Superfish
‘Being involved in swimming opened many doors of opportunity to me. I travelled to places I would never have imagined seeing, and, I formed friendships I never would have made. The life lessons I gained through sport participation and that I have utilised throughout the course of my life so far are: never say no to opportunities, self-confidence is crucial to success and value your support network.’
Denise Beckwith
Denise has represented Australia on 13 occasions in the sport of swimming. The pinnacle of her swimming career was representing Australia at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, and being a member of 4 x 50m freestyle relay team, which won the bronze medal. Denise then moved into the career of disability advocacy for 12 years using the skills she developed whilst swimming to achieve the best outcomes for people with disability. Denise is currently studying a Bachelor of Social Work at the University of Western Sydney (UWS). Denise’s ultimate goal is to educate people about disability awareness and to increase the community’s understanding of disability.
Are the achievement of women with disability in sport perceived as, in the words of Stella Young, ‘inspirational porn” ?