Barriers Challenges Controversies Affect Disability Sports Movement

Reflective Assignment: barriers, challenges, controversies affect disability sports movement
Almost all individuals encounter problems and adversities at some or other time. However, in case of disabled individuals, obstacles may be more impactful and recurrent. Some environmental facets which, on account of being present or absent, give rise to disability and restrict functioning are:
· An inaccessible physical climate;
· Absence of appropriate adaptive, rehabilitative and assistive technologies;
· Negative societal views of disabled individuals; and
· Absence of appropriate policies, services, and systems, or the presence of those hampering participation of individuals suffering from an ailment in every walk of life (CDC, 2017).
Disabled individuals continue to depict low participation rate in sporting activities despite profiting more from such activities as compared to their able-bodied counterparts. Disabled individuals’ participation in competitive sports has been increasing; nevertheless, the pool continues to be rather small. The numerous potential causes for disabled individuals’ avoidance of sports are:
· Issues with acquiring transportation to sporting centers and grounds;
· Expenses linked to specialized sporting equipment for the disabled, and their transportation;
· Everyday struggles which make the idea of exercising secondary;
· Dependence on volunteers for tasks like transference of the disabled individual between normal and racing wheelchairs;
· The penchant for societal withdrawal and the hesitance to leave home for numerous reasons; and
· Logistics: e.g., wheelchair racers who have to go abroad for competitions need to carry with them a commode chair, an ordinary wheelchair and a specialized wheelchair for racing purposes (Teo, 2016).
Several public sports facilities fail to fulfil accessibility requirements. Moreover, public gymnasiums do not make arrangements to accommodate wheelchair users (for instance, equipment stations may be overly close, not allowing wheelchair users to pass, and anchor points for attaching wheelchairs may be absent). The challenge with acquiring a permanent sports program venue represents a second shared point of feedback by centers meant for disability sports; this leads to a need for continually sourcing alternative venues, causing difficulties for program sustainability and continuance (Committee for Disability Sports, n.d).
Irrespective of the above hurdles, everyone is entitled to engage in sports. Usually, the greatest issue for disabled individuals desiring to participate in any given sport is the struggle with finding and obtaining appropriate equipment, which matches the athlete’s abilities as well as the sporting activity (including all requisite standards for competitive events). With increased ability of the technology at matching individual ability and activity demands, the likelihood of successful individual participation increases (Longmuir & Axelson, n.d).
Experts are utilizing space-age technologies to an increasing extent for making assistive equipment for disabled persons sturdier, lighter, more effective, flexible, and resilient. Such technologies vastly improve recreational engagement and athletic performance in various sports, but device prices considerably restrict their accessibility in case of most persons. Powered hiking wheelchairs, for instance, capable of allowing the user to safely traverse steep slopes and steps can be found in the market; however, their exorbitant cost (>10,000 dollars a chair) render them inaccessible. While elite disabled sportspersons might have sponsors subsidizing equipment expenditure in exchange for endorsing goods (very few companies care to sponsor disabled sportspersons), recreational and budding professional sportspersons normally lack access to such technologies, typically limiting their capacity of taking part in sanctioned or developmental events. Though hiking-focused power wheelchairs and other similar technologies may assist everyday living as well, equipment providers such as insurance firms rarely support recreational equipment procurement. Hence, while wheelchair users can obtain folding-frame wheelchairs via disability support or insurance, they may be unable to obtain rigid-frame wheelchairs capable of assisting everyday living as well as participation in sporting activities (DePauw, Gavron & DePauw, 2005; Longmuir & Axelson, n.d).




References
CDC. (2017). Common Barriers to Participation Experienced by People with Disabilities. Retrieved 29 December 2017 from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability-barriers.html
Committee for Disability Sports. (n.d). DISABILITY SPORTS MASTER PLAN. Retrieved 29 December 2017 from https://www.mccy.gov.sg/~/media/MCCY-corp/Topics/Sports/Attachments/Disability_Sports_Master_Plan-Full_Report.ashx
DePauw, K. P., Gavron, S. J., & DePauw, K. P. (2005). Disability sport. Champaign, Ill: Human Kinetics.
Longmuir P. E. & Axelson P. W. (n.d.) Chapter Ten: Sport Equipment.
Teo, J. (2016). Sports for those with disabilities. Retrieved Retrieved 29 December 2017 from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/sports-for-those-with-disabilities