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Chapter 12: Inclusive physical activity and sport
Important: Physical disability and intellectual disability are treated as two separate groups in the specification. The barriers and supports outlined in section 12.1 of the student textbook are general barriers and supports that affect both these groups. Gender is another group discussed for this learning outcome (covered in Chapter 11). Students must be able to analyse the supports and barriers for at least two different groups. Student may also select older adults, ethnic groups or socio-economic groups to study. The supports and barriers for these groups can be found in section 12.4.
12.1 The supports and barriers to participation for disabled people
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Introduction: Ask the class to identify reasons why only 29% of people with a disability participate regularly in physical activity compared to 46% of the able-bodied population. – Link it back to Chapter 11: The impact of gender on participation. – Ask the class to identify solutions to the barriers identified and ways of increasing participation among disabled people? (For example in schools, in the community, nationally/government, through the national governing bodies.) – Compare the answers from the class with the summaries (figures 12.4 and 12.5).
Discussion: Ask the class how much disabled sport they view per month. – Zero is likely to be the answer. – Start a discussion on the media’s role in promoting disability sport.
TASK 12.1 ANSWERS
Use the section on the developments in physical activity for disabled people to identify: • three important developments in physical activity and sporting opportunities for disabled people. – CARA Sport Inclusion Ireland launched – CARA launch strategic plan targeting increased opportunities – National Sports Policy 2018 includes a Sports Inclusion Disability Charter – Sports Inclusion Disability Officer (SIDO) programme established – 20 local Sports Inclusion Disability Officers appointed – 100 organisations signed up to the Sports Inclusion Disability Charter – Many national governing bodies of sport cater for the needs of disabled sportspeople – Increased range of sports included in the Paralympic Games, offering greater opportunity to compete at the highest level and increase role models. • two important policies or programmes that have or will influence future participation of disabled people. – Sport Ireland policy on participation in sport by people with disabilities – National Sports Policy 2018, which includes a Sports Inclusion Disability Charter. • Chart the development in the Paralympic games from 2000 and 2020. Include data on spectator numbers, TV audiences and the range of sports included in the games. – Ticket sales grow over 200% to 2.7 million. – TV audience grows over 200% to 3.8 billion – The number of sports grows from 17 to 23
PRACTICE QUESTION ANSWERS
Q1. Identify two barriers that affect participation for people with disabilities and link them to examples. – Safety: many sports clubs do not allow disabled people to compete with able-bodied people due to the risk of injury e.g. contact sports. – Discrimination: disabled people are often treated differently/unfairly, especially when it comes to access to facilities, clubs and competitions. – PE provision: young disabled people often receive less PE in terms of time and access to a broad range of activities due to a lack of training and access to specialist equipment. Q2. Investigate solutions to the barriers you have identified. – Enforcement of the Equal Status Act and support for clubs, gyms and leisure centres to make their facilities accessible to all. – Provide specialist training and resources for Physical Education departments including equipment and purpose-built disabled changing facilities. Q3. Describe how stereotyping can impact upon the participation of disabled people. – Able-bodied people have lower expectations of disabled people – Leads to discrimination e.g. exclusion justified on the basis of safety – Lowers self-esteem of disabled people – Leads to labelling and channelling disabled people into segregated activities – Reduces integration. Q4. Discuss the media’s coverage of disability sport and how this might affect participation by disabled people. – Coverage extremely low in Ireland – Limited to one-off big events e.g. Paralympics every four years – Leads to a lack of role models – Lack of representation in the media profession e.g. presenters and journalists. Q5. Outline three significant developments in the opportunities for disabled people to participate in physical activity and sport. – CARA Sport Inclusion Ireland launched – CARA launch strategic plan targeting increased opportunities – National Sports Policy 2018 includes a Sports Inclusion Disability Charter – Sports Inclusion Disability Officer (SIDO) programme established – 20 local Sports Inclusion Disability Officers appointed – 100 organisations signed up to the Sports Inclusion Disability Charter – Many national governing bodies of sport cater for the needs of disabled sportspeople – Increased range of sports included in the Paralympic Games, offering greater opportunity to compete at the highest level and increase role models.
