The Australian Paralympic Oral History Project: Remembering, reflecting, recording and promoting disability in sport

Abstract

The joint oral history project of the National Library of Australia and the Australian Paralympic Committee focuses on interviews with Australians who have contributed greatly to the Paralympic Movement in Australia since the inaugural Paralympic Games of 1960, while also recognising their place in the larger social and cultural context. This article describes and discusses how the project evolved, the methodology and accessibility of the interviews, and concludes with an analysis of some of the issues emanating from the interviews with Paralympians.

Keywords:

• interviews
• oral history
• Paralympian
• Paralympic Games
• people with a disability

Acknowledgements

There was no research funding for this study, and no restrictions have been imposed on free access to, or publication of, the research data.

Notes

1. See http://www.nla.gov.au/Record/4353507

2. The APC’s Tony Naar organised a reunion for the 1964 Paralympians in 2011; he is currently planning one for 1968 Paralympians.

3. See http://www.paralympic.org.au/apc-programs/australian-paralympic-history-project/australian-paralympic-history-project

4. See http://www.nla.gov.au/digicoll/APConline.html

5. See http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/

6. See http://trove.nla.gov.au/