I had no idea that I was disabled until a few years ago. I often have to remind myself that ADHD is a disability, and has affected my life in such negative ways that it’s hard for me to see the positives. For instance, despite me being diagnosed with ADHD, my physician gave me such a hard time about getting SAS through Trent. When he finally signed the forms, SAS wasn’t able to receive them because I couldn’t figure out how to fax them over and they “expired”. It was hard enough to get my doctor to sign the forms the first time, that I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get it a second time. And since Trent needs that documentation for their records and to provide students with SAS, I went years without the extra time and help I needed. (The main reason why these modules are being handed in so late).

And I hate drawing attention to this because I just want to be normal. But, I’m not. I need extra time and assistance and I’ve been too ashamed to admit that or seek out help that I just hand things in late. Which doesn’t help considering I’m trying to graduate right now.

The times that I did reach out, back when I was diagnosed, I was told essentially that I was lying, because I had no “proof”, and that I’m not trying hard enough. So.

Both personally and academically, this has been the hardest thing I’ve probably ever dealt with in my life. I wish I used my voice and demanded more back when I first got diagnosed.

This class has been very helpful towards my education, my kinesiology degree, and for me as a person. This honestly should be a required class for Kinesiology students. I’ve learned a lot. Thank you.

The Social Model of Disability is a way of understanding disability that turns the focus away from the individual and their impairments, and onto the barriers created by society. The main idea is that people are not disabled by their minds or their bodies, but by the world around them. As a disabled person, I can’t agree more. It’s not something that should be viewed as “a personal problem that needs fixing”, but rather, that these disabling experiences come from environmental and structural obstacles that need fixing. For example, a person who uses a wheelchair who is stuck in a building with no ramps or elevators. They aren’t disabled because they cannot walk; they are disabled because the building is not accessible and has no ramps or elevators. It’s important to consider that having a mental or physical impairment is completely separate from the experience of being disabled by society. We need to change the environment, NOT the person.

There are a few barriers to inclusion