12.2 Inclusion
Introduction: Ask the students what inclusiveness means to them. – Explore the advantages and disadvantages of integration and segregation in physical activity. – When is segregation more appropriate than integration e.g. rugby for safety?
Adapted activities
Introduction: Ask the students to identify adaptations that can be made to activities in order to make them accessible to disabled people. Think about: – the rules and player roles – the equipment – playing area and time.
Examine the examples of adaptations for swimming, basketball and tennis outlined in the book.
TASK 12.2 (Group work) SAMPLE ANSWER
Examine if and how, participants with a disability could participate in one selected physical activity.
Activity: Athletics
– Can be participated in as an integrated activity. – Performers with a physical disability can be easily accommodated with small changes to the rules e.g. not having to perform a block start in sprinting. – Performers with a sensory disability such as vision could have a partner guide them. – Performers with hearing difficulty could have a visual stimulus instead of a gun or whistle to start e.g. waving a flag to start.
TASK 12.3 NOTES
Evaluate the provision for adapted physical activity opportunities in your school or in the community. – Encourage students to research and collaborate. – Can the students identify any disabled performers in their community? – Are there inclusive clubs or specialist disability sport clubs in the community?
Case study: Discuss the Oscar Pistorius case study in the student textbook and watch the PowerPoint video.
CASE STUDY QUESTION ANSWERS
Q1. Oscar Pistorius was born with a physical disability, but he didn’t allow this to prevent him from competing in sports. (a) Describe Oscar’s physical disability and how did he overcome it. – He was born without a fibula and had both legs amputated below the knee. – He used prosthetic legs to allow him to walk and compete in sports. (b) The IAAF tried to exclude Oscar from competing with able-bodied athletes. What reasons did they give for this? – He had an unfair advantage over able-bodied athletes. – His blades made him more energy efficient and therefore faster over a set distance. Q2. Oscar became a high-profile role model for other disabled athletes and the pursuit of integration and inclusion. (a) What do you understand by the term role model? – A role model is someone you aspire to be like. (b) Explain what is meant by integration. – Able-bodied and disabled people participating in physical activity together. (c) Should elite sport be integrated or segregated? Justify your answer.
Arguments for integration
– Disabled people will feel more included in society. – It may help reduce discrimination as integration promotes understanding and appreciation of the abilities of disabled people in sport. – Use of the same facilities and times increases access. – Increases the awareness of capabilities of disabled sportspeople. – Allows the use of appropriate modifications. – Raises the self-esteem of disabled people through acceptance and success.
Arguments for segregation
– Disabled participants may achieve more. – May increase safety and feelings of security, especially for contact sports. – More equal competition/disabled people are not disadvantaged. – Modifications can be used and rules changed to suit the needs of disabled people. – Teachers or coaches can focus on the requirements of disabled participants.
Introduction: Outline the pathway towards excellence for disabled sportspeople from foundation level to participation, into performance level and excellence for some. – Foundation and participation: learning the skills and participating at school and/or in a club. – Performance: selection for development squads and performing at a higher level. – Excellence and elite: performance at national and international level.
Make the students aware that the pathway for excellence is inclusive in Ireland. – Elite disabled sportspeople receive the same funding and supports form Sport Ireland as able-bodied sportspeople. – Identify the specialist agencies that support participation, performance and excellence including: – CARA: Sport Inclusion Ireland – Paralympic Council of Ireland – Special Olympics Ireland – The role of the NGBs.
