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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.
| Arora and Wolbring demonstrate how ableism, or the systematic privilege of able-bodied/minded standards, connects with and reinforces other types of oppression, such as racism, sexism, and classism, with conceptions of ability being used to justify exclusion. For example, a disabled Indigenous athlete may endure racist stereotypes that highlight their natural athleticism while still being refused accommodations owing to ableist preconceptions about their talents, thus exacerbating their marginalization. The overlapping intersection is visible in sports structures that recognize Paralympic competitors as inspirational while underfunding and undervaluing their races compared to Olympic events. On the other hand, athletes with disabilities from low-income families encounter extra challenges, such as the shortage of adequate facilities for training. These instances show how ability hierarchies are used to perpetuate greater inequities, illustrating that eliminating oppression in sports involves tackling the interrelated structure of these systemic prejudices. |
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.
| The Harvard Implicit Association Test (IAT) data demonstrates the prevalence of ableist prejudices, with 78% of respondents exhibiting some instinctive preference for abled persons—including my own result, which fell into the 37% “strong automatic preference for abled people” group. This supports the article’s claim that ableism is strongly established in sports culture, where able-bodied norms are so prevalent that disability is invisible or unusual. The authors discuss how this prejudice presents itself in the marginalization of disability sports, the absence of inclusive curriculum in kinesiology, and the unwavering acceptance of ability-based hierarchies. My score, although troubling, demonstrates how even individuals who are aware of structural disparities can unknowingly accept ableist notions. It emphasizes the need of deliberate efforts, such as the authors’ “different ability curriculum” to destabilize these norms and emphasize disability justice in sports philosophy, administration, and performance.
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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 is a critical framework that redefines disability as a social and political identity rather than a medical defect. It challenges ableist norms, exposes systemic exclusion, and intersects with queer and feminist theories to advocate for radical inclusion and disability justice across sports, education, and media representation.
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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?
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?
| According to Fitzgerald and Long’s chapter, the argument over sport for disabled individuals revolves around what aspect of it should emphasize participation (inclusive, leisure-focused) or competition (elite, performance-driven). The authors criticize how systems frequently impose an artificial choice between both techniques, suggesting that both have merit but must be carefully implemented to prevent marginalization. They demonstrate how inclusion into regular sports can occasionally disregard disabled participants’ requirements, whilst specific accommodations (such as Paralympics) risk isolation. Furthermore, the article recommends that sport should promote both aims while challenging ableist systems that limit chances for people with disabilities regardless of the field.
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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).
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. After watching Murderball, I feel it fights marginalized masculinity while reinforcing ableist standards. On the one hand, wheelchair rugby players aggressively reclaim hyper-masculine characteristics such as anger, physicality, and sexual autonomy, challenging preconceptions of disabled men as frail or not sexual. Their confident confidence undermines sympathy stories. On the other hand, the emphasis on “hard” masculinity (hyper-displaying violence and domination) is consistent with conventional, ableist conceptions of what makes a man strong, possibly excluding people who do not demonstrate masculinity in this manner. The film’s impact originates from this conflict: it empowers disabled competitors while also demonstrating how even resistance is susceptible to the limitations of the structures it confronts. |
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.
| The We’re the Superhumans campaign for the Rio 2016 Paralympics highlights the contradictory nature of disability depiction in the media. While its vivid celebration of athletics defies perceptions of vulnerability, it also perpetuates the supercrip notion, portraying disabled individuals as inspiring for conquering their disabilities. This story, while well-intentioned, indicates that disability must be something to surpass, utilizing outstanding achievements to earn regard. Recently covered at the Paris 2024’s, Marcel Hug, a wheelchair racer, was highlighted to be the “mechanical perfection.” He has followed this pattern, focusing on the pace as noteworthy because he is disabled rather than just exceptional. Such representations turn athletes into symbolic icons of overcoming challenges, disguising structural difficulties such as inadequate investment and accessibility.
The Supercrip story is damaging because it individualizes achievement and implies that effort alone can transcend disparities. Swimmer Ellie Challis, for example, is commended for “overcoming” limb variances while disregarding the coaching, prosthesis, and privilege that allowed her to excel. This perspective indicates that non-athletic disabled people’s lives are less important, which diverts attention away from the structural changes required in sports. Additionally, it perpetuates an imbalance in which individuals with disabilities are either inspired or sympathized with, giving no room for regular achievement. Stella Young, a disability activist, said that “disability does not make you exceptional,” yet the media continues to focus on narratives that need impaired athletes to achieve superhuman feats to be recognized. Representing Genuine inclusivity would maintain a balance between athletic recognition and normalizing disability. When reporting on media, it might be beneficial to display athletes’ abilities without sensationalist reporting, recognize networks of support, and address barriers to accessibility. For instance, showing Hug as a leading athlete who additionally manages wheelchair-inaccessible institutions could give his portrayal more than just disability motivational figure. The idea is to expand past the Supercrip stereotype by portraying disability as a component of range rather than a weakness or superpower. Paralympians are entitled to equal multifaceted regard as Olympians, with their accomplishments judged on merits rather than their potential to inspire non-disabled audiences. Only after that can the media effectively remove ableism while recognizing disabled individuals as complete people.
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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)
| The We’re the Superhumans Rio Paralympics 2016 advertisement video is an optimistic depiction of disability talent. However, its triumphal nature may unintentionally perpetuate the supercrip narrative, the notion that people with disabilities have to demonstrate great achievements to be regarded. While inspiring, the video endangers restricting disability to a source of motivation instead of depicting it as a natural element of Demographic variation. Murderball (2005), a documentary about wheelchair rugby, challenges this perspective by portraying the athletes as aggressive, prone to errors and completely genuine. The documentary prevents over-dramatizing disability, instead emphasizing rivalry, hostility, and personal rivalries, characteristics seldom related to people with disabilities in the general population and media portrayal.
Gender also impacts the Supercrip storytelling since cultural prejudices determine whose disabilities are considered “motivational.” As stated in the I am not your Supercrip blog, men with disabilities are frequently hyper-masculinized, portrayed as brave men or athletes, whereas women with disabilities have been defeminized or disregarded. Murderball focuses on the conventional concept of masculinity, portraying the athletes as fierce, competitive, and even physically assured, therefore contradicting perceptions of disability as vulnerable. Nevertheless, this attention emphasizes a gap: women with disabilities are seldom represented in a similar assertive, enthusiastic manner. When it is portrayed, they are frequently presented as nice, despairing or conquering their disability through actions that are consistent with submissive femininity. The Supercrip narrative, while sometimes well-intentioned, may be restricting since it requires distinctiveness to warrant participation. Murderball makes sure not to portray the athletes in an idealized way, however, it chooses to focus on masculinity, illustrating how gender norms shape whose disabilities are acknowledged. Genuine growth involves a total deconstruction of these stereotypes, making sure to perceive people with disabilities as multidimensional individuals rather than merely outlets of inspiration. The press must go above Supercrip narratives to portray disability as not being a source of tragedy or a superpower, instead as a normal part of humanity and its diversity.
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