4 Chapter Five: Accessing Sport
Kelly McGuire and kimberleymcgrath
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.
| Similar to other negative “isms”, ableism is the discrimination and prejudice against people who are disabled. The negativity associated with ableism is based on the societal norms of ability expectations and judgements. Ableism is grounded in the idea that full ability or typical ability is superior. Arora and Wolbring (2022) present an example and explain that ableism views disability from a deficit perspective when dealing with a person that deviates from the norm.
Another example is how ableism is responsible for disability in sport to be ignored or almost invisible. Ableism leads to exclusion in sport and can result in the marginalization of certain athletes.
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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.
| I was surprised at my result. Before the test, I would have said with confidence that I am 100% neutral in my preference for abled bodied people and disabled people. My result was a strong automatic preference for physically abled people over physically disabled people.
These tests are useful, my result has pointed out that I have work to do, this chapter/module will teach me that. Also, it was interesting that when the answer key of E or I switched, how long it took me to adapt to the reverse answer on the response keys. These tests are effective in bringing awareness to the surface of subconscious attitudes or discrimination a person does not realize they hold. |
B) Keywords
Exercise 3:
Add the keyword you contributed to padlet and briefly (50 words max) explain its importance to you.
| Deficit Perspective perpetuates the negative stigma often attached to disabled athletes. Deficit perspective aligns itself with the medical model of disability. The focus is on the deficits that an athlete may have, more often the physical limitations of a disabled athlete. Therefore, a disability is viewed as negative rather than looking at the potential of what an athlete can do. A deficit perspective view of disabled athletes holds them back with feelings of being inadequate and hinders their growth and participation in sport. |
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 explain that sport is associated with and celebrated as being physically demanding which requires strength, agility and endurance. Therefore, sports by its very nature is a barrier to inclusion for disabled people.
A barrier to inclusion is the medical model of disability which focusing on what people cannot do due to their disability rather than their ability.
Fitzgerald and Long explain the logistical, physical and psychological barriers to inclusion in sport for disabled people. Logistical and physical barriers are found in the external environment, such as transport and access to sporting venues.. The psychological barriers are more difficult to remove as it requires a change in attitude from able bodied people in sport.
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?
| Should sport competitions be integrated. I think the answer is, well it depends.
To answer this question Fitzgerald and Long examine the negatives associated with the separation of sport competition. For example, some challenges with separation are, not all disabled athletes consider themselves disabled. There are numerous barriers with the separation of sport, such as travelling long distances. Also, the lack of participation from sports organizations in general leaving very little choice and options for disabled athletes. An important argument made is the separation of sporting competition reinforces the medical model of disability. However, integration has its own set of challenges. Fitzgerald and Long refer to feelings of inferiority that disabled athletes may experience when competing with able bodied athletes. The integration of sport competition has psychological barriers of attitude where non-disabled athletes felt they had to tolerate and leave a space for disabled athletes. The success or failure of integration of competition rests heavily on the severity of disability. Fitzgerald and Long explain the process of reverse integration for sport competition. This approach is built on the premise that non-disabled athletes participate in sports that have been designated for disability sports. The idea is it is easier to integrate non-disabled athletes into disability sport than disabled athletes competing with non-disabled athletes in their sporting activities.
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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).
| True, the social construct of masculinity and femininity along with patriarchy solidifies the dominance of men and subordination of women. In the male dominated sports world, sports women face a conundrum. They must compete and be successful in the hyper male environment while being sufficiently feminine to be acknowledge as a women in competition. |
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
| Murderball does both of these things. Firstly, murderball touts itself as a fortress of masculinity and therefore celebrates a type of push back to the marginalized masculinity of disabled athletes. As Richard et al. (2023) explain that fundamentally murderball reinforces gender norms and validates traditional and ableist norms of masculinity. The disabled players can take back their masculinity and align themselves with all other athletes.
Secondly, murderball reinforces ableist norms of masculinity due to the nature of the sport. Murderball or wheelchair rugby is not a sport as much as a means to funnel hyper masculinity in the form of aggression and anger into a battle on the court. At times the film was difficult to watch, I think murderball is inherently violent and brutal. However, I do see the psychological advantage of wheelchair rugby/murderball for disabled athletes. These men have a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging to a team. When the disabled athletes are together and competing there are strong feelings of comradery between the team players.
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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.
| I disagree with the John Leoppky’s critique of supercrip in general. Crip theory offers two types of resistance to ableism. Resistance that is organized with para sport and the normative systems that structure it, and the creatin of alternative marginal spaces which can be considered counterhegemonic. The supercrip narrative promotes para sport and offers an alternative marginal space for athletes.
However, I do agree with John Leoppky’s comments that disabled athletes do not want to dwell on their limitations and wish to talk about the sport and competition the same as non-disabled athletes. They do not want to be treated differently than able bodied athletes. In my opinion this argument of not wanting to be recognized firstly as disabled athletes, does not support his critique of supercrip narrative. Leoppky states the supercrip narratives means that disabled athletes are “overcoming and transcending their disabilities”. . I disagree, disabled athletes do not use the supercrip narrative as a shield but it is about not being ashamed of a disability. I also disagree with his critique on the supercrip narrative that able bodied people view all disabled people as wanting to participate in the Paralympics. An example of supercrip is the high jumper in the video “We are the superhumans”. The high jumper removes his prosthetic leg and then performs the jump. 130 pounds of confidence. The high jumper is not embarrassed or ashamed of his disability, but chooses to showcase his ability.
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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)
| Murderball plays into the supercrip narrative by offering both types of resistance to ableism. It is a disabled sport that challenges the barriers for disabled athletes. A space is also present in a counterhegemonic resistance that sport is only designed for the most abled bodied in society.
Yes, the murderball film does play into the supercrip narrative. The film emphasizes their ability not disability. The men in the film do not present themselves as those society needs to pity or express sympathy. Through sport they participate to own ability and potential. The players are an inspiration to other people with disabilities and each other. I personally do not agree with the level of hitting and violence in the game but the supercrip narrative is apparent in the film. The supercrip narrative for disabled men playing murderball reinforces their hypermasculinity, upper body strength and shear resilience. These disabled men are overcoming their disability when playing murderball. Supercrip narrative can be used to reinforce heterosexuality and cisgender as the norm. The film does show able bodied people how passionate and committed to their sport as able bodied athletes would be perceived to be. The actual athletes portrayed in the Murderball film shatter the stereotype of a disabled person by demonstrating how they overcome their disability.
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