PRACTICE QUESTION ANSWERS
Q1. Identify three solutions to help increase participation in physical activity among disabled people. – Access to facilities – Transport – Inclusive PE – Funding – Clubs and competitions. Q2. Outline one example of how an activity can be adapted for each area below: (a) Rules: There is no double dribble in wheelchair basketball. (b) Equipment: There is a bell in the ball for deaf football. (c) Playing area: Wheelchair rugby is played indoors on a solid floor. The playing area is therefore reduced to the size of a basketball court. (d) Time: The time for wheelchair rugby is reduced to four eight-minute quarters. Q3. Describe two barriers to participation for disabled people and outline one solution for each? – Stereotyping affects disabled people as able-bodied people may have low expectations about their ability to participate in some activities, leading to reduced opportunities. – The solution is education, role models and increased media coverage of disability sport. – Limited access to facilities has reduced the opportunities for disabled people as some facilities do not have ramps and lifts to allow independent access. – The solution is to ensure all facilities are upgraded and retrofitted with appropriate access such as replacing stairs with a ramp. Q4. Explain how disabled sportspeople are affected by: (a) Discrimination: They are often treated unfairly and excluded. Their needs are not considered due to the additional costs and provisions required to adapt facilities and provide specialist support such as trained coaches. (b) Stereotyping: Able-bodied people may label disabled people unfairly as not wanting to participate in an activity alongside them due to safety or differences in ability. (c) Prejudice: Disabled people are often treated differently due to unfair negative opinions resulting in them being channelled into segregated activities. Q5. Examine if, and how, participants with a disability could participate in one selected physical activity.
Activity: Sprinting
– Disabled participants could be integrated into the activity by modifying the rules, such as the starting position. – The activity is run in lanes so wheelchair users could participate alongside able-bodied participants. – A signal could be used instead of a whistle for deaf participants. – A flag could be used to signal the start for deaf participants. Q6. Outline the pathways towards excellence for disabled sportspeople. – Progression from foundation and participation level at school or in clubs to performance and excellence with the support of the national governing body. – Equal access to funding and supports from Sport Ireland. – Sports Inclusion Disability Officers can provide support locally (LSP). – Sport Inclusion Ireland targets participation levels. – Paralympic Council of Ireland and Special Olympics Ireland target performance and excellence.
12.4 Ethnicity, social class and older adults
Note: Gender and disability have been covered in detail in chapters 11 and 12. The specification requires at least two groups to be analysed. Gender and disability fit well with the other learning outcomes in topic 7. The authors selected these groups for detailed analysis. The other groups are covered in less detail in this section.
PRACTICE QUESTION ANSWERS
Q1. Describe three factors that can affect participation among people from ethnic minorities. – Some cultures discourage women from participating. – Cultural background may prevent a person from taking part in some activities. For example, in Northern Ireland Gaelic games is predominantly played by Catholics. – Religious dress codes may limit participation in some activities e.g. full body coverage at all times. – Single-sex rules prevent women from participating in mixed-sex activities in some cultures. – People of ethnic minority backgrounds may avoid joining an activity for fear of discrimination. – Lack of facilities and clubs in areas with predominantly ethnic minorities. – Racism and prejudice by the dominant group discourages participation. – Stereotyping and channelling ethnic minorities into activities linked to their race. Q2. A person’s socio-economic situation can have many implications for participation in physical activity, especially low income and education. Describe two barriers to participation faced by people in lower socio-economic groups and two potential solutions.
Barriers:
– Lower self-esteem/confidence – Isolation and alienation from social institutions – Low income and personal mobility (transport) – Lack of local facilities – Pay to play: activities are expensive – Lack of role models e.g. active parents – Stereotypes: people from lower social classes may be seen as suited to certain sports e.g. boxing.
Solutions:
– Social change: institutions change to meet the needs of everyone in society – Funding for initiatives such as free coaching and equipment – Local infrastructure e.g. facilities – Create local role models such as community workers in sport to help change stereotypes – Funding for local schools to provide extra-curricular activities – Promotion of physical activity benefits. Q3. Physical activity is a vital part of staying healthy for older adults. (a) How can prejudice be a barrier to their participation? – Older people can be viewed as a burden, patronised or even mocked by younger sports performers, instead of valuing their experience and knowledge. (b) What has been done to increase inclusion for older adults in physical activity? – Many clubs and competitions have masters categories. – Policies and funded initiatives such as Keeping Active for Better Ageing, Healthy Ireland, Get Ireland Active and Go for Life all support inclusion.
