{"id":4251,"date":"2020-09-04T12:45:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-04T10:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disabilityconnect.co.za\/?p=4251"},"modified":"2020-09-04T12:45:00","modified_gmt":"2020-09-04T10:45:00","slug":"netflixs-rising-phoenix-a-story-where-disability-is-not-an-inability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/2020\/09\/04\/netflixs-rising-phoenix-a-story-where-disability-is-not-an-inability\/","title":{"rendered":"Netflix\u2019s \u2018Rising Phoenix\u2019, a story where disability is not an inability"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Changing the way the world thinks about disability: In a story of hope and triumph, Paralympians from around the world show that disability is not an inability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRising Phoenix\u201d a Netflix documentary tells the extraordinary story of the Paralympic Games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the rubble of World War II to the third biggest sporting event on the planet, the Paralympics sparked a global movement which continues to change the way the world thinks about disability, diversity and human potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Africa\u2019s very own champion<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

South African track star athlete, Ntando Mahlangu, features in the documentary among other champions from abroad. Mahlangu was born with congenital hemimelia, a condition that affected the growth of legs from the knee down. He represented South Africa at the 2016 Summer Paralympics and won the silver medal in the men’s 200 metres T42 event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year he qualified to represent South Africa at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan. However, the Paralympics were cancelled this year due to the Covid-19 global pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was very weird, usually in the rural areas they would take the children and put them away, because the family thinks it\u2019s a curse or something to have a disable child. \u201cThere are some people that don\u2019t want to see them<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheetah legs<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
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He told his story as a kid being stuck in a wheelchair and shared his happiness when he received his first pair of the \u201ccheetah legs\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe moment I started moving around I started loving that feeling. People kept asking me \u2018why can\u2019t you keep still\u2019. I didn\u2019t want to. I started thinking \u2018I want to do things, I want to do better, I want to change the world\u2019. My coach said to me, \u2018I see talent in you. We are going to Rio\u2019,\u201d said Mahlangu.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Watch the official trailer here<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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