Speeches that impact society’s thinking

Dear Readers,

Launching this blog has allowed me to share my perspective on the challenges that people like me will face in the world and how society can help us feel included. Over the past couple of weeks, two speeches caught my eye, resonating with me in their own different ways. In this post, I want to explore these moments further and talk about what makes them so different from other speeches.

On the 28^th of August, like many other people, I sat down to watch the Paralympics opening ceremony. There was one part that I particularly loved, the opening speech delivered by Andrew Parsons. He said: "Paralympic athletes are not here to participate. They’re not playing games. They are here to compete, win, and smash world records.”

This reminded me of the annual sports days during my school years. The problem was, like many other students who struggle with sports, I wasn’t there just to participate. I was there to represent my team, to help close the gap on the few missing points we needed to win the house cup. But with people crossing the finish line just as I reached the halfway point, I didn’t stand a chance. I was forced to compete against students of a much higher ability, with the same rules as everyone else. The Paralympic opening speech covers this scenario beautifully. The people we see on our screens aren’t there for the fun of it. They have a role to play, not only representing themselves, but their country, and showing people that sports can be adaptable. It is important that other schools and clubs take this message on board, ensuring that they open the barriers for those who need additional support. This means that sports can be enjoyable for everyone.

The second speech I want to talk about had a similar effect on viewers. However, it wasn’t the speaker that people were interested in, but his son. Last month, Tim Walz delivered his acceptance speech, after being nominated as Kamala Harris’ running mate. In a recent news interview, Tim and his wife Gwen revealed that their youngest son, Gus, has been diagnosed with multiple additional needs, including a learning disability, ADHD and anxiety. Gus is also nonverbal.

During his speech, Walz mentioned the long process that his family went through to conceive their oldest daughter, Hope. The cameras then turned to an emotional Gus pointing at his sister. Gus put a hand on his heart, and pointed towards the stage, mouthing “That’s my Dad” as the cheering continued.

Many supporters have responded to the clip after it aired, with Kate Bedingfield, former Whitehouse Communications Director, commenting, “Tim Walz was 100 percent pitch perfect, grand slam, touchdown in every possible way. And yet somehow Gus Walz was even better.” CNN reporter Dana Bash also praised the moment; “That is the clip-and-save moment that everyone is going to be seeing. If you didn’t get moved by that moment, I don’t even know. What a remarkable moment just in American life.” What I personally felt was special about this moment was the fact that people like Gus are not often seen in public life, let alone ‘heard’. It was an important as well as heartwarming moment.

These two speeches made us reflect on the challenges that individuals face on a day-to-day basis. But they also made us reflect on the good bits. These people have adapted the way they play sports or the way they communicate so that they can fit in with society. These speeches have also highlighted that we need to make an effort too. We need to understand the different ways that people communicate such as Gus using hand signals. We need to close the barriers to different sports so that people with additional needs can enjoy them and compete in a way that makes it fair for everyone. It is important that we do more now so that these individuals can fit into our society as well as their own.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and I can’t wait to see you back next time!