Paralympic Ticket Fiasco


Beth Davis-Hofbauer was excited to take her family to the London Paralympics, but she nearly had to forgo the opportunity. On August 6, Davis-Hofbauer, a wheelchair user, tried ordering Paralympic tickets for herself, her husband and children, but was told only one companion could sit with her.

She says the experience made her feel sub-human because she was singled out for her disability. “I also felt guilty, like I had denied my children an experience that was open to other families,” Davis-Hofbauer says. The story of her plight went viral and numerous media outlets contacted Davis-Hofbauer.

On August 15, she received a call from the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games with an offer to purchase tickets so her entire family could sit together. Davis-Hofbauer accepted but is disappointed the LOCOG has refused to publically comment. “I am just resolved to accepting that we may not have changed the world, but at least we have drawn some attention to a real issue,” Davis-Hofbauer says.


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