Disability sport

Author(s):  
Nick Webborn

Disability sport is the term used for any sport undertaken by someone with a disability and in this respect is all encompassing. The word ‘Paralympic’ is the term applied to elite sport competition for people with disabilities who have physical or visual impairments. It is derived from the Greek word ‘para’ meaning ‘alongside’ and the word ‘Olympic’, i.e. it is ‘parallel to the Olympics’. The International Paralympic Committee was formed in 1989 and is the overall body that organizes the summer and winter Paralympic Games. There are 20 summer Paralympic sports and five winter Paralympic sports. Reference to injuries in these sports will be discussed in this chapter rather than injuries in disability sport in general which is too broad a topic....

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 343-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Brown ◽  
Athanasios (Sakis) Pappous

This article explores why sports participation of people with disabilities in England has declined since the London 2012 Paralympic Games (LPG). Thirty semistructured interviews were conducted with staff employed in a variety of sports and disability-specific organizations. Our preliminary findings suggest that the decline is a result of a complex interplay between multiple factors. A competency gap and a lack of relevance between Paralympians and the rest of the community of people with disabilities might have limited the impact of the legacy. In addition, an absence of coordinated leveraging of the LPG, and a decline in the media coverage of disability sport in the aftermath of the LPG, might also have dulled the legacy. Finally, our data show that austerity and negative media coverage of people with disabilities deterred some people from participating in sport.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 256
Author(s):  
Olga Kolotouchkina ◽  
Carmen Llorente-Barroso ◽  
María Luisa García-Guardia ◽  
Juan Pavón

With a few exceptions, media visibility and representation of people with disabilities is scarce. It is biased and anchored in stigma, distorting their image and hindering their full social participation. Paralympic sport is one of the social fields where the challenge of an objective representation of disability becomes particularly important due to the ever-increasing amount of television attention to the Paralympic Games as a global sports event and some persisting stereotypes in media representation of athletes with disabilities. Through an exploratory and interpretive research method, aimed at assessing media visibility of disability from the perspective of content production and its dissemination, the paper reviews the evolution of media representation of the Paralympic Games and athletes with disabilities during Sochi 2014, Rio 2016, and PyeongChang 2018 global sports events in the daily news programs from the National Spanish Broadcaster, RTVE. The effective inclusion of people with disabilities in the public sphere and a progressive removal of stereotypes and stigma depends to a great extent on the visibility and objective representation of disability in media.


2020 ◽  
pp. 216747952094273
Author(s):  
Doralice Lange de Souza ◽  
Ian Brittain

There are claims that the Paralympic Games (PG) might contribute to a better world for people with disabilities (PWD). However, there are also claims that the PG might in fact be counterproductive to the PWD’s rights movement because they might promote the medical model of disability and/or ableism. In this context, we developed a qualitative exploratory study to investigate the legacies of the Rio 2016 PG from the perspective of disability rights activists and people involved in Paralympic sport managerial positions. In this article, we discuss one of the main perceived legacies that the PG fostered PWD’s visibility and a change in society’s perception of PWD. We conducted 24 open in-depth interviews and found that, for our participants, the PG worked as a showcase for PWD who were rarely seen in the media and in public spaces before the Games. This visibility helped to challenge negative stereotypes and stigmas associated with PWD, as well as possibly opening new doors for them. Our interviewees believe that we shouldn’t expect that the PG alone can change people’s perceptions and PWD’s status overnight. They are part of a larger and complex set of actions that are slowly contributing to this process.


Stanovnistvo ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Branka Jablan ◽  
Marta Sjenicic

Sexuality represents one of the basic dimensions of human existence, which is channelled through sexual and gender identification and role, sexual orientation, eroticism, emotional commitment, satisfaction, and reproduction. Sexuality is also linked to many significant health problems, especially in the area of reproductive and sexual health. Sexual health is the condition of physical, emotional, mental, and social wellbeing that is linked with sexuality. Knowledge about sexual health, contraception and selection of contraceptives, and the risk of sexually transmittable diseases is not only relevant for individuals? sexuality; it?s also important for encouraging the use of health services and other forms of support that are necessary to protect youth from sexually transmittable diseases and the maintenance of sexual and re-productive health. When it comes to sexuality and care of reproductive and sexual health, some groups are especially vulnerable. Bearing in mind the specific conditions women with disabilities grow up in and their dependence on assistance and support from other people, satisfying their needs for partnership, sexuality, and parenthood becomes unattainable for many, or it takes place under the control of professionals or family members. In this context, people with visual impairments are part of a vulnerable group, acknowledging that visual impairment leads to limitations in everyday life, autonomy, and quality of life to its full potential. The purpose of this article is to describe the phenomena of sexuality and sexual health among people with visual impairments, and to point out the existing international and national normative frameworks relevant to the sexual health of people with disabilities. Existing legislative acts acknowledge the right to a normal sexual life, as well as to the care and maintenance of the sexual health of people with disabilities. However, there are many obstacles and limitations that hamper the practical application of these rights: health issues, communication problems, lack of privacy, people?s acceptance of the inhibition of their own sexuality, or their acceptance of the labelling and normalisation of their situation. Even considering the existence of the regulation, the system of support for maintaining and improving the sexual and reproductive health of women with disabilities is not developed enough. The lack of literature relating to this topic shows that its importance is not recognised enough among the relevant actors, including organisations that advocate for people with disabilities. Realising the existing general legal framework requires the will of policymakers, who could enact and implement specific bylaw regulations, as well as activating the societal actors relevant to this field.


