Dame Tanni Grey- Thompson
In conversation with Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson
by Tony Randall /31st March 2012
I start by saying it is with out no doubt Tanni is a remarkable lady and a true inspiration to one and all. Having competed in five Paralympic Games and winning a total of 11 Gold Medals there is no doubt Tanni is one of our most loved and acclaimed sports persons of her generation. In 2010 she was made a cross-bench peer in the House of Lords where she has been engaging in debates around disability issues such as health and suicide along with sport and has shown her passion and dedication in the Lords just as she did on the sports track.
Tanni took time out to speak to me about her childhood, being an Paralympic athlete, Welfare reforms and discrimination.
TR: If we can go right back to your youth and growing up as a child with spina bifida, at what point did you think this is not going to hold me back and started to get involved in sport?
TGT: My parents were always incredibly supportive and helpful in terms of me being a wheelchair user. They brought me up to believe that if someone had a problem with me being in a chair then it was their problem not mine. So, very few people treated me differently as a wheelchair user, and i didn't actually miss any school- it was a slow process over about a year, my friends in school didn't treat me differently either.
TR: And was there opportunities for people with disabilities back then to be involved in sport? How has that changed now?
TGT: There were some opportunities, but not as many as there are now, I think that there is much more media coverage of the games and other sporting events, and there is better training for coaches etc, I also think that generally, there is a better attitude amongst clubs. There is still a need to do a lot more to ensure that schools have good PE for disabled pupils, but i do think that there is a lot we can do to make it better.
TR: I've watched you win many Gold Medals, punching the air as you crossed the winning line, I've had tears in my eyes of pure joy and being proud of watching you win, but i always see you as an athlete not a disabled athlete, how have you seen yourself?
TGT: I always saw myself as an athlete and not a disabled athlete, In elite sport there is relatively little discrimination and the physical accessibility is quite good. However in the rest of my life i think of myself as a disabled person. Added to all this i am also a woman and a mum, and it is all a bit confusing really. I suppose how i see myself depends on the situation i find myself in.
TR: I say I've seen you as an athlete and not a disabled one as i wonder if you have come across in your life people who have issues with your impairment? And how have you dealt with that?
TGT: I have come across lots of people who have treated me differently because I'm a wheelchair user. Some people are really nice, and i probably get treated better because they know me as an athlete or as a Peer. Most people just treat me the way they would anyone else, and a small number treat me differently or look down on me because I am in a chair. Also when some of these people find out that i am a mum, they will say things like " Oh it must be so hard for you " in a patronising way. That annoys me quite a lot.
TR: How have you left home and conquered the world in Paralympic athletics? It's actually a remarkable thing to do, there must be times when you thing wow look what I've achieved?
TGT: I don't spend a lot of time looking back because there is still so much i want to do. You have to learn from things that you do well and the things you need to improve on, but i think that you always have to have goals that move you on.
TR: Your going to be involved in the Olympics and Paralympics games in a few months, what will these games do for London and the country as a whole?
TGT: I think this will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase what we can do. In the UK, we are good at planning, designing, building, delivering on time etc. We are also good at Olympic and Paralympic sports and winning medals, so i think we should feel proud of what we have achieved so far, and will be even more so when the games finish.
TR: In 2010 you was appointed to the House of Lords where you serve as a non political cross-bench Peer. What is your role in the house?
TGT: In the Lords, you have the opportunity to make of it whatever you want. The first thing you have to do is sit back and listen and learn. There are lots of rules around etiquette and how you work here. You have to take some small steps at first, and it is useful to get to know people as well. My areas of interest are sport and women's issues and disabled people. That is enough to keep me busy at the moment.
TR: The welfare reform bill has become a big talking point, what are your views on the bill and how it will affect people currently on DLA?
TGT: The Welfare Reform Bill was a steep learning curve for me, both in terms of the politics and the amount of information there was to take in. " It was a huge amount " I was probably reading several thousand pages a week of documents, letters and general advice. It was really hard to plan around the Bill days because we never quite knew when something was coming up. I had one afternoon when i seemed to be leading all the groups and it felt like i spent 6 hours talking. I think it is going to be quite hard on a number of disabled people as we move forward. I think the hardest part is that there is going to be a lot of uncertainty about where people are going to fit in to the new system. Some people will be better off, and some worse.
TR: As a member of the House of Lords do you find there is discrimination towards people with disabilities with in the House of Parliament still today?
TGT: I think the Palace is one of the most open places i have ever worked. The building itself is very accessible, but also i think the attitude of the people is very positive. Outside i think that there are still a lot of issues and that disabled people experience discrimination on a daily basis.
TR: With your influence and achievements in life what would you say to people who are disabled and might think they have no prospect in life?
TGT: I think that how ever you are you have to work hard and try and be the best you can. I was always told by my parents not to let my impairment get in the way.
