disability sports essay

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The unique ability of sports to transcend linguistic, cultural and social barriers makes it an excellent platform for strategies of inclusion and adaptation.  Furthermore, the universal popularity of sport and its physical, social and economic development benefits make it an ideal tool for fostering the inclusion and well-being of persons with disabilities.

Persons with disabilities often face societal barriers and disability evokes negative perceptions and discrimination in many societies.  As a result of the stigma associated with disability, persons with disabilities are generally excluded from education, employment and community life which deprives them of opportunities essential to their social development, health and well-being. In some societies persons with disabilities are considered dependent and seen as incapable, thus fostering inactivity which often causes individuals with physical disabilities to experience restricted mobility beyond the cause of their disability.

Sport can help reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with disability because it can transforms community attitudes about persons with disabilities by highlighting their skills and reducing the tendency to see the disability instead of the person. Through sport, persons without disabilities interact with persons with disabilities in a positive context forcing them to reshape assumptions about what persons with disabilities can and cannot do.

Sport changes the person with disability in an equally profound way by empowering persons with disabilities to realize their full potential and advocate for changes in society.  Through sport, persons with disabilities acquire vital social skills, develop independence, and become empowered to act as agents of change.  Sport teaches individuals how to communicate effectively as well as the significance of teamwork and cooperation and respect for others.  Sport is also well-suited to reducing dependence and developing greater independence by helping persons with disabilities to become physically and mentally stronger.  These skills can be transferred into other new arenas including employment and advocacy work further helping to build self-sufficiency.

The power of sport as a transformative tool is of particular importance for women as women with disabilities often experience double discrimination on the basis of their gender and disability.  It is reported that 93% of women with disabilities are not involved in sport and women comprise only one-third of athletes with disabilities in international competitions.  By providing women with disabilities the opportunity to compete and demonstrate their physical ability, sport can help to reduce gender stereotypes and negative perceptions associated with women with disabilities.

Moreover, by improving the inclusion and well-being of persons with disabilities, sport can also help to advance the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  For example, sports-based opportunities can help achieve the goal of universal primary education (MDG2) by reducing stigma preventing children with disabilities from attending school; promote gender equality (MDG3) by empowering women and girls with disabilities to acquire health information, skills, social networks, and leadership experience; and lead to increased employment and lower levels of poverty and hunger (MDG1) by helping to reduce stigma and increase self-confidence.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is the first legally binding international instrument to address the rights of persons with disabilities and sport.  Article 30 of the Convention addresses both mainstream and disability-specific sport and stipulates that “States Parties shall take appropriate measures to encourage and promote the participation, to the fullest extent possible, of persons with disabilities in mainstream sporting activities at all levels".  It also calls upon Governments, States party to the Convention, to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to sport and recreational venues — as spectators and as active participants.  This also requires that children with disabilities be included in physical education within the school system “to the fullest extent possible” and enjoy equal access to "play, recreation and leisure and sporting activities”.

Resources on disability and sports

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Article 30 - Participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport

General Assembly Resolution: Sport as a means to promote education, health, development and peace (A/RES/69/6)

International Disability in Sport Working Group Sport in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities International Platform on Sport and Development (2008)

National Disability Authority Promoting the Participation of People with Disabilities in Physical Activity and Sport in Ireland

Sport for Development and Peace Working Group International Working Group: Harnessing the Power of Sport for Development and Peace: Recommendations to Government (2008) Chapter Five: Sport and Persons with Disabilities: Fostering  Inclusion and Well-Being

World Health Organization Young People with Disability in Physical Education/ Physical Activity/Sport In and Out of Schools: Technical Report for the World Health Organization

Rights to Participate in Sport, Recreation and Play Websites:

Cerebral Palsy International Sports & Recreation Association

Disabled Sports USA

Handicap International

International Blind Sports Federation

International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity

International Paralympic Committee

International Platform on Sport and Development

International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability (INAS-FID)

International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS)

Rick Hansen Foundation

Sports and Physical Activity for Persons with Disabilities- Awareness, Understanding, Action

