Effect of disability on Sports

The Effect of Race and Disability on Sports Playlist 

My topic is the effect of physical and intellectual disability on accessibility of sports. I chose this topic because I'm an athlete myself and was interested in learning more about the relationship between sports and disability, specifically pertaining to the Paralympics. I was also interested in this topic because my older brother, Patrick, has an intellectual disability and used to swim for our local swim team so I wanted to explore the effect on a higher level of sports. I connected this topic to these songs because when I listened to them, they reminded me of the information I researched so I wrote exactly how each song made me feel and how it related to my topic in the explanation paragraph beside each song.

1.  Rise up - Andra Day: In this song, she talks about rising up in spite of the pain and fear that might keep one from taking a risk in order to achieve a goal; This relates to my topic because in my annotated bibliography I talk about how those who have disabilities might be scared to participate in certain activities that able bodied people participate in daily, such as sports; This song says it is okay to be different and still strive to achieve your goals
2. Rise - Katy Perry: In this song, she talks about how uplifting it feels to flourish and thrive even in the face of those who don't believe that one can achieve a certain goal; This relates to my topic because similar to the song above, it talks about how even in the face of fear and doubt, those with disabilities have participated and succeeded in different sports
3. Taste for Gold - Jaxson Gamble: In this song, he talks about his need for gold, which I related to winning a gold medal at the Paralympic games; This relates to my topic because I talk about those who are disabled participating in sports, specifically in the Paralympics, and how some rise to the occasion of winning a medal, even fewer winning gold
4. Not Afraid - Eminem: In this song, he talks about how he's not afraid to do something which some may see as out of the ordinary or even impossible; This related to my topic because there are people out there that do not truly understand the full effect being disabled has on ones ability to play sports and therefore simply believe sports are an unattainable goal for those who are disabled, which is not the case
5. Who Says - Selena Gomez: In this song, she talks about how everyone is perfect as they are no matter what anyone else might say; This relates to my topic because I talk about the differences between race and disability and the effect it has on accessibility to sports and in the song, she looks at those differences and celebrates them
6. Just like Fire - Pink: In this song, she talks about how she feels out of place and how she wants nothing more than to just be accepted for who she is and as the song progresses, she cares less and less about fitting in and more about just being herself; This relates to my topic because I can only imagine that at one point or another, every athlete including those who are disabled might feel out of place and when disabled athletes work hards enough to make it to the Paralympics, they clearly no longer care about fitting in and instead are focused solely on being the best athlete they can be
7. Firework - Katy Perry: In this song, she talks about taking the individuality one has inside and using it to their advantage despite their fears and doubts; This relates to my topic because everyone including those who are disabled are unique and individual in their own way and deserve to be able to flaunt their individuality how they so choose without fear of judgement and those who are athletically gifted enough to participate in the Paralympics have fully embraced their unique qualities and made the most of them
8. Cool Kids - Echosmith: In this song, they talk about how they wish they could change themselves in order to appear more like the "cool kids" because they want to fit in as opposed to standing out; This relates to my topic because there are times in everyone's lives when they wish to be someone else or at the very least change some aspect of themselves and I can only imagine this applies to those who are disabled as well
9. Could have been Me - The Struts: In this song, they talk about having a dream and wanting to achieve it at whatever cost and if they fail, they at the very least want to go down fighting; This relates to my topic because many athletes, disabled or not, have certain goals they will do whatever necessary to achieve and unfortunately for those athletes who are disabled, it may take longer or be harder to reach the same level as those athletes who are able-bodied
10. Defying Gravity - Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel: In this song, Idina talks about how finally, after a long time of wearing a mask and trying to stay "normal" as deemed by society, she finally decides to stop pretending and start being who she really is even if others do not approve; This relates to my topic because disabilities are not something to be ashamed of or hide, they are something that makes one unique and although it makes achieving certain goals a little harder, it is not impossible 
11. Head above Water - Avril Lavigne: In this song, she talks about how she struggles sometimes in her day to day life using the analogy of keeping her head above water and I can't help but think that sometimes those who are trying to achieve a goal, which in this case is sports related, struggle to keep themselves afloat with all the pressure, fear, and doubt they have; This relates to my topic because all athletes disabled or not face stress, fear and doubt on a regular basis, something that needs to be overcame
12. Higher - The Score: In this song, they talk about how in their journey to achieve a goal, there is always going to be doubters and those who say you can't or you aren't able to; This relates to my topic because especially regarding sports there are times where one who is disabled may be told they can't and have to push past those barriers trying to block them from achieving their goals
13. How far I'll Go - Alessia Cara: In this song, she talks about her journey and how she isn't sure how far she'll end up going or how long it's going to take her; This relates to my topic because the journey from just playing normal recreational sports to becoming a Paralympian is presumably a long and arduous one, one I'm sure many disabled athletes wondered how much longer it would take for them to achieve their goals and whether they were strong enough to make it all the way

Link to playlist: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/csap-playlist/pl.u-11zBPPmi8koAGm5

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/csap-playlist/pl.u-11zBPPmi8koAGm5

Works cited: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SnHhqxK-hGH7gW81xSARuX66RW9Z3dS9zXy1mmZUHEA/edit?usp=sharing