ athletes. They are elite athletes. They have been training for years and these sports are their careers.”
The committee invited Piatt after reviewing her recent research. That study concluded those with limited physical abilities were more likely to participate in sports if recreation staffs and organizations focused on encouraging lifelong athletic opportunities.
Everyone should have the same access to sports and recreation opportunities, Piatt contends. “Playing and competing in sports is the human right of every person,” she says.
The Paralympic Games exemplify her findings, she says, by demonstrating that sports can be part of one’s life despite physical challenges.
Piatt says that for too long the Paralympic Games have been seen as a sporting event held specifically for paralyzed athletes. But the games are held for athletes with a range of abilities. For example there are Super G skiers who are visually impaired and amputees who are track competitors. Piatt hopes to change the misconceptions.
The Paralympic Games were first held in 1948 for World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries. They soon grew to include athletes with varying abilities, and began coinciding with the Olympic Games. The Paralympic events are held two weeks after the Olympics in the same venues.
Piatt and co-researcher Laura McLachlin of Chico State hope to act as catalysts in mainstreaming the games into the American sports culture. None of the Torino 2006 games were telecast in the United States. In contrast, the games were shown live on television throughout Europe.
If their research is approved, the pair hope to conclude their study after attending and reviewing the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.
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