Sports Science: Disability in Physical Activity - Coursework Example

Introduction Sports men and women with disabilities have always been neglected when it comes to organizing big events like the upcoming Olympic Games, which will take place in London this year (London.Gov.Uk, 2006). It has become extremely difficult for these people, especially the children, to get to the facilities that favor their status. It is even more frustrating as they cannot do it personally and need to be assisted in one way or another. Due to this disadvantage, most teams prefer dealing with people who are not disabled. In fact, some of their teachers have not been trained for the challenge. Their presence is sometimes unwelcome, and this is apparent with the facilities available in favor of the people without disability. London should be a place where all people should feel welcome and comfortable. (Scott Porter Research Ltd, 2001). This can only happen if the right facilities are available for all. The disabled should be informed about the facilities available as well as how to use them. Trained staff should be availed to assist disabled participants. When this is done, identification of talent, support and inspiration will help boost London’s legacy. Paralympics sports include Some of the games disabled people participate in include archery, athletics, boccia, cycling, equestrian, football, goal ball, sailing, and table tennis and shooting, among others. Steps to take to better facilities for the disabled A hospital in London confirmed that sporting events for disabled people were a good therapy for people with spinal cord problems, strength generation, a good builder of confidence and a booster of self esteem. Research shows disabled people are more dormant than their active counterparts. According to London.Gov.Uk (2006), several measures should be put in place to make sure that the Paralympics flow smoothly. These measures include: Boroughs should be trained so that they are of more use to the disabled participants as well as the others. Special teachers should be hired to train disabled children and follow up on their progress. Funding to sports clubs should be given to those who have included the needs of the disabled community in their programs and facilities. The transport system in London should be set so that it also favors the people with disability. People with disability should get information on upcoming sports events, and they should be encouraged to participate. Barriers that prevent people with disabilities to be active According to Northern Ireland Assembly (2010), barriers have the following categories: Social-cultural barriers which include the culture, beliefs and traditions of a society. Practical barriers which include the physical, medical and economic status of the participant Knowledge barrier which sums up the knowledge gaps between higher education achievers and “higher levels of physical activity” as noted by (Northern Ireland Assembly, 2010). People with disability are normally limited by socio-cultural barriers. Normally, their sports take place in a different place from the ones done by able people. They are rarely shown on television like their counterparts and this makes them feel disadvantaged. The practical barriers these people face include inaccessible routes, narrow doorways, high front desk, and shortage of elevators. Transport costs are also very high for disabled people. This makes them not to access exercises as frequently as it is required of them. Where facilities are accessible, there is a membership fee that is needed (London.Gov.Uk, 2006). Most people with disabilities feel inadequate socially (Scott Porter Research Ltd, 2001). They feel they are different from the rest of the people; therefore, they cannot fit well in a sporting facility. They feel shy to ask for help when they are in a sporting facility. Low self value can play a big role in failure of these people if they are not motivated to appreciate themselves. In order to boost their confidence, the disabled people should be allowed to take part in sports at an early age. Their participation in sporting activities should be treated with great appreciation so as to encourage them to participate even more. The quality of the sporting activity should be high. This will automatically boost their confidence. The support of family members and friends is a good motivator to the disabled people. They should show their moral and practical support. If disability sports groups are put in place, they could also help to motivate people with disability and improve their confidence. More solutions People with physical disabilities should be supported both physically and emotionally. Friends and family should accompany these people to the gym and sporting facilities as this could boost their confidence. As discussed in various literatures, suitable facilities which are the biggest hindrance to their success should be provided. These include well trained personnel who should help them in their day to day activities in the sporting environment. These facilities should be found locally and should be easily accessible. Building designs should favor the movement of all disabled people. Transportation of disabled people should be provided whenever they participate in a sporting event. This should be done since public transport is very inconvenient to them and hiring a taxi or other ways of transport may be quite unaffordable. Purchasing good and quality equipment for sporting for the disabled community can be extremely expensive (Collins, 2010). In this regard, the disabled, sporting men and women are restricted to a particular sport because of the cost involved. In most cases, disabled people have a low income and so do most of their families. The attitude from their counterparts and the society Attitude given to the disabled from neighbors, family, medical practitioners, policy makers, and other counterparts, who use the sporting facility, can ruin the confidence of disabled people. The policy makers should research intensely on disability sport. Lack of enough knowledge makes the policy makers take wrong decisions which may not help the disabled community. The sports personnel who do not appreciate the disabled people should not be ignored. They should be trained on how to handle them as well as have a positive attitude towards them. Negative attitudes from other facility users should be discouraged especially when they are doing physical education and sporting events together. The able people have a stereotype about the abilities of people with disabilities. This should be dealt with and positive attitudes should be maintained at all times. Disabled people travel for long distances to find favorable facilities to exercise (Demick, 2008). Their dependence on other people can also limit exercising time. Time consumed can be longer if the person involved is greatly disabled; therefore, this can limit his time for doing sports. Attitudes of the disabled to themselves and their disability The disabled have been classified according to their attitudes and how they manage their disabilities: Dependants are those disabled individuals who have not built any self esteem. Their disability is taken as a blocking device