Encouraging people to be Disability Confident while drawing employers’ attention to the ambitions and abilities of people with accessibility requirements in the workplace, are two of the goals of the 2015 Tyne Tunnel 2K International Wheel Chair Race.
Co-sponsored by Nuance Communications, Inc. – developer and publisher of the Dragon family of speech recognition solutions – the thrilling spectacle takes place on Friday 11 September, through Tyne Tunnel 1, North East England.
In the ultra competitive challenge – which also has the Department for Work and Pensions Disability Confident Campaign as a Gold status partner – 24 athletes including Canadian Paralympian Josh Cassidy, race Paralympic-standard, state-of-the-art racing chairs, at speeds of 50mph using their muscle power and determination alone. This year, the elite athletes and Paralympians from Canada, USA, Australia, and Europe will board their lightweight carbon-fibre and metal alloy racing machines to face the challenge of the superfast 1 km downhill and the shoulder-burning 1 km uphill stretch, where the well-known Tyne Tunnel on the A19 becomes a temporary race track for this spectacular challenge.
Commenting on its decision to sponsor the 2015 Tyne Tunnel 2K International Wheel Chair Race, Jonathan Whitmore, UK, Ireland & Middle East Regional Sales Manager, Nuance Communications, said: “The Tyne Tunnel 2K race serves as an inspiration to anyone who is determined to win, determined to excel or determined to shatter their personal best, whether in competitive endeavour, at work or in any other aspect of their lives. The commitment, participation and focus of the Tyne Tunnel 2K race organisers and its competitors, shows a relentlessly positive ‘can do’ ethos, which is a mind-set every employer should look for in all future employees.” He added: “As a company that has spent years striving to make the workplace a level playing field for PC-using employees of all physical abilities, Nuance Communications whole-heartedly salutes the optimism and the winning-spirit that the Tyne Tunnel 2K race represents.”
Race organiser David Burdus – founder of Burdus Communications, wheelchair racer and disability entrepreneur – promotes the race, secures the athletes and brings partners together. It is with efforts like this and many others that have made David successful in persuading and influencing private and public sector organisations across the country to provide greater accessibility and inclusion in the workplace for disabled people, while also dissolving the public’s negative stereo types about and perceptions of disabilities. It is a subject he has a direct connection with as he was involved in a motorcycle crash that resulted in a spinal cord break, leaving him paraplegic. More recently, David started to suffer with RSI, affecting his shoulders, elbows, wrists and thumbs, compromising his ability to work. His pain was compounded by his existing scoliosis worsening, meaning life at the workstation was becoming increasingly uncomfortable for him.
Now a Dragon user, David is able to continue with his work, campaigning, and efforts to change public perceptions of disability,without pain. As well as being the world’s best-selling speech recognition software, Dragon offers accuracy rates of up to 99% and the ability to transcribe 160 words per minute.
More information about the 2015 Tyne Tunnel 2K International Wheel Chair Race can be found here. You can Like Dragon on Facebook.
