Kira Wilson May 14, 2023 ASL 1102 Professor Nora Owen Importance of Sports Accessibility to Deaf Students The importance of physical activity for overall well-being cannot be overstated, and it is crucial that these opportunities are accessible for Deaf individuals inclusively and equally. Benefiting physicality, learning, and mental health, physical fitness should be a priority and necessity for every student. Unfortunately, many public school systems do not equally ensure access to physical education (usually in the form of sports) for Deaf students. This is a problem that needs to be addressed, for the generalized reasons given above, as well as for the major role sports have in Deaf Culture and the opportunities they nourish socially for Deaf individuals. The human attraction to organized sports is multifaceted, stemming from physical, intellectual, and emotional positive effects. One physical benefit is the prevention of obesity. The World Health Organization claims that obesity is a concern worldwide, resulting from a low ratio of physical activity to calories eaten. Furthermore, it is their position that this begins in childhood, stating, “Childhood obesity is associated with a higher chance of obesity, premature death and disability in adulthood.” (World Health Organization). To combat these health concerns, regular physical exercise from a young age is instrumental, and any denial of equal access to physical opportunities puts Deaf children at a lifelong health disadvantage. In addition, a majority of the school day is spent indoors, sitting down, writing, typing, or talking to learn. With this in mind, kinesthetic learning practices (like sports) can provide students with an alternative strategy for attaining skills like sharing, planning, counting, and organization. These benefits are in addition to the coordination and physical skills gained from kinesthetic learning, which should be made available for every child. Beyond physical and intellectual growth, emotional wellness is necessary for healthy development. Physical activity, and by extension sports, can stimulate the release of hormones such as endorphins, adrenaline, and dopamine. Due to these effects, the American Psychological Association has “concluded that findings provide clear evidence that participation in a program of strenuous aerobic exercise is effective for reducing depression” (APA PsychNet). Often, minorities are at a disproportionate risk for depression, due to institutionalized inequalities, thus it is further integral that Deaf students (in the minority to most of their peers) have equal access to exercise. Taking into account the positive impacts of physical activity, it is vital that sports and other forms of physical play be implemented for all students. With this in mind, the public education system has proven to be inadequate in providing Deaf students with sports access. According to Deaf Sport: The Impact of Sports Within the Deaf Community, “[T]he valuable experience that participation in sports provides for Deaf students is rarely talked about as an essential component of these children’s individualized education plan (IEPs).” (Stewart, David A). IEPs in this situation should provide emphasis on inclusion for students who may not otherwise be likely to participate in certain aspects of public education. Furthermore, I reached out to two educators (a high school teacher and an administrator) from California’s largest school district (Fresno Unified) and both reported never hearing of sports or physical education being discussed for their Deaf students or in the students’ IEPs. In addition, the California Special Education Rights and Responsibilities laws only briefly mentions physical fitness, stating that schools must legally provide “Services necessary to ensure community-accessible academic instruction and extracurricular activities.” (Disability Rights California). This is undeniably broad (sports are presumed to be included in “extracurricular activities”) and lacks any supporting information regarding the many ways sports can be made more attractive to Deaf students. These guidelines should include informing Deaf students of the teams available and adapting PE classes with alterations instated through state IEPs (for example red/yellow/green lights rather than “ready, set, go!”). In conjunction with the basic legal rights to equal accessibility, Deaf Sport further claims that “[L]ong-term engagement may require more than just accommodations (e.g., interpreting services and transportation arrangements) that will help interested students get involved in extracurricular sports programs.” (Stewart, David A). The individualized aspect of IEP’s must be built upon to form an environment which promotes, rather than merely supports, participation in sports. Furthermore, “long-term engagement” as Sports puts it, is important as Deaf Culture highly emphasizes the social aspects of sporting events throughout adulthood. The book Winning Sounds Like This, a novel about the Gallaudet Women’s Basketball team, comments, “By its very nature, profound deafness leaves those who have it cut off from the hearing mainstream, isolated from the hum of communication that so effortlessly connects those who hear.” (Coffey, Wayne). Most cultures evolve out of geographic proximity, allowing people to always be around others with the same language and customs, but the Deaf Community is dispersed as a minority geographically. Because of this, sports provide centralization for the community to join around and interact freely without communication barriers. By bringing together Deaf individuals who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to interact in their preferred language, crucial language exposure occurs. For students, not communicating socially, or outside of educational purposes, can contribute to Language Deprivation, as the child may learn the denotations of words and phrases, but not have any experience implementing them in broad, natural, conversations. Deaf Sport supports this form of social integration, claiming, “In particular, schools can help deaf students develop social competence by exposing them to community events, including deaf sports events, that are designed by and for deaf people.” (Stewart, David A). Deafness does not inhibit sports or physical fitness abilities, contrary to some oralist beliefs, and there are a wide variety of high-level athletic competitions available for participation by Deaf individuals. The National USA Deaf Sports Federation organizes athletic events for nearly 30 different sports, and the International Deaflympics facilitates over 30 different sport types. With everything from alpine skiing to indoor soccer (futsal), this diversity broadens the scope of individuals within the Deaf community who can find a sport that interests them. This diversity must also be implemented into educational systems, as private deaf schools (according to Deaf Sport) often have a range of sports available, but many public schools fail to attract Deaf students to their (majority hearing) teams in any capacity. This can also be attributed to the lack of individualized support and negligence of the topic in students’ IEPs. Overall, sports offer valuable socialization opportunities throughout life, including interscholastic competitions and professional events. However, for Deaf students to fully access the range of possibilities and benefits associated with physical activity and sports, IEPs must be changed for the better. Improved IEPs for Deaf students should provide specific guidelines and alterations for optimizing participation, like any other educational aspect. Beyond the physical, learning, and emotional benefits, early access to sports is crucial for Deaf children to develop socialization skills. Sports facilitate this by connecting Deaf students with peers, and introducing them to an integral part of Deaf culture, which will provide social networks and opportunities throughout their lifetime. Works Cited American Psychological Association. “APA PsycNet.” Psycnet.apa.org, psycnet.apa.org/record/1984-26469-001. Accessed 14 May 2023. Coffey, Wayne. Winning Sounds Like This. New York, Three Rivers Press, 2003. Stewart, David A. Deaf Sport: The Impact of Sports within the Deaf Community. Washington, D.C., Gallaudet University Press, 1991. Disability Rights California. “What Information Should Be Considered at the IEP for Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Students? Special Education Rights and Responsibilities.” Disabilityrightsca.org, 2022, serr.disabilityrightsca.org/serr-manual/chapter-4-information-on-iep-process/4-18-what-informati on-should-be-considered-at-the-iep-for-deaf-or-hard-of-hearing-students/. Accessed 14 May 2023. “Sports.” USA Deaf Sports Federation, usdeafsports.org/sports. Accessed 14 May 2023. “Sports.” Www.deaflympics.com, www.deaflympics.com/sports. World Health Organization. “Obesity and Overweight.” World Health Organization, 9 June 2021, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight. Accessed 14 May 2023.
