Conditions of participation in sport clubs for people with disabilities

Sport participation provides important bio-psycho-social benefits for people with disabilities. However, the disabled population’s engagement in physical activity is less than the non-disabled, especially in the organized sport setting. Moreover, people with disabilities often practice sport in separate settings, suggesting there are various barriers to sport participation (Jaarsma et al., 2014). This research considers conditions at the organizational level of disability and regular sport clubs that affect club culture (e.g. values), formal structure (e.g. resources) and practices (e.g. social interactions) (Booth & Ainscow, 2002). The research compares the conditions of separate training groups for people with disabilities with inclusive ones for people with and without disabilities. A case study of 15 training groups (9 separate, 6 inclusive) in Switzerland with observations of training sessions and interviews with coaches was conducted. In addition, club officials completed a questionnaire on club structure. Initial results reveal greater differences between different disability forms than between settings. For example, training groups for people with mental disabilities require less complex and fewer exercises. The results might help designing measures to increase sport participation of people with disabilities in sport clubs. References Booth, T. & Ainscow, M. (2002). Index for Inclusion. Bristol: Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE). Jaarsma, E. A., Dijkstra, P. U., Geertzen J. H. B. & Dekker, R. (2014). Barriers to and facilitators of sports participation for people with physical disabilities: A systematic review. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 24, 871–881