Ellie Simmonds on the importance of movement | Parallel Windsor 2024

hello I'm Ellie Simmons a par Olympic swimmer I'm very proud to be a sh breaking limits Ambassador and my audio description is I am a small individual with dwarfism blonde hair uh blue eyes I'm wearing a jumper and leggings and in very very comfy clothes you've been a supporter of parallel for a couple of years now do you mind just like sharing what's special to you about this event in particular yeah it's been amazing uh this is my second time at parallel winds and I think for me it's just a wonderful event bringing the whole disabled Community together and it's a great way to just celebrate being disabled but then also there's so many sources so many supporters so many chars here that help disable people and I'm here with Shaw um and their breaking limits program so I'm an ambassador for for that and for me it's so important that anyone can move anyone can do physical activity and movement is so so powerful in so so many ways so for me it's important that everyone no matter disabled disability race religion whatever can can do can move so and it's it's great to be able to talk to that to to the people that I want to spread that amazingness to you're a GB athlete but you're also a spokesperson for disability advocacy um can you tell us a bit about how those two lives sort of converge um yeah having the honor to to talk about my disability I think it has helped being that athlete and having the the the platform in a way of the media and the TV competing at the par Olympics since like 2008 and then 2012 what channel for did to Showcase par Olympic sport and then further on now into my retirement life and creating two documentaries that talk about disability I think it's an honor because I think for me raising awareness of living with a disability and making sure people are educated is so important to me so to have that platform to talk about living with dwarfism but then also hopefully helping change change lives for people with a disability I feel like if I can get that out there and use my platform as much as I can then hopefully it just helps helps people who are here today I was just wondering what kind of what changes have there been since the beginning of your career you're now in retirement now what have you what have been some of the improvements and some of the positives that have come from disability awareness within sport but then also maybe some challenges in 2024 onwards what could be improved you think yeah I think I think we've had so much publicity um in the par Olympics and I think that was definitely a game changer in London 2012 and uh the finally the same sponsorship in a way still could be Improvement for team GB athletes I think for me I think what I've seen being an athlete and the positivity in disability awareness and disability awareness in sport is like even before 2008 Beijing people didn't know what the par Olympics were people didn't really know much about disabled sport whereas I think London 2012 and the like channel four change of perceptions of par Olympic sport and the awareness of par Olympic sport and then sponsors came in and we were seen as professional athletes and I think it's great it's developing year on year and this year we've got again the Paris par Olympics which again will be another platform for the athletes to be shown that they they can do anything no matter what in sport but also par Olympic sports also helps change perception in everyday society as well I think what could be done more is just again thinking about accessibility everywhere um it not just being a tick boox situation it just happens naturally that people think of ranty people think of maybe lowering things you know all that again language as well education more and more just acceptance I think there's a lot to still be done and I think hopefully things like this today parallel WIS are getting that conversation started that still things need to be changed brilliant thank you so much thank you so