Breaking the Cycle: Ableism and the phenomenon of lowered expectations | Cheri Blauwet | TEDxBoston

Cheri experienced a complete spinal cord injury in a childhood accident. What she would discover is that when people related to her injury with seemingly helping gestures, it was in fact a persistent push toward mediocrity. Cheri is anything but mediocre; she's a champion. As an athlete, a scholar, a physician, a parent, and an advocate, she has achieved incredible things. Cheri challenges the audience to instead imagine how might we raise up those with atypical bodies by believing in their inherent exceptional abilities and pressing them to achieve their dreams. | Highlight: "When we lower our expectations of people, particularly people with disabilities or any other diverse or intersectional identity, we are missing out. We are missing out on our full human potential as individuals, but also as a society." Cheri Blauwet is a mother, sports medicine physician, Gold medal-winning Paralympic athlete and leader in the Olympic and Paralympic movement driven to promote inclusion in the sports and fitness sector and beyond while empowering others to reimagine their full potential. Cheri is a retired Paralympic athlete in the sport of wheelchair racing, competing for the United States Team in three Paralympic Games (Sydney ’00, Athens ’04, Beijing ’08) and bringing home a total of seven Paralympic medals, including Gold in the 800 meter. She is also a two-time winner of both the Boston and New York City Marathons. Translating her background as an athlete to the clinic setting, Dr. Blauwet now serves in numerous leadership roles throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Movement. Cheri has become a global leader who leverages her personal and professional experiences to advocate for inclusion and accessibility across the fitness landscape, community and beyond. “In order to realize our full human potential, we must shatter the perception that having a disability is a lesser way of living.” - Cheri Blauwet. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx