A few weeks have passed since all eyes gazed into the late night 2008 Beijing Olympic broadcasts, but many of us aren’t aware of the wonderful events happening now in Beijing during the 2008 Paralympics. I cant seem to find anything on TV but you’ll be able to watch online at UniversalSports.com or ParalympicSport.tv. (opening Ceremony here)

After seeing photos from Boston.com I’m going to tune into the Paralympics with even more anticipation with events I’ve never seen. Events where blind people run, run with partners attached by arm, play soccer blinded, where game rules change, where a disability creates an amazement of ability, fencers do battle in wheelchairs, volleyball is done on the ground, where advanced prosthetic legs launch runners beyond belief, swimmers power themselves forward with just their arms, and several other amazing accomplishments.

Give a look at the incredible pictures after the jump carefully then imagine being able to do what they are doing. I’ve tried walking more than 20 feet with my eyes closed and running is just beyond my imagination. These athletes rock!

For the creative side, this reminds me in a project given during RISD ID: Design a cell phone for Edward Scissor hands. The point is to imagine, create, and enable a product, function, or even experience when an ability we might all be accustomed to is not possible. The solution solves the problem and at times surpasses the original. So I guess a thought for design is to always consider the non obvious when approaching a project to innovate. When designing a phone, you might wonder how to input by sight, smell, sound, your face, feet, etc. This might sound odd, but I can guarantee this is how some of the most innovative ideas surface!

36 images after the jump mirrored from boston.com
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