to their delight and success in life. They, therefore, depend more on others in all the aspects of their lives. They cannot participate in sporting events and are less interested in the information offered about sports. Those that participate need support and encouragement now and then. The people under this category do their sporting events separately from the rest for confidence, security and assurance. They normally play with disabled people like them. The most disabled people fall under this category. Unconfident are those in the middle. They are not so confident neither are they shy about their disability. They are ready to take sporting challenges though with enough encouragement and with support. They are interested in any sport offered and they get along quite fine. They may also participate in segregated sports or public sports. Independents are those people who know that they are disabled but they can still do all that the able people involve themselves in. They are very confident, high esteemed and they do everything for themselves. They are as active as the able people. They participate in a wide range of sporting activities and they are willing to compete with their able counterparts. Despite the fact that they push their physical limitation at the back of their carriers, they admit that at times, they need help from other people (London.Gov.Uk, 2006). Personal barriers to sports participation of the disabled people Personal barriers occur in five different stages and they include: Preconception stage is where the disabled people have never thought about getting involved in a sporting activity. This is so because of the view by the society on disabled people, if these people lack awareness that other people like them are taking part in the same sport and failure to know that facilities that favor them are available. The second stage is contemplation where by these people discover that they can participate in any sport after seeing others do the same or being encouraged to do so. This stage is blocked by thoughts like discrimination, low self esteem, and destructive attitudes and unawareness of favorable sporting equipment. The third stage is the preparation where disabled people can value the participation in sports. They start to make a point to find out available facilities and information on opportunities. This stage is barricaded by unavailability of information, the attitudes of the environment involved, availability of facilities and the budget involved. Action is the fourth stage and a person can now participate in a sporting event. The barriers involved in this stage include attitude of the surrounding people, low self value, inadequate sporting equipment and facilities, and ease in communication procedures. Confirmation comes in the fifth stage. This is where someone has a high self esteem and vigorously participates in sporting events. This stage also faces threats; for instance, the people who used to support and encourage them may withdraw, the budget involved in the whole procedure of the sporting event and poor transport net work. This may make a person who was willing to go on with sports to just give up. Conclusion Marketing at a national level should be established to sell out these talents so that they can be viewed, encouraged and to also emphasize the importance of them participating in the sport. Disabled sporting role models should be used to encourage the upcoming ones so that they do not give up. Sponsorship programs should be encouraged so that they raise funds to help the disadvantaged community in buying equipment and facilities which are essential in Paralympics sports. Sports clubs should work hand in hand with the disability community to know their fears and worries. Sports clubs and associations should reduce all the risks that face them when they are sporting. Before the actual sporting day, make sure they have gone through extensive practice and exercise. Rehearsal sessions should also be arranged. Adopting a counseling session for the people who have less self value can help boost self confidence. Support and encouragement should be provided to the participants. Family and friends should also be involved. Information should be well disseminated to help disabled people get it easily because of their limited movement. Policy makers should consider sporting men and women with disability when they are panning for sporting events. Trained sporting ground personnel should be provided. This people should be trained on how to have the right attitude when dealing with people with disability. More teachers should be trained to deal with disabled people and also to include them in a normal school sports day. A favorable transport system should be put in place for disabled people so that it can be easily accessible and at an affordable price. This will also reduce time loss when going for practice and exercising. Sporting activities for the disabled should not only be held in the urban areas but also in the rural areas. This will limit the movement of people, cost and time. Availability of facilities in these areas should also be improved as a result of an arrangement with the local authorities on fees paid by disabled people so that they can access favorable facilities can be reduced. The society should be aware of the needs of the disabled and be advised to help them as well as consult trained teachers who deal with disabled people when planning for big events (Scott Porter Research Ltd, 2001). References ABS, 2006. Sport and physical recreation participation among people living with disabilities. Australia: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Aparelyzed, n.d. The 2012 London Paralympic Games - Disabled Olympic Games. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 18 April 2012]. Bryant, Ben. Sports and the disabled. [Online] Available at: http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/05/world/fg-para5. December 3rd, 2011 [accessed April 18th, 2012]. Collins, R., 2010. Barriers Affecting Disabled People in Sport Today. [Online] Available at: http://voices.yahoo.com/barriers-affecting-disabled-people-sport-today-5419599.html?cat=5 [Accessed 18 April 2012]. Demick, Barbara, 2008. Paralympics boon to Chinas disabled. LA Times. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 18 April 2012]. Disabled People International, n.d. Handicap on Stage. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 18 April 2012]. Könkkölä, K., and Heini, S. n.d. A guide for making a disability program in your local community. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 18 April 2012]. London.Gov.Uk, n.d. London Olympic and Paralympic Games: A sporting legacy for people with disabilities. London: Greater London Authority. Loreh, J., 2011. Disability Issues in Sports. Available at: http://www.livestrong.com/article/365632-disability-issues-in-sports/.[Accessed 18 April 2012]. Northern Ireland Assembly, 2010. Barriers to sports and physical activity participation. Research and Library Services. Scott Porter Research Ltd, 2001. Sport and peope with disability. Edinburgh: Sportscotland. Scott Porter Research Ltd, 2001. Sports and people with a disability: Aiming at social inclusion. Edinburgh: Sporscottland. Read More