2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 462-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Mgunda Majinge ◽  
Stephen Mudogo Mutula

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implication of copyright on access to electronic and print information resources by people with visual impairments in university libraries. The paper examines the extent to which electronic and print information resources in university libraries are accessible to people with visual impairments; the extent to which existing national/international copyright laws facilitate or hamper access to electronic and print information resources by people with visual impairments; examine challenges facing people with visual impairments in accessing electronic and print information resources; and how these challenges can be ameliorated. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on review of empirical and theoretical literature and is underpinned by Oliver’s (1990) social model of disability. Findings The findings reveal that many university libraries the world over lack the capacity to offer an effective information service to people with visual impairments. Furthermore, the stringent copyright laws and licensing regimes for purchasing or transcribing content from one format to another make provision of information services to people with visual impairments difficult. In-university libraries are faced with various challenges in accessing electronic and print information that include among others copyright and licensing restrictions, and system design issues. Assistive technologies (ATs), enabling policies, skilled staff and facilitative copyright regimes can help ameliorate some of these barriers. Practical implications ATs, enabling policies, skilled staff and facilitative copyright regimes are key to unlocking the barriers that hinder people with visual impairments from effectively accessing print and electronic resources in university libraries. Protection of the basic rights of persons with disabilities including visual impairments, the elimination of social discrimination and bridging the accessibility gap are integral to social inclusion. This paper provides the basic information to university libraries for addressing challenges associated with access to electronic and print resources by people with visual impairments. Social implications Access to information to all including people with visual impairments in society is a basic human and moral right that every human being must enjoy. The Sustainable Development Goals’ 2030 agenda for sustainable development envisages a world of universal respect for human rights and human dignity […] equality and non-discrimination, an equitable, tolerant, open and socially inclusive world in which the needs of the most vulnerable are met (United Nations, 2015), and inclusive rights such as education, access to services (including information) and employment for people with disabilities. Originality/value This paper builds on existing literature and contributes to the growing body of knowledge on access by people with disabilities predicating on World Summit on Information Society principle and agenda 2030 on sustainable development goals.


2021 ◽  
pp. 152342232110545
Author(s):  
Chang-Kyu Kwon ◽  
Soonok An

Problem: Disability issues have long been a topic at the margins of HRD research and have rarely been examined outside the United States context or with a focus on a specific disability type. Additionally, largely due to a homogeneous national culture, people with disabilities in South Korea experience unique barriers in career development. Solution: The authors report the findings of a multiple case study on the career attainment experiences of lawyers with visual impairments in South Korea. Data analyzed from interviews with five participants showed that various individual (perseverance, identity as a person with a visual impairment, self-advocacy, and strategic mindset) and social (family and peer support, reasonable accommodation, precedent, and having a leader with a vision for inclusion) factors contributed to their career attainment. Stakeholders: The findings of this study can aid organizational leaders, hiring managers, HRD practitioners in charge of providing reasonable accommodations, and educators of people with disabilities.


2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-110
Author(s):  
Claudia Radünzel

SummaryThe present article deals with Croatian and Serbian terms that denote people with disabilities placing a particular focus on the structure of these terms and the frequency of their use in current language. The study is based on 398 articles about the XV Summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro published in the online issues of 19 Croatian and Serbian newspapers from September 2016. The texts reflect an increasing interest in the situation of people with disabilities in Croatia and Serbia. They show a growing tendency to use altern­ate, non-discriminatory terms instead of the formerly established ones. One example is the term “invalid”, which was common in the past, but is today replaced by “osoba s/ sa invaliditetom”.


Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Martin

There are a number of research-related issues unique to the world of disability that most sport and exercise psychology researchers may be unfamiliar with. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss four of those issues. First is the use of language and, in particular, the pros and cons of using the term disabled person in contrast to person with a disability. Many disability activists argue for the former whereas the American Psychological Association advocates for the later. Terms such as disability sport, adapted sport, and parasport are also discussed and how researchers have interpreted and supported some terms over others. The chapter also briefly traces the history of disability sport and exercise psychology research and the academic disciplines that have built the knowledge base. In addition, the arguments of some authors that able-bodied researchers should not conduct research with individuals with disabilities are examined and refuted. Finally, the thinking behind why some disability activists are critical of a prominent disability sport competition, the Paralympics, is explained.


2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 499-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Brittain ◽  
Aaron Beacom

The International Paralympic Committee, U.K. Government, and the Organizing Committee for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games all contended that the London 2012 Paralympic Games would positively impact the lives of disabled people in the United Kingdom, particularly with regard to changing nondisabled attitudes toward disability. All three have claimed partial success during the course of the 4-year period (Olympiad) separating the London and Rio Paralympic Games. However, this is at odds with the findings of Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs) and the experiences of disabled individuals. This article considers the claims of both sides against a backdrop of public policies that are targeting large-scale benefit cuts, the media coverage of which actually appears to be hardening attitudes toward anyone on benefits and negating any positive impacts from the Games themselves. It argues that the continued predominance of “ableist” perspectives on disability underpins many of the challenges faced by disabled people. The article adopts a historical perspective on the development of legacy-based foundations upon which the disability sport and Paralympic movements originated. It contends that the gradual move toward an elite “Olympic” sports model of competition has actually served to undermine these foundations.


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