United Nations Sport for Development and Peace – Sport and Persons with Disabilities Thematic Working Group Major disability-related sporting events include:

Deaflympics -  Ban Ki-moon about 18th Winter Deaflympics

Disability Commonwealth Games

Paralympic Games

Special Olympics

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5 Barriers to Greater Participation in Disability Sports

After the 2012 Paralympics , disability and para sports suddenly became common knowledge, and more people wanted to try them because they actually knew they existed. However, many soon realized it wasn’t that simple. Here are some of the biggest barriers of getting into disability sports:

1.  Finding a club and coach. Although disability sports are becoming well known and more popular, there aren’t many coaches or clubs around. If you are lucky to live in an area that campaigns for disability sports and has disability sports organizations, you can generally find a club and coach. If not, you may have to travel a significant distance to get to training sessions, meaning that if you are unable to drive, you can’t get there. This sadly stops a lot of people from doing the sports they want to do, so they either don’t participate in sports or have to choose another sport. 2. The cost. The sport you choose to participate in and the nature of your disability will determine the equipment you will need. Running as an able-bodied athlete costs very little; all you need is a pair of decent trainers. However, disability sports require very specific equipment and a lot of it is custom-built for the individual. For wheelchair racing , the equivalent of running, you will need your own gloves and eventually your own chair, which can cost up to £4000! On top of that there are club membership fees, race entry costs and more. I know the cost has sadly stopped many people getting involved in sports, simply because they can’t afford it.

3. Classifications. Once you have found a sport you enjoy, you’re past the first hurdle. If you decide you want to take your sport to a competitive level, you have to go through a classification process. This process is different for every sport, and from my experience it is not a particularly pleasant one. There is a list of conditions that can be classified in a particular way, and if your disability/condition is not on that list anywhere, you may not be able to get a classification.

The only exception to this I have found is in rowing, where they not only have para-classifications but also adaptive rower classifications. The para-rowing classifications are conditions on the classification list and adaptive rowers are people with conditions that aren’t on the list, but who have disabilities and are unable to row “normally.” I hope more sports start to allow adaptive athletes to compete.

4. Getting equipment to races. This sounds so simple, but I have found it is one of my biggest issues with many wheelchair sports. Racing wheelchairs, multi-sport wheelchairs, hand-bikes etc. are all very big and tend not to fit into cars. Most sports chairs don’t fold or come apart. You can take the wheels off some which sometimes helps, but it’s incredibly difficult to fit a sports chair and a regular day chair plus more than one person in a car — unless you are amazing at Tetris or have a van. I believe this is one of the main things that stops people from being able to progress higher in their chosen wheelchair sport.

5. The fear of judgment. I don’t know a single disabled sportsman or woman who is not concerned about losing disability benefits due to participating in sports. You are judged on every aspect of your life, meaning that if you are active and do sports, you at risk of being deemed no longer eligible for benefits, even if the activities you do are disability sports. There are also still a lot of people that judge disabled people and assume disabled people can’t work, can’t do things for themselves and that they just stay at home doing nothing all day. They believe if disabled people participate in sports, they must be exaggerating their conditions and therefore they shouldn’t be getting help or be on benefits. Thankfully this view is slowly disappearing, but it can still put people off.

Disability sports are gradually becoming more popular and well-known. The participation levels have gone up dramatically, and I believe it is due to the media now reporting and showing more para-sports on TV. However, there are still many barriers that stop people from being able to do the sports they want to. Slowly things are improving as companies are making cheaper sports wheelchairs and equipment to allow sports to be more accessible, but there is still a lack of clubs and coaches. Hopefully things will continue to improve so every person who wants to access sports is able to, no matter their disability or income. Fingers crossed that one day sports will be fully inclusive!

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Hi, Im Sophie! I suffer with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Hypermobility, Epilepsy, Non-Epileptic Attack Disorder, Anxiety, Depression and Complex PTSD. Life with so many conditions can be tough and complicated and when I first discovered TheMighty and read through some of the thoughts and stories it made me realise that I wasn't alone. I enjoy writing but was never very good at it, so, I hope that some of the stories that I write are able to comfort someone that is struggling and help them realise that they aren't alone.