The interactive exhibition will offer information on the history of the Paralympic Movement and various sports, background knowledge about medical technology and opportunities to take part.
 
The idea for an interactive exhibition away from the competition venues and slopes was conceived by Otto Block and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) during International Paralympic Day in the summer of 2009 in Berlin.

Professor Hans Georg Näder, the owner and chief executive of Otto Block HealthCare, said: "We have always wanted to offer the many spectators an opportunity to gain greater awareness through conscious dialogue with the issue of disability.

"It’s important to know that there can’t be any athletic performance without regaining everyday mobility in the first place.

"The IPC responded very favourably to this idea after a visit to the Otto Bock Science Center Medical Technology in Berlin."

A self-supporting hemisphere, the so-called Snow Dome, is being constructed in Whistler especially for the exhibition.

Visitors to the Snow Dome will encounter four different topics on approximately 120 square metres:

A time-line describes the development of sports for the disabled since they started at Stoke Mandeville in 1948 and illustrates the highlights of the Paralympic Movement.

Sports and everyday life for people with limited mobility constitute another focal point; devices from the C-Leg leg prosthesis system to wheelchairs are presented in an easy-to-understand manner.

Sports for people with disabilities can be experienced in the form of sledge ice hockey; visitors will attempt to score a goal while strapped into an original ice hockey sledge from Otto Bock.

The Paralympic Lounge, which offers video presentations on various sports and past Paralympic Games, forms the conclusion of the interactive exhibition.

Sir Philip Craven, the President of the IPC, said: "We are proud to realise this unique exhibition in conjunction with our long-term partner.

"This also represents a new step for the IPC.

"Helping people experience the Paralympic spirit suggests itself. Spirit in Motion encourages spectators to get involved and participate."

At nightime, sophisticated lighting technology, quotations and wordplays by the most successful athletes will be visible on the dome from afar while ice crystals will course over the facade.