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The Paralympic Games is about transforming our perception of the world.

I am so proud of being a Paralympian because I think the Games are a very good platform for disabled persons to perform themselves. Within the Paralympics movement, it's not just talk about excellence; it's not just talk about the competition. It's also talk about the equality and how your world accepts those disabled people.

The sentiment of those suggesting the Olympics and Paralympics be combined is no doubt well intentioned. But it also echoes the myth that disabled people want to be other than what we are - that we'd like nothing more than to be 'allowed in' with the able-bodied competitors.

The disabled people that do sport, they don't think about what they don't have but try to get better with what they do have. That is the same for me.

The Paralympics have for too long been considered the poor cousin of the Olympics. It's always run after the main games and rarely gets anything like the media coverage.

Paralympic sport and other disability sport can and should be celebrated in its own right.

Paralympics has always had to push the media into it being about sport and not focusing on the disability.

When you hear the word 'disabled,' people immediately think about people who can't walk or talk or do everything that people take for granted. Now, I take nothing for granted. But I find the real disability is people who can't find joy in life and are bitter.

I don't see myself as disabled. There's nothing I can't do that able-bodied athletes can do.