Disability in Sport

What problems do disabled people face when participating in sport? Some sports are unavailable to the disabled performer due to a lack of suitability/the nature of the game Facilities/equipment may not by adapted to suit the needs of a disabled performer ? There are many issues with actually travelling to events/ using sports facilities Staff at sports centres may not be sufficiently trained to deal with the special requirements of disabled athletes There are a limited number of sporting events for disabled athletes

What benefits do disabled people gain from participating in sport? Aside from the obvious health and fitness benefits, sport can offer disabled people many benefits. It can allow disabled people to feel integrated into society. It can improve self-esteem and self-worth.

Which NGB’s have been formed especially to meet disabled performers’ needs? Disability Sport England (DSE) British Paralympic Association (BPA) The British Amputee Sports Association The UK Sports Association for People with Mental Handicap Cerebral Palsy Sport The British Les Autres Sports Association

What do these organisations aim to achieve? Improve awareness of disabled people in sport. Provide more opportunities for disabled people to become more active in sport. Educate the public about disabled people and their capabilities. Improve the image of disabled sport. Promote the advantages of sport to disabled people.

Ok, but should disabled people be included in sports, or offered segregated sports? Over recent years, governing bodies have debated the issue of whether disabled sport should be approached by integrating it with able-bodied sport (inclusive), or whether disabled performers would have a better advantage if they were offered specialised programmes to meet their specific needs (segregated).

The concept of inclusive sports has good and bad features: It has the ability to educate able-bodied athletes about disabled athletes – and vice versa. It highlights the fact that society is a mixture of people – so there is no reason why sport shouldn’t be. It allows equality for every individual. Bad Lack of sufficiently qualified teachers/coaches in schools/sports centres. Insufficient specialised equipment/facilities in schools/sports centres. Some teachers find inclusive P.E. very demanding. May highlight differences between able-bodied and disabled individuals and thus cause more damage than good.

And what about segregated sports? Good Cater for specific and individual needs. Allow disabled athletes to socialise with people in the same/similar situations. Coaches/teachers can focus on specific needs – this may assist athletes in achieving excellence. Higher likelihood of specialised equipment being available. Bad Social opportunities with able-bodied people are minimised – this may actually be detrimental to a disabled person’s integration into society. Disabilities may be categorised – when in fact every disability is different. May ‘over-protect’ disabled individuals.

Sprinting

Tennis

Horse Riding

Swimming

Ice Hockey

So which type of disabled sports do we use? Both have their advantages, and both have their disadvantages. Unless the disability is very severe, schools tend to use inclusive P.E. as it educates all members of the group – disabled and able- bodied – about disabilities. At more elite levels, sport tends to be segregated, as it allows the athlete to focus on their specific needs.

Which sports have been adapted to meet the needs of disabled individuals? Basketball, volleyball, rugby and track events all have wheelchair versions. Equally, other sports have versions whereby equipment and rules have been adapted to suit the needs of disabled athletes. For example ‘Zone Hockey’.

How has sport been made more accessible to disabled people? The Sports Council has published several campaigns in order to promote sporting opportunities for disabled people: ‘Everybody Active’ ‘Pro-motion’ ‘Sport and People with Disabilities’.

What else has been done? Increased availability of specialist coaching More information published about disabled sport Increased development of specialist sports programmes and training opportunities Improvement in facility access and design Increased awareness amongst local authorities about disabled sport Increased media coverage and publicity Increased links with clubs and development officers Raised profile of special Olympics and Paralympics

The Influence of Education on Participation Allows students to participate in physical activity with people they may not meet in everyday life. Students compete or co-operate with a variety of cultures from every walk of life. Equally, in the early stages of physical education girls and boys learn together. Furthermore, schools have requirements to include disabled children within their education programmes. As a result, children learn to accept each other and interact with each other.

Geographical Factors Although Britain is a small country in comparison to many others, there are some geographical factors which prevent individuals from participating in sport. Issues for people within rural areas include: Poor transport Poor facilities Insufficient level of support available

Homework What is the difference between adapted and designed sports? Why are some sports adapted and why are some designed? Describe 4 different designed sports for people with disabilities. For your sport: Is there an adapted sport? How has the game been adapted? What rule changes have been made?