5 Chapter Five: Accessing Sport
Section one: The fundamentals
A)
Exercise 1: Notebook Prompt
Many of you are likely familiar with the concept of “ability inequity,” which the authors of this article define as “an unjust or unfair (a) ‘distribution of access to and protection from abilities generated through human interventions’ or (b) ‘judgment of abilities intrinsic to biological structures such as the human body’.”
However, they go on to identify the following “ability concepts” that are less familiar:
1) ability security (one is able to live a decent life with whatever set of abilities one has)
2) ability identity security (to be able to be at ease with ones abilities)
How prevalent are these forms of security among disabled people you know? Or, if you identify as a disabled person, would you say your social surroundings and community foster and support these kinds of security? Furthermore, while the focus of the article is on Kinesiology programs, it is also important to reflect on how academia in general accommodates for disability. If you feel comfortable answering this question, what has been your experience of postsecondary education to date?
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The authors also observe that “Ableism not only intersects with other forms of oppression, such as racism, sexism, ageism, and classism, but abilities are often used to justify such negative ‘isms’.”
What do you think this means? Provide an example.
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The proclamation explains that disability prejudice and discrimination—otherwise referred to as ableism—do not stand alone. They are instead strongly integrated into other systems of oppression like racism, sexism, ageism, and classism. A person may thus experience multiple levels of discrimination based not only on their disability but also on their race, sex, age, and class. In this context, some abilities, or even the perception of them, have often been used to justify discrimination and validate discriminatory assumptions (Arora & Wolbring, 2023). One such example of this effect can be seen in the context of work. Suppose that an employer decides to hire a younger worker who is physically capable rather than one older worker with a disability. The employer may justify this decision because the younger worker would have more energy, flexibility, or capacity for the physical requirements of the job. In making such a choice, the employer not only expresses ableism in undervaluing the older worker because of their disability but may also be exhibiting ageism—a preference for youth—paired with ableism—a prejudice against those who are not physically capable. This combination of prejudice brings about double oppression that significantly affects the lives of members of multiple oppressed groups.
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Exercise 2: Implicit Bias Test
Did anything surprise you about the results of the test? Please share if you’re comfortable OR comment on the usefulness of these kinds of tests more generally.
| Sometimes I judge individuals with disabilities, even as I have one myself. It’s difficult to say so, but it illustrates the way we are taught to view people with disabilities in a negative way. This teaching may be embedded in us in such a way that it persists even if we consciously try to modify it. I observe that even as I think I’m being fair and compassionate, such biases arise in my mind and thoughts. This illustrates the pervasiveness of ableism and the extent of effort required to shift such thoughts. Becoming aware of this is the initial step towards inclusive thinking, but I can realize it takes continuous self-reflection and effort to become better.
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B) Keywords
Exercise 3:
Add the keyword you contributed to padlet and briefly (50 words max) explain its importance to you.
| Crip theory arises as an interdisciplinary inquiry that critically examines disability. It uses queer theory and disability studies to analyze and deconstruct the social norms that dictate the differences within body and mind (Bone, 2017). In the context of this theory, disability goes beyond being personal or medical conditions; rather, it is understood as a social construction mirroring the cultural attitude towards the body. Crip theory attempts to reveal the intersections of disability and race, gender, and sexuality as well as their impacts on the lives of disabled persons (Santinele Martino, 2017). By accepting the identity of being “crip,” they try to destabilize the expectations of normality and accept disabilities as being part of the fullness of human diversity as well as contest the social structures that enable the exclusion of disabled people.
This term is important to me additionally, as I am a queer woman with a disbality.
Bone, K. M. (2017). Trapped behind the glass: Crip theory and disability identity. Disability & Society, 32(9), 1297-1314. Santinele Martino, A. (2017). Cripping sexualities: An analytic review of theoretical and empirical writing on the intersection of disabilities and sexualities. Sociology Compass, 11(5), e12471. |
B) On Disability
Exercise 4: Complete the Activities
Exercise 5: Notebook Prompt
What do Fitzgerald and Long identify as barriers to inclusion and how might these apply to sport in particular?
Fitzgerald and Long also highlight some major barriers to inclusion for people with disabilities, specifically in sport and leisure. These barriers can be classified into three different types: logistical, physical, and psychological. Logistical barriers tend to manifest as poorly equipped buildings and variable transport systems, whereas physical barriers consist of inaccessible sporting environments and the lack of trained staff to provide assistance. Psychological barriers usually arise from cultural attitudes that reinforce the “invisibility of disability” where the needs of disabled people are often overlooked. This feeling of invisibility may also carry through into sporting contexts where their potential may be regarded as not being enough or where sporting activity for disabled people is unfairly labelled as being of inferior quality. The issue of integration vs. special provision would also seem to be one of complexity. Advocating for the inclusion of disabled people with their non-disabled peers within one framework has the potential to promote inclusion but also the risk of focusing on differences and reinforcing inferiority feelings. Special provision can promote a culture of shared potential but also has the risk of isolation. Fitzgerald and Long propose in conclusion the synthesis of the three approaches—integration, reverse integration, and separate provision—designed to increase the involvement of disabled people in sport and also in leisure.
C) Inclusion, Integration, Separation
Exercise 6: Complete the Activities
Exercise 7: Notebook Prompt
Choose ONE of the three questions Fitzgerald and Long argue disability sport needs to address and record your thoughts in your Notebook.
- Should sport be grouped by ability or disability?
- Is sport for participation or competition?
- Should sport competitions be integrated?