LINKS: http://www.tanni.co.uk/
http://lordsoftheblog.net/category/baroness-grey-thompson/
http://www.london2012.com/
by Tony Randall /31st March 2012
I start by saying it is with out no doubt Tanni is a remarkable lady and a true inspiration to one and all. Having competed in five Paralympic Games and winning a total of 11 Gold Medals there is no doubt Tanni is one of our most loved and acclaimed sports persons of her generation. In 2010 she was made a cross-bench peer in the House of Lords where she has been engaging in debates around disability issues such as health and suicide along with sport and has shown her passion and dedication in the Lords just as she did on the sports track.
Tanni took time out to speak to me about her childhood, being an Paralympic athlete, Welfare reforms and discrimination.
TR: If we can go right back to your youth and growing up as a child with spina bifida, at what point did you think this is not going to hold me back and started to get involved in sport?
TGT: My parents were always incredibly supportive and helpful in terms of me being a wheelchair user. They brought me up to believe that if someone had a problem with me being in a chair then it was their problem not mine. So, very few people treated me differently as a wheelchair user, and i didn't actually miss any school- it was a slow process over about a year, my friends in school didn't treat me differently either.
TR: And was there opportunities for people with disabilities back then to be involved in sport? How has that changed now?
TGT: There were some opportunities, but not as many as there are now, I think that there is much more media coverage of the games and other sporting events, and there is better training for coaches etc, I also think that generally, there is a better attitude amongst clubs. There is still a need to do a lot more to ensure that schools have good PE for disabled pupils, but i do think that there is a lot we can do to make it better.
TR: I've watched you win many Gold Medals, punching the air as you crossed the winning line, I've had tears in my eyes of pure joy and being proud of watching you win, but i always see you as an athlete not a disabled athlete, how have you seen yourself?
TGT: I always saw myself as an athlete and not a disabled athlete, In elite sport there is relatively little discrimination and the physical accessibility is quite good. However in the rest of my life i think of myself as a disabled person. Added to all this i am also a woman and a mum, and it is all a bit confusing really. I suppose how i see myself depends on the situation i find myself in.
TR: I say I've seen you as an athlete and not a disabled one as i wonder if you have come across in your life people who have issues with your impairment? And how have you dealt with that?
TGT: I have come across lots of people who have treated me differently because I'm a wheelchair user. Some people are really nice, and i probably get treated better because they know me as an athlete or as a Peer. Most people just treat me the way they would anyone else, and a small number treat me differently or look down on me because I am in a chair. Also when some of these people find out that i am a mum, they will say things like " Oh it must be so hard for you " in a patronising way. That annoys me quite a lot.
TR: How have you left home and conquered the world in Paralympic athletics? It's actually a remarkable thing to do, there must be times when you thing wow look what I've achieved?
TGT: I don't spend a lot of time looking back because there is still so much i want to do. You have to learn from things that you do well and the things you need to improve on, but i think that you always have to have goals that move you on.
TR: Your going to be involved in the Olympics and Paralympics games in a few months, what will these games do for London and the country as a whole?
TGT: I think this will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase what we can do. In the UK, we are good at planning, designing, building, delivering on time etc. We are also good at Olympic and Paralympic sports and winning medals, so i think we should feel proud of what we have achieved so far, and will be even more so when the games finish.
TR: In 2010 you was appointed to the House of Lords where you serve as a non political cross-bench Peer. What is your role in the house?
TGT: In the Lords, you have the opportunity to make of it whatever you want. The first thing you have to do is sit back and listen and learn. There are lots of rules around etiquette and how you work here. You have to take some small steps at first, and it is useful to get to know people as well. My areas of interest are sport and women's issues and disabled people. That is enough to keep me busy at the moment.
TR: The welfare reform bill has become a big talking point, what are your views on the bill and how it will affect people currently on DLA?
TGT: The Welfare Reform Bill was a steep learning curve for me, both in terms of the politics and the amount of information there was to take in. " It was a huge amount " I was probably reading several thousand pages a week of documents, letters and general advice. It was really hard to plan around the Bill days because we never quite knew when something was coming up. I had one afternoon when i seemed to be leading all the groups and it felt like i spent 6 hours talking. I think it is going to be quite hard on a number of disabled people as we move forward. I think the hardest part is that there is going to be a lot of uncertainty about where people are going to fit in to the new system. Some people will be better off, and some worse.
TR: As a member of the House of Lords do you find there is discrimination towards people with disabilities with in the House of Parliament still today?
TGT: I think the Palace is one of the most open places i have ever worked. The building itself is very accessible, but also i think the attitude of the people is very positive. Outside i think that there are still a lot of issues and that disabled people experience discrimination on a daily basis.
TR: With your influence and achievements in life what would you say to people who are disabled and might think they have no prospect in life?
TGT: I think that how ever you are you have to work hard and try and be the best you can. I was always told by my parents not to let my impairment get in the way.
LINKS: http://www.tanni.co.uk/
http://lordsoftheblog.net/category/baroness-grey-thompson/
http://www.london2012.com/
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