Norton Rose Fulbright’s Post

September marks our company's 9th Annual Global Diversity and Inclusion (GD&I) Experience Month and 2024 Paris Paralympic Games lead the way in celebrating differences. In addition to being an important occasion in the Olympic calendar and, of course, exciting to watch, the Paralympic Games also have symbolic importance. People living with disabilities are often misrepresented. The Games are an opportunity to challenge the narrative and raise awareness of the resilience and determination of people with disabilities as they push the boundaries of what’s possible in their respective sports. As the range of events grows to be more inclusive, the Paralympic Games demonstrate how sport truly is for everyone. Sport helps us all to recognize, celebrate and embrace our differences, showcasing how the unique ability of each individual strengthens society. Resilience & Determination: Let the Paralympic Games inspire you. Allow the athletes’ resilience, determination and enthusiasm for their sport carry you over the next few months and help you with your own unique challenges, whether they are related to sport or not. 

As the only international IT company with a specialized Sports and Major Events division, we supply cutting-edge tech for many of the world’s greatest sporting events. This includes the upcoming UEFA #EURO2024 and #Paris2024 Olympic & Paralympic Games, a collaboration spanning over three decades.   Among recent endeavors is our partnership with Special Olympics. I take immense pride in the contributions we're making to support the leading sports movement for individuals with intellectual disabilities (while the #Paralympics focuses on those with physical disabilities). Special Olympics provides training and athletic competitions for millions of participants worldwide – showing that sport can be a powerful force in empowering the underrepresented, dismantling barriers, nurturing respect and advancing equality.   Engaging with our counterparts at Special Olympics has emphasized how closely their mission – to foster acceptance and inclusion for all individuals - aligns with ours. Atos Tech Foundations prioritizes the creation of an atmosphere where everyone feels secure, esteemed, and recognized. We view this not only as a moral and societal obligation but also as integral to success. #ThrivingTomorrow 👉 https://lnkd.in/dSfX6ukE

If you get things wrong, apologise, fix it and make sure it doesn't happen again. If you apologise, make sure you're authentic. Unfortunately, Fortnum & Mason have struggled with that this week. After being called out for only invited Olympians to their celebration event, they said they'd apologised and would be arranging a separate event for the Paralympians. We're really here fortunate to work with, amongst others, organisations like Mencap, RNIB and Scope who organisations advocate for equality, equity and inclusion, but as we know, actions speak louder than words. That's why we do everything we can to make sure all potential learners can access our programmes, including learners with all types of disabilities and learning difficulties. The disparity between how Paralympic and Olympic athletes are treated is clear, and was shown by this story last week, highlighted by Zac Shaw. True equality means creating environments where everyone has access and opportunity, without compromise. Story linked below. #DEI #Equity #Equality

🏅 The Olympics: A Disappointing Reality Check As a child, I used to eagerly look forward to the Olympics—a global celebration of unity, sportsmanship, and the incredible feats of athletes from all corners of the world. But as I’ve grown older, my excitement has been overshadowed by disappointment. The recent decisions and actions surrounding the Olympics have been deeply troubling. Banning Russian and Belorussian athletes, while turning a blind eye to others from countries with equally concerning issues, raises questions about consistency and fairness. Allowing a man from the Netherlands who has been convicted for🍇 to compete is completely disrespectful for survivors everywhere around the world. And then there’s talk of upholding women’s rights, but it's all hypocritical. The decision to bar hijabi 🧕 athletes from competing feels like a step backward, not forward. Women should be free to wear whatever they want, period. The Olympics were meant to be a symbol of global unity, showcasing talented individuals and allowing us to become ONE, even if only for a few weeks, the way sports do. But now, they seem more politically fueled than ever. The only bright spot for me is seeing athletes from countries we rarely hear about take the stage, reminding us of the true spirit of the games. What do you think? Was I just naive? It’s time to rethink what the Olympics should stand for and how we can bring back the values that made them special in the first place. 🌍🏅 #Olympics #InclusionInSports #SportsForAll

Over the past year few years I've been working on and watching the lead up to the Paris Paralympics and Olympics. As a former elite athlete with dreams and ambitions to compete at the games someday, it has been such an honor to contribute to in other ways. I'm always advocating for the importance of adaptive sports within our U.S. foreign policy and on behalf of the U.S. at multilateral fora. It is an incredible task to share the nuance of adaptive sports with those learning about it for the first time, especially when it comes to how we communicate about persons with disabilities. I've seen a shift in language to be more in line with internationally recognized language in accordance #CRPD but its moments like the Paralympics and Olympics that resurface so much of the work we have left to do. As we celebrate the enormous accomplishments of Para athletes, let's also recognize their unique stories and identities. Let's think deeper about why they are so *inspirational*, why society instantly labels them as inspirational often times for simply being disabled, and how we can continue to shift that narrative. There are billions of people who will never get the chance to participate in adaptive sports or make it to the big stage. Let's use the moment that the Paralympics creates, to deepen our understanding about issues impacting persons with disabilities around the world. Issues such as #accesibility #inclusiveeducation #inclusiveemployment #representationinmedia are just a few where we need to have more open conversations about on the global stage. Sports can be a catalyst for change, a middle ground, an opportunity to celebrate shared values. I'm so excited to experience the #ParisParalympics in just a few days and to celebrate our community!

Whether you’re an athlete or a spectator of the Olympic and Paralympic Games #Paris2024, discover the #CouncilOfEurope’s Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport! We advocate for these values in #Sport: 🔷 Respect of human rights 🔷 Integrity & good governance 🔷 Equal access to sport for all 🔷 Inclusion and zero tolerance for discrimination 🔷 Sustainability The #EuropeanSportsCharter lays down the basic principles for national sports policies, allowing governments to provide everyone with opportunities to practice sport under well-defined conditions. Discover your rights, protected by the European Sports Charter: https://lnkd.in/geGRcW-V

Inclusion & representation is so important 👏

London 2012 put paralympic achievement in the spotlight; Birmingham 2022 put it centre stage; Paris 2024 showed again how spectacular it is. Nevertheless, Alex Mahon provides a reminder here of how much still needs to be done to achieve inclusive sport and sporting opportunities. The effort already has sporting heroes like gold medalists Grace Harvey and Ellie Simmonds (to name just two) and non-competing champions like Janet Warrington and Nicola Turner MBE, but will need everyone onboard to create opportunities for participation by the million or more youngsters currently missing out. What can you do to become a local hero and promote sporting opportunities for disabled people in your area?

This sounds like it's out the "Safety Third" approach to life. #1 have fun, #2 take a photo, #3 safety. On a serious note though, what a great way to bring to life sports and accessibility. We don't win and lose, we win and learn. Feeling the sharp end of sport is part and parcel of sport. These experiences help build confidence and wisdom. Well done Channel 4

Agility in Agriculture Ways to Make the World More Inclusive for Persons with Disabilities Transforming Lives through Support for Sports and Athletics among Persons with Disabilities Reflect on this: how often do you tune into Paralympic sports? Probably rarely. This underscores the existing gap between Paralympics and traditional sports. It's time to change this narrative. Paralympics athletes deserve our unwavering encouragement and loyalty. Their remarkable talents inspire and captivate, embodying the essence of sportsmanship. Let's join forces to celebrate their achievements. By watching or attending Paralympics events, we'll create lasting change in the lives of individuals with disabilities, fostering inclusivity, accessibility, and equal opportunities for all. #AgricultureIsSexy #Agility #EmbraceAgriculture