Changing My Point of View                               Satomi Hosoi

 　　When I was reading the newspaper, one picture caught my eye. It was a picture of a man, standing on the diving board ready to dive in and start swimming. What was so surprising about the picture? The man had no arms. 

Have you ever imagined trying to tie you shoelaces without any hands, or having to run with no legs? There are many people in this world with disabilities, but most of us don't know how we can help them.

 　　A lot of people have probably heard of the Paralympics. The Paralympics started in 1948 and is a multi-sport event for athletes with physical, mental, and sensorial disabilities. It is held every four years, just like the Olympics.

 　　The word comes from blending the two words, "paraplegic" which means someone who is unable to move the lower part of their body, and the word "Olympics". But it is also said, that is comes from a saying. That this is parallel to the Olympics, as in equal and the same thing. 

 　　What I was surprised about in Japan was that some people laugh, or stare when they see a handicapped person. Most of all, they discriminate against them.

 　　When I lived in America there were many things around us that we can participate in to help these handicapped people. For example, in my swim team there was a special class held once a week to teach kids who have a handicap how to swim. A lot of the older swimmers on our team volunteered and were having a great time.

 　　I want to talk about a woman named Jessica Long. She is a famous swimmer in America and currently holds 20 world records. I have been swimming since I was 4 years old and every time I swim, I use all of my body to pull and kick. By just imagining swimming without any arms or legs frightens me. Jessica Long was born with no ankles, heels, and most bones in her feet. So at 18 months, her legs were amputated below her knees. Because of this, her parents threw her away. After being adopted by other parents, she tried all kinds of sports such as gymnastics, cheerleading, ice-skating, rock climbing, and of course swimming. She fell in love with the sport and still continues to swim today. 

 I believe we should make more opportunities for handicapped people to participate and learn many things. Today, there are a lot of places for them, but that is not enough. I think we should make it possible to take the same kind of classes as we do.

 　　My friend's sister was born with a blind eye. Even if she wants to participate with her friends, she was put into the handicapped group. She did not like it and wanted it to change.

 　　In comparison with the old days, it has definitely become a better and safer place for these people to relax, and have fun. But I believe there are still some things that need to be changed and need to get better. There should be a lot of volunteer work all over the world, so that we can know about what they are struggling through and can help them. I hope one day, there will be no discrimination against handicapped people and we can all play a sport together.