Paralympian slams people who view disabled athletes as ‘inspiration porn’: ‘This mentality is toxic’

Canadian Paralympic star Allison Lang has hit out at people who view disabled athletes as ‘inspiration porn’ after opening up on the ‘toxic’ attitudes towards the event.

This year’s Paralympic Games are underway over in Paris, where athletes with a range of disabilities from across the world will be competing for sporting glory.

As she prepares to represent Canada in the women’s sitting volleyball event, Lang has spoken out on the discriminatory language she encounters as a disabled athlete on a regular basis in a column for Today.

The 30-year-old recently slammed those who view Paralympians as sources of inspiration in a post on Threads, writing: ‘While watching the Paralympics I urge you to NOT say “if they can do that with no legs, then I have no excuse not to go for my run”.

‘We are not your inspiration p0rn… We are elite athletes. This mentality is toxic. Thanks’.

And in her column for Today, Lang further explained why such remarks are offensive to disabled athletes.

‘These comments make us feel less than other people,’ she said. ‘Paralympians are elite athletes. I hope to educate people so that when they watch the Paralympics, they see we’re not just inspirational — we’re also aspirational. 

‘It’s great to feel inspired by incredible athletic achievements. That’s what the Olympics and Paralympics are all about. Be inspired by our accomplishments, not by our existence.’

Lang, a content creator, speaker and model as well as a Team Canada Paralympian, was born missing her left leg and was bullied over her disability as a child.

That torment led to struggles with her body image and confidence which even sparked suicidal thoughts, before venturing into sitting volleyball gave her a new lease of life.

‘While my parents are amazing and raised me like any other child, I struggled to accept myself,’ she continued. ‘Others bullied me for my disability, and I tried so hard to hide my prosthetic, wearing long pants regardless of how hot it was and lying about why I walked with a limp. 

This summer’s Paralympic Games are underway over in Paris, where athletes with a range of disabilities from across the world will be competing for sporting glory

Lang has spoken out on the discriminatory language she encounters as a disabled athlete

The 30-year-old is set to represent Canada in the women’s sitting volleyball event this summer

‘While I enjoyed soccer, swimming, snowboarding or any other sport I tried, I often dropped out because I didn’t want others to notice my disability. At times, I felt like I wanted to die.

‘I was at the lowest point of my life when I was invited to play sitting volleyball. My first thought was hell no. Being associated with an adaptive sport meant embracing my disability. Throughout my life I wanted to fit in and playing sitting volleyball would make me stick out.

Finally, I decided to try it and fell in love with sitting volleyball. I wasn’t great at it when I first started eight years ago. In sitting volleyball, you need core strength and endurance and speed. The net is lower, the court is smaller and the pace is faster. Sitting volleyball requires a lot of upper body strength because we slide our bodies rapidly across the court and must quickly raise our arms to return a volley.

‘While I enjoyed the sport, it was my teammates who kept me coming back. These women shared their stories about how they became disabled and displayed their resiliency. They had careers, families, children — all of the things I hoped for my own life — and they were elite athletes. I finally found people I could aspire to be like.’