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
There are a limited number
of sporting events for disabled
athletes
Staff at sports centres may not
be sufficiently trained to deal
with the special requirements
of 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:
Good
 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 ablebodied – 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 media
coverage and
publicity
Raised profile of
special Olympics
and Paralympics
Increased awareness
amongst local
authorities about
disabled sport
Increased links with clubs
and development
officers
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?