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.
| my little brother has a disability, and i believe he has ability security, however he’s lacking a bit in ability identity security, although he has gotten better at it as he’s gotten older. he struggles with failure, even though that’s a thing we all go through, and he always goes to “i cant do it i’m so stupid” which makes me sad. when he first started going to school, there was issues with getting him the supports he needed (like an EA and speech therapy) because we live in a very small town and the school is/was understaffed and underfunded, so he was also not provided much ability security from this system, however after 2-3 years of him being on the waitlist for these supports, he got them and started to flourish. he has many friends who support him and don’t view him as any different which really helps with both forms of security. so overall, i feel that there are supports for people with disabilities to help them feel these securities, however they are severely backed up and underfunded which should be addressed, especially because those years on waitlists being without supports makes their lives so much harder.
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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.
| my result was slight preference for abled people over physically disabled people, which did surprise me, as i feel i have no bias towards disabled people. i also kind of feel like the test was a bit misleading, because i had gotten used to the sides for good/bad and abled/disabled so i wonder if the test was reversed and they did the good with disabled association first if the results would be more swayed towards a preference towards disabled people the way its swayed towards a preference for abled people now. so overall, i didn’t find it that useful and felt like it was kind of biased in the way it was designed.
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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.
| social model of disability- the social model of disability is a framework that reframes disability not as an individual problem/impairment, but as a result of societal barriers. essentially saying people are disabled by obstacles in society, like inaccessible environments, discrimination/ablism, and systemic exclusion, and not by their physical or mental conditions, this is important to me because i believe like most/all social justice issues, ablism is systemic and this framework points that out and aims to dismantle it. its also important to me because i like that it’s reframing our view on disability as not physical/mental ailments but just underserved people, removing the negative connotations.
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B) On Disability
Exercise 4: Complete the Activities
Which of the following are NOT defining characteristics of the medical model of disability?
The social model of disability argues that society disables people by imposing
and barriers and through attitudes that exclude disabled people from
in society. As such it focuses on disabling
rather than impairment.
The social model focuses on removing disabling barriers instead of medical intervention.
Exercise 5: Notebook Prompt
What do Fitzgerald and Long identify as barriers to inclusion and how might these apply to sport in particular?
they identify the dominant understanding of disability being the medical model, opposed to the social model, as a barrier. these differing views influence how people with disabilities are perceived and included in sports, as the social model calls for barriers causing exclusion to be reworked. another barrier they identified is the debate between providing separate specialized programs for people with disabilities or integrating people with disabilities into mainstream programs. there’s pro’s and con’s for both sides as integration is promoting inclusivity, it may actually lead to tokenism and inadequate support for people with disabilities, making it hard for them to participate, and separate programs offer better support for people with disabilities but may reinforce segregation. the authors also identify attitudinal barriers to inclusivity, like low expectations, and discriminatory practices, significantly hinder inclusion of people with disabilities. overall in relation to sports, these barriers mean that people with disabilities face challenges in accessing facilities, participating in programs, and being recognized as a real athlete.
C) Inclusion, Integration, Separation
Exercise 6: Complete the Activities
Which of the following is premised on the social model of disability?
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Inclusion
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?
| 2. is sport for participation or competition? i feel that sport is for both, but context dependent can also just be one or the other. i think for some sports, or for low level sports (like a local/houseleague or oldtimers league) sports are for participation, and you should be proud of yourself just for participating. however some sports and at high levels, sports are very competitive. combining this with 3, i think that certain sports, and in certain leagues, integration would work well and benefit everyone, however for national leagues integration may be less feasible and fair.
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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 authors point out that gender and disability norms intersect in sport to reinforce heteronormative and ableist views, giving (disabled) women conflicting expectations of strength and tenderness/beauty. |
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
| i agree with argument d, that murderball does both celebrate a kind of resistance to marginalized masculinity, and reinforces ableist norms of masculinity. the movie celebrates resistance to marginalized masculinity by showing the men with disabilities performing hypermasculine physicality and aggression like smashing and tipping in intense rugby, which acts to counter harmful stereotypes of fragility and weakness. this in turn challenges viewers/societal perceptions of disability and sport, disrupting ableist assumptions by showing the men with disabilities as strong and competitive. on the other hand though, this glorification of aggression and toughness in a way reaffirms the ableist norms of masculinity that worth comes from these masculine ideals/stereotypes. and its not just reaffirming ableist views, but also the display of masculine stereotypes of dominance and violence validates patriarchal views as well. so i think the movie did both by empowering athletes with disabilities, while also upholding ableist masculine norms.
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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 do agree with the critique of the supercrip narrative in the paralympic video. i agree because the video paints the Paralympians as superhuman, for heroically “overcoming” their disabilities/impairment. this implies that their accomplishments/athleticism are celebrated solely for overcoming their disability, instead of just as an athlete in their own right. by depicting the Paralympians as superhuman, it reinforces the idea that value is tied to miraculous physical performance, which actually excludes and further marginalizes people with disabilities who don’t have the ability or resources to do such. an example of the supercrip Paralympian narrative in the 2024 Paris Paralympics is Ukrainian swimmer Oleksandr Komarov who won 3 medals, while living with muscular dystrophy, having endured attacks on Ukraine and the destruction of his family home, making him become a national symbol of pride and resilience. the media coverage of Oleksandr’s achievements often emphasized his ability to “overcome” his disability and the traumas of war. and while his achievements are very inspiring and impressive, this narrative aligns with the supercrip trope which shows people with disabilities as heroic for succeeding despite/”overcoming” their impairments. and while it seems innocent and not overly harmful, these portrayals set unrealistic standards and expectations for other people with disabilities, while also shifting focus away from systemic issues on accessibility and inclusivity that need addressed, and that would actually minimize the barriers people with disabilities face.
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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)
| in my opinion, the movie Murderball does play into the supercrip narrative. it shows wheelchair rugby as violent and fast paced with athletes smashing and tipping over each other, which is portraying them as conquering both their opponents and their disabilities. this emphasis on showing the athletes “overcoming” disability through brute force and masculinity is a perfect example of the supercrip narrative, implying that people with disabilities are only valuable when they can replicate able-bodied norms of strength and aggression, and for the particular example of Murderball, masculinity too. i also think the movies focus on personal backstories of injury and recovery/”overcoming” further emphasizes the supercrip trope, as well as painting disability as a personal battle, downplaying the social and environmental barriers people with disabilities face.
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