Adapted Sports and Promoting Diversity in Sports

Adapted Sports and Promoting Diversity in Sports

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Adapted Sports and the Issue of Promoting Diversity in Sports

Introduction

Adaptive sports which are also referred to as disability or Para sports are the sports which are played by individuals with disability comprising of physical as well as intellectual disabilities. This kind of sports is occasionally termed as adapted sports since several of these disabled sports are centered on prevalent able-bodied sports which are altered to meet the necessities of the individuals living with a disability. The adaptive sports are considered to be significant since they help the disadvantaged persons to do regular exercises which is vital for their bodies as it helps in strengthening their hearts, building strong muscles and increase coordination. In the United States, it is estimated that 56.7 million individuals, which is about nineteen to twenty percent of the total population are living with a disability (Winnick & Porretta, 2016). There exists several adaptive sports as well as recreation programs for individuals with disabilities which can be enjoyed for wellness, health, leisure, social and competition advantages. The organized games for the athletes living with a disability is usually categorized into three great disability groups. Consequently, each of these groups has an excellent history, structure, as well as an approach to the sport.

The number of individuals around the world with a disability who are principally involved in sports plus physical recreation is progressively up surging with organized sports for the athletes being classified into three major disability groups. The groups include the following; games for the deaf, games for individuals with a physical disability and lastly the games for the persons with intellectual disability. It is from the late 1980s that organizations started to include athletes who had some disabilities in sporting occasions, for example, the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games (Thomas & Smith, 2008). Also, many of these adaptive sports are performed separately from the regular sports movements for instance; swimming, wheelchair dancing, wheelchair basketball, weightlifting among several other sporting activities which the mentally or physically disabled individuals can join. This paper discusses the adapted sport in an in-depth extent presenting its forms and its nature in general. Moreover, the issue of diversity and inclusion in games is also addressed and analyzed.

The Major Disability Sporting Events

Disabled Veterans

This is an organization which was founded by the United States Congress for the incapacitated military veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Its program are devoted to inspiring, reassuring as well as sustaining involvement and competition for its members through partnerships with VA hospitals plus the local adaptive sports programs throughout the country.in every year, this Departments typically hosts six national sporting occasions for the qualified disabled veterans (Tuakli-Wosornu & Derman, 2018). This organization is significant since it helps a lot the members in their physical health and their daily activities. Studies have shown that the adaptive sports exhibits several benefits comprising of less stress, fewer subordinate medical disorders, and more independence.

Disability Commonwealth Games

In 2002 in Manchester, several Para sports were encompassed in a wholly inclusive Sports Program as it is regarded as the first time to happen in the Games history. In the event a total number of twenty countries were represented by both female and male select athletes with a disability where they were supposed to contest in ten events through five Para-Sports; which comprised of Lawn Bowls, Table Tennis, weightlifting, athletics besides swimming.

Paralympic Games

This is a multi-sport occasion for the contestants with mental, physical and sensorial infirmities. These infirmities include amputees, mobility disabilities, visual infirmities and those individuals with brainy palsy. These games are conducted after every four years and they occur after the International Olympic Games.

Promoting Diversity in Sports

Sport’s participation is among the excellent ways of looking after one’s health. Through this practice, the jeopardy of cardiovascular problems as well as mental health problems is reduced and thus ones general life expectancy is enlarged and besides it involves a lot of fun. Being eliminated from participating in a various game for example due to one’s race, belief, gender, culture, sexual orientation, age, and even infirmity can be utterly disheartening and can lead to lowering of an individual’s self-esteem (Lastuka & Cottingham 2016, p.746) Prejudice and disparities in games can, therefore, reduce opportunities and result in limiting diversity in sport and the society as a whole.

Diversity in sport is significant since it helps in recognizing and respecting one another in society. Moreover, it brings togetherness and understanding of each other customs and beliefs. When the individuals are focused on winning, there will be no room for prejudice because all the individuals involved will have to anticipate the conduct of teammates virtuously on the heart of their capabilities. The issue of promoting diversity in sports starts right from the school where the schools should have some methods of making an effort of ensuring that every student is getting a fair and equal chance in the school’s game activities. Consequently, the sports club and gyms in schools should make an endless effort of identifying plus confronting prospective barriers to happen in the school (Perret 2017, p.168) This includes tackling and discouraging some biased comments, changing the dress and sports code so that the hijab-wearing women will be able to participate in sports, incorporating some unique games instruments and fields for the disabled. Moreover it substantial to train coaches to be able to work with the disabled for instance like communicating with the deaf.