Sports must develop towards a world of inclusivity and integration away from the barriers founded on disability or ability. It is archaic that the idea of able-bodied people being better “norms” than people with disabilities is something which is crying out for change. All bodies are of equal worth regardless of ability and have the potential to bring something unique to the sport of sport in their own unique way. By separating sport on the basis of ability, we are likely to alienate disabled players even further with the ill-founded perception that they are less capable. Let’s be honest: capitalism tends to do this to us anyway, placing worth on people for their ability to produce goods and services. When we shift our mindset towards valuing the worth of bodies in themselves rather than their utility to us as players, we have a sporting culture that is truly inclusive—where everybody’s ability to give, participate, and enjoy sport is valued. It is time we promoted integration and respected the wonderful diversity of all players.
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Part Two: Making Connections
A) Gender, Sport and Disability
Exercise 8: Complete the Activity
The paradox that sportswomen habitually face (as the authors observe, this isn’t confined to disabled sportswomen) involves the expectation they will be successful in a ‘masculine’ environment while complying with femininity norms in order to be recognized as a woman.
True or false?
Take a moment to reflect on this paradox below (optional).
| In fact, this paradox reveals the tightrope that women are asked to walk. They are driven on one hand to be strong competitors, competing within historically male sporting culture that values such things as aggression and dominance. They are also asked to present themselves in some sort of feminine manner, being well-groomed and pleasing to the eye. This double bind makes it inherently complicated for the players to achieve the position of being taken seriously as well as being admired for their abilities without sacrificing their status as women. It is most certainly a complex issue that transcends the arena of disabled sport and affects women in every aspect of sport. |
B) Masculinity, Disability, and Murderball
Exercise 9: Notebook/Padlet Prompt
Watch the film, Murderball and respond to the question in the padlet below (you will have an opportunity to return to the film at the end of this module).
The authors of “Cripping Sport and Physical Activity: An Intersectional Approach to Gender and Disability” observe that the “gendered performance of the wheelchair rugby players can…be interpreted as a form of resistance to marginalized masculinity” (332) but also point out that it may reinforce “ableist norms of masculinity.” After viewing the film, which argument do you agree with?
a) Murderball celebrates a kind of resistance to marginalized masculinity
| The more I become immersed in “Murderball,” the more I find myself drawn into one of this film’s paradoxes: the film glorifies a resistance against marginalized masculinity while also reinforcing expectations of ability. As players with remarkable strength, unyielding determination, and unrelenting competitiveness shatter the perception of those with disabilities being incapable of playing violent sport, they force society to question the elitism and exclusivity of the standards of masculinity and turn their sport into resistance against the expectations of marginalized identity. But in the paradoxically ironic move that seemingly contradicts the nature of resistance itself, the film perpetuates some of the ableist thinking it challenges, most notably concerning the ferocity and brute force associated with male identity as the ultimate test of masculinity. This focus on the traditional masculine ideal tends to overshadow the players’ particular strength and identity as well as their identity as athletes apart from their bodies. Ultimately, “Murderball” reveals keen insight into the confounding tensions of masculinity within disability, and it sheds light on players as they negotiate and sometimes reinforce expectations of society.
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Section Three: Taking a Shot
A) Resistance
B) Calling out Supercrip
Exercise 10: Mini Assignment (worth 5% in addition to the module grade)
1) Do you agree with the critique of the “supercrip” narrative in this video? Why or why not? Find an example of the “supercrip” Paralympian in the 2024 Paris Paralympics or Special Olympics coverage and explain how it works.
| In fact, I concur with the critique of the “supercrip” trope that appears in the video. This trope tends to represent disabled people as inspirational heroes who overcome seemingly impossible challenges, thus covering up their lived experiences and the systemic barriers they are subject to. Consider the 2024 Paris Paralympics; the media’s framing of Paralympic competitors too often falls into this trap of representing for us ideal Paralympians overcoming great challenges or accomplishing outstanding things, their wins attributed solely to individual achievement without any context of society (Gbadamosi, 2024). These representations unfairly place upon disabled competitors the burden of being wells of inspiration in themselves—a burden that may become exhausting as well as stifling. These accounts also reinforce the idea that disability is something to be overcome instead of something to be accepted. The focus on exceptionalism too often smacks of marginalizing reality-based accounts of living with disability (Davis, 2005). At last, such narratives tend to reduce multifaceted lives into inspirational soundbites that do not reflect the complex realities of living with disability.
Davis, N. A. (2005). Invisible disability. Ethics, 116(1), 153-213 Gbadamosi, A. (2024). An extra boost: Why media coverage is important for the Paralympic Games. UBC News. |
2) Does the film Murderball play into the supercrip narrative in your opinion? How does gender inform supercrip (read this blog for some ideas)?
(300 words for each response)
| To my mind, “Murderball” celebrates and also wrestles with the “supercrip” narrative. It reveals the aggressive competitiveness and athletic ability of rugby players using wheelchairs and their victories and unyielding spirit in one of the most demanding sporting events. But in celebrating their strength and ability, such depictions risk reducing these players to mere emblems of hope and thus detracting from their individuality and personal narrative. The “supercrip” phrasing overlaps with issues of the idea of gender, seen in portrayals of masculine characteristics like aggression and resilience. This perpetuates the idea that achievement is only positive if it meets a normative basis, fragmenting those who are not the conventional males, and women who do not meet such terms. Female players within the sport also deal with the issue of strict adherence to gender norms as they fight to find their place in a sport primarily governed by masculine ontologies. Therefore, while the movie is a source of inspiration, it also addresses the complicated realities of disability, constructions of masculinity, and the limitations of being a “supercrip,” both on and off the field.
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