Cultural Diversity
In & Through Sport
Lesson Seven:
Disability and Sport
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication
[communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for
any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the session you should be able to:
• Describe different types of disabilities and how do they occur
• Explain the impact of major sporting events for athletes with a disability
• Indentify ways in which disabled athletes can be better included in sports
• Discuss how issues can be improved at multiple levels, from personal,
social, and environmental as well as state support
Task: Warm Up
Work in groups and answer the following questions:
• What types of disability are there and how do they occur?
• What types of sports do people with disabilities take part in?
• What types of sporting events are there for those with disabilities?
Types of Disabilities in Sport
The disabilities of sportspeople are generally divided into three main
categories. Can you predicted what they may be?
They are:
• Sensory impairment
• Physical disabilities
• Learning disabilities
Deafness Events
Events for those with hearing started nearly 90 years ago.
•The first sporting event for the deaf occurred in 1924
•The Silent Games, organized by The International Committee of Sports for
the Deaf (CISS), were held in Paris, France
•These games evolved over the years to become what is now know as the
“Deaflympics”
Physical Disability Events
The first major event to be held for those with disabilities was held in 1948:
• Following World War II, there were lot of ex-servicemen and civilians with
physical disabilities, and sport was used in their rehabilitation
• Sir Ludwig Guttmann organised a sporting event at the Stoke Mandeville
Hospital for those with physical disabilities during the 1948 London Olympics
• Guttmann’s games have developed into the modern day Paralympic Games,
last held in London 2012
Intellectual Disability Events
Sporting events for those with intellectual disabilities started in the 1960s:
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver – sister of President JF Kennedy – began a summer
sports camp for those with intellectual disabilities in 1962
• Anne McGlone Burke, a sports teacher, worked with Eunice Kennedy Shriver to
host the first International Special Olympics Summer Games in 1968
• These games developed into the Special Olympics World Games, which
alternate between summer and winter games every two-years
Extreme Events
Like their able-bodied counterparts, disabled
athletes are known to push themselves to their
extremes.
• During the Extremity Games each year in
Florida USA, competitors with limb differences
compete in such events as surfing, kayaking,
motocross and mountain biking
Disabled athletes push
themselves to the extreme
Task: Disability Sports
In groups, discuss your experiences of disabled athletes.
• Do you have any first hand experiences of playing with athletes with a
disabled?
• Have you ever seen disabled athletes compete in their sports, either live
or on television?
• Do you know of any sports that are unique to disabled athletes?
Modern Events
There are many modern events that bring disabled athletes together from all
over the world to compete. In groups name as many events and sports for
disabled athletes as you can.
Commonwealth Games
• The British Empire Games – which changed its name to The Commonwealth
Games in 1970 – were first held in1930
• The Commonwealth Paraplegic Games were introduced in 1962 during the
Games in Perth, Australia
• Disabled athletes were included in the demonstration sports along side
able-bodied athletes in the 1994 Games in Victoria, Canada
• During the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, disabled athletes
were included as full-members of their national teams, making it the first
ever all inclusive international multi-discipline sporting event!
Summer Paralympics
• The Paralympics were first held in 1948 in England
• Since the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, the Paralympics have been held
directly after the respective Olympic Games
• There are six categories within with disabled athletes compete. They are:
amputee, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, wheelchair, visually
impaired, and Les Autres - literally “the Others“ – which include dwarfism,
multiple sclerosis, and congenital disorders
• Paralympians have also competed in the Summer Olympics; most recently
was Oscar Pistorius, a South African sprinter, who qualified for the 400
metres and 4 x 400 metre relay in London 2012
Winter Paralympics
• The Winter Paralympic Games were first held in
Ornskoldsvik, Sweden in 1976.
•Following an IOC agreement in 1988, the first
Paralympics Winter Games to be held directly after the
Winter Olympic Games were in France in 1992
•Some of the main events during the Winter Paralympic
Games include: Alpine skiing; biathlon; cross-country
Disabled athletes sometimes
have to use modified
equipment to help them
compete
skiing; ice sledge hockey; and wheelchair curling.
Task: Demonstration Games
In groups think of a sport that is currently not part of the Paralympics and
discuss how this sport could be included in the Paralympics so that disabled
athletes could compete. Things you may need to consider could include:
• Rule changes
• Equipment modification
• Pitch/court alterations
Disability Inclusion
In groups, discuss how disabled athletes can be included in sports.
• In what ways can we include disabled athletes in sports?
• Are there any sports you think disabled athletes cannot play?
• What do you think are the benefits of including disabled athletes in
sports?
Disability Inclusion
Watch then discuss the following video:
Click here.
Task: Disability Inclusion
In groups, discuss what the following people/organisations could do to make
sports more inclusive in your area:
• Your College
• The clubs/teams you belong to
• Your local council
• The Northern Ireland Assembly
• You
Legacy of Events
Disability Rights UK surveyed disabled people’s views of press coverage of
disability and the findings from disabled people surveyed were that:
• Over three quarters (77%) could cite negative press articles about
disabled people; only a third (35%) a positive story;
• 94% suggested press portrayal of disability equality issues was ‘unfair’
and 76% said the volume of negativity was ‘significantly increasing’;
• 91% said there was a link between negative press portrayal of disabled
people and rising hostility/hate crime;
• Nearly half (42%) suggested the government was responsible for rising
press negativity and hostility towards disabled people.
Legacy of Events
In groups discuss what effect you think big events, such as the Paralympics,
help:
• disabled athletes become more included in sports
• change negative stereotypes of disabled athletes
• improve general attitudes of those with disabilities in wider society
Legacy of Events
Disability Rights UK surveyed disabled people’s views of press coverage of
disability and the findings from disabled people surveyed were that:
• Over three quarters (77%) could cite negative press articles about
disabled people; only a third (35%) a positive story;
• 94% suggested press portrayal of disability equality issues was ‘unfair’
and 76% said the volume of negativity was ‘significantly increasing’;
• 91% said there was a link between negative press portrayal of disabled
people and rising hostility/hate crime;
• Nearly half (42%) suggested the government was responsible for rising
press negativity and hostility towards disabled people.
SOURCE: Centre for Access to Football in Europe (CAFE)
Legacy of Events
Speaking during the 2012 London Paralympics, Neil Coyle, Director of Policy
and Campaigns at Disability Rights UK, said:
“As we celebrate the greatest ever Paralympics it is vital that we
challenge negative stereotypes of disabled people in the media. We
agree with Seb Coe that these Games will be defined by the legacy they
leave behind. The government must seize this opportunity to combat the
rise in hostility disabled people are experiencing.”
SOURCE: Centre for Access to Football in Europe (CAFE)
Legacy of Events
Kevin Craig, Managing Director of Political Lobbying and Media Relations
(PLMR), co-sponsors of the report, says:
“The way disabled people are referred to by government and the media
has a major effect on their lives. Today’s report shows just how serious an
issue this has become and the urgent need to address the problem. The
Paralympics are all about showing that anybody has the ability to be
extraordinary. Their legacy must be an end to the stigmatisation of
disabled people once and for all.”
SOURCE: Centre for Access to Football in Europe (CAFE)
Legacy of Events
In groups, discuss how to “seize this opportunity” to improve attitudes
toward those with disabilities, in particular disabled athletes, by the following
organisations:
• The UK Government
• The Northern Ireland assembly
• You local council
Thought for the Day
• Henry Smalls, sixth Dan in Karate, 4th Dan in Kendo...
Click here.