Disability Sport Levels. - People Disability Extreme

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Memo: Inclusivity in sports

Memo: To the general public

Re: Disabilities and sports -- what you can do to change the image of disabled athletes

Recently, there has been a great deal of concern expressed about the modern image of sports: sports have been criticized for being insensitive to the concerns of people who do not reflect the image of the 'typical' athlete, including women, gay people, and persons with disabilities. In fact, people from all of these categories can be extraordinary athletes. The media image of whom and what is constructed as an athlete must begin to change and shift and there must be a national education about the possibilities of persons who defy conventional stereotypes of what it means to be disabled. "People with disabilities have historically been excluded in the realms of sport - where they fail to meet standards of the 'ideal sporting body' - and in advertising, where they also fail to meet an ideal-body standard" (Hardin 2003).

The education must begin with our schools. It is required that schools "provide disabled students with access to opportunities in extracurricular activities including varsity, club, and intramural sports under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973" (Staurowsky 2013). Schools are not allowed to exclude persons with disabilities who are capable of participating in sports and must also make accommodations for persons with disabilities who may need additional sporting activities that make allowances for their limitations (such as persons in wheelchairs who wish to play wheelchair tennis).

Outside of school, the media has a responsibility to give greater attention to athletes who have overcome physical, mental, and emotional challenges. Compared with the 'regular' Olympics, the extraordinary achievements in the Paralympics receive almost no attention. Disabled athletes are often seen as 'less than' as a result, and their contribution to the world of sports is not valued. "Studies of disabled sport coverage have revealed that elite disabled athletes have less chance of being covered on the sports pages than do able-bodied bowlers or billiard players. Golden's study of coverage of the 2002 Paralympics found that most U.S. newspapers virtually ignored the competition. This finding is in line with earlier studies of Paralympic coverage" (Hardin 2003). Disabled athletes participating in sports may even be portrayed in a humorous fashion in movies and television shows, rather than with respect and dignity.

However, participation in sports can be of great value to the disabled, as it is for able-bodied people. "Researchers have found that people with disabilities who partake in sport have a more positive outlook than those who do not" (Staurowsky 2013). It is vital that persons with disabilities of all ages have an opportunity to be physically active throughout their lives, and that they have role models to emulate. Just as with able-bodied athletes, media coverage of sports figures provides a source of interest and aspiration for persons with disabilities.