Golden girls is a well-worn sporting cliché; but we make no excuse for using the platitude here to describe the three icons of British disability sport who shared their knowledge, wisdom and extensive international experience at the Women in Sport Conference North at the BBC Sport offices in Manchester.

With 17 Paralympic gold medals and 19 World Championship gold medals between them, it is an appropriate collective term to describe Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Hannah Cockcroft MBE and Kadeena Cox MBE.

However, caution is advised when attaching labels to individuals or groups. As delegates heard, when done carelessly there is a danger it could undermine the drive for equality.

The language used around Paralympic sport, for example, is a particular bugbear of all three, who eloquently expressed their line of reasoning.

That labels can reinforce stigma and stereotypes will come as no surprise to anyone reading this article, but when all three said they baulk at the use of the word ‘inspirational’ to describe their sporting journeys, there were more than a few raised eyebrows.

They spoke passionately about the overemotional portrayal of disabled athletes in the media; calling for an end to the obsession with athletes’ backstories and declaring that the quest to change the way disabled people are perceived by the public still has a long way to go.

It was both a privilege and an education to hear such piercing insight from three of Britain’s most decorated Paralympians as they addressed the myriad challenges disabled athletes face in their careers.

Architect of change

Baroness Grey-Thompson is one of our most prominent advocates for equality in sport.

In occupying a high-profile position as a crossbench peer in the House of Lords, and enjoying huge popularity among the public, it has given her a platform to influence behaviour change, and she has grasped the mantle of responsibility with relish.

Baroness Grey-Thompson discussed the fixation people have for putting other people into boxes.

“I can honestly say I don’t think I have ever experienced discrimination for being a woman in sport, but I have experienced lots of discrimination for being disabled. Because it is far easier to discriminate against me being disabled than it is a woman. That’s partly because there’s lots more understanding about what we can say around women these days but there is far less understanding around disabled people.”

Put the person first, not the disability

The deep-rooted communication habits and use of language around disabled people remains a real cause for concern.

And it is a subject Baroness Grey-Thompson said she feels passionately about.

“The term handicapped – which thank goodness is not used any more – comes from ‘cap in hand’, from begging, which is what disabled people used to have to do. Luckily, we don’t use the word cripple anymore, which is another horrible word.”

Words which have found their way into the modern lexicon of offensive slang terms to describe disabled people include ‘blinky’ and ‘wheelie’.

“I don’t find it acceptable that a non-disabled person attaches very strange language around my disability and impairment and think that it is okay to refer to me in such a derogatory way. It has an impact on how disabled people are treated and how young disabled people see themselves,” she said.

Baroness Grey-Thompson revealed she was once confronted by a man when she was pregnant, who told her: “People like you shouldn’t have children”, to which she replied: “What, you mean Welsh people?”.

The scale of the problem becomes apparent when listening to everyday conversation around the Paralympic Games and Olympic Games.

Mind your language

The issue with the word ‘inspirational’, which has such positive connotations, is a more complex argument.

“One of the challenges I struggle with around Paralympic sport is the fact we are all inspirational,” began Baroness Grey-Thompson. “Some are, absolutely. Some have had very traumatic and dramatic routes to becoming a Paralympian. But there is no place for talking about that when on the field of play. It is finding the right time and the right place to cover those backstories.”

You could describe it as the X-Factor effect on disabled sports: overly emotional narratives that shift attention from current athletic achievements to personal challenges.

People who aspire to follow in the footsteps of their real-life heroes, who are bombarded incessantly with images and language glorifying their role models’ dramatic struggle through adversity, may be put off a career in sport, believing their own life story lacks the requisite drama.

Hannah was equally emphatic in her assessment of the word inspirational.

“I don’t mind people calling me awesome, but not inspirational,” she said, wanting people instead to be inspired by her achievement in becoming a gold medallist.

“Stop concentrating on our backstories and start concentrating on what you see [us doing] because everyone has a backstory, regardless of if they have a disability. Everyone has gone through something.

“I know nothing different than this wheelchair so I’m fine with it. The rest of the world needs to get over it and realise that life’s great, and I did what I did because I've had a fantastic family behind me, fantastic wider support and lots of belief that I could change the world.”

I want to be defined by my talents

Kadeena echoed Hannah’s thoughts exactly. She doesn’t mind the moniker of empowering, but loathes being called inspirational, appealing for a change in the narrative.

“I do hate that word. People need to understand that when you have a disability, you deal with it the best that you can. You have got to live your life. You don’t have an option.

Kadeena became the nation’s first Paralympian to win gold medals in multiple sports at the same Games since Isabel Barr in 1984, achieving a double whammy of victories on the track: the wooden track of the velodrome and synthetic track of the athletics oval.

She said talk of the hurdles she has had to clear because of her disability should be irrelevant.

“I want people to focus on the fact I am a talented athlete as opposed to looking at the disability and the backstory of how I got to where I am.

“We want to be seen as sports people. The backstory shouldn’t define us. It kind of feels as if we are brought down a level. I want to be seen as any other athlete.”