Inclusion in Sports for the Disability

In the past number of decades, UNESCO has targeted to achieve extensively the execution of the regulatory standard of integration at all the stages in the education sector globally. This idea that the nations must guarantee a comprehensive education system at all the available stages is as well the main goalmouth of the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons living with Infirmities. Therefore this calls for inclusivity of the disabled individuals in many activities not only in schools but also in sports. The distinct aptitude of sports to surpass linguistic, social as well as cultural obstacles thus makes it an exemplary platform for policies besides adaptation. Additionally, the universal approval and popularity of the sport and its social, physical plus economic improvement advantages brands it as a perfect tool for fostering the inclusion and welfare of individuals with disabilities.

Individuals with a disability are usually faced with societal barriers, and hence their disability typically evokes undesirable discernments in numerous societies. Due to the stigma which is characterized with a disability, these individuals are generally excluded from several sensitive sectors in the society for example in employment, leadership, education and community life which usually denies them of opportunities which are indispensable for their social growth, health plus their welfares (DePauw & Gavron, 2005). Consequently, these individuals are regarded as dependent and hence are seen as incompetent in some societies. This leads to fostering their indolence which regularly causes these individuals with physical disabilities to undergo through some restricted mobility which is yonder the origin of their disability.

However, sports can help in lessening this discrimination plus stigma which is allied with a disability since it can change community outlooks regarding the individuals with a disability. This can be attained by stressing their skills besides decreasing the propensity to see the infirmity rather than the individual. Therefore through sports, for example, a person without a disability can interrelate with an individual with a disability in a constructive context making them reshape the assumptions concerning what a person with a disability can plus cannot do. Sports transforms an individual with a disability in an equally profound manner by empowering them towards realizing their full latent as well as encouraging for modifications in the society. Sports teaches how to communicate effectively and also the importance of teamwork, respect as well as cooperation for others.

Also, sports are well-suited to help in decreasing dependence plus developing greater independence by assisting individuals with disabilities to become mentally and physically stronger. Sports acts as a transformative tool, and it is important especially for women with disabilities as they usually feel and experience discrimination by their disability as well as their gender. Studies suggest that 93% of women with disabilities are not taking part or being involved in sport especially the adapted sport and that only one-third of women athletes with disabilities in international competitions (Zabriskie et al., 2005) Therefore by providing the women with disabilities a platform and chance to compete and showcase their physical ability, sport can help decrease the gender stereotypes as well as the negative insights linked with women with infirmities.

In conclusion, as described in the above discussion adapted sports are generally for disabled individuals, and they are of great significance since they make them improve their health through exercise. Moreover, they help the individuals discover their capabilities and help them to interrelate well with other people. The issue of diversity is also discussed whereby diversity should be encouraged in sports at general as promoting diversity leads to the inclusion of all groups of individuals in sports without discrimination or bias.

References

DePauw, K. P., & Gavron, S. J. (2005). Disability sport. Human Kinetics.

Lastuka, A., & Cottingham, M. (2016). The effect of adaptive sports on employment among people with disabilities. Disability and rehabilitation, 38(8), 742-748.

Misener, L., & Darcy, S. (2014). Managing disability sport: From athletes with disabilities to inclusive organisational perspectives.

Perret, C. (2017). Elite-adapted wheelchair sports performance: a systematic review. Disability and rehabilitation, 39(2), 164-172.

Thomas, N., & Smith, A. (2008). Disability, sport and society: An introduction. Routledge.

Tuakli-Wosornu, Y. A., & Derman, W. (2018). Para and Adapted Sports Medicine, An Issue of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America (Vol. 29, No. 2). Elsevier Health Sciences.

Winnick, J., & Porretta, D. (Eds.). (2016). Adapted Physical Education and Sport, 6E. Human Kinetics.

Zabriskie, R. B., Lundberg, N. R., & Groff, D. G. (2005). Quality of life and identity: The benefits of a community-based therapeutic recreation and adaptive sports program. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 39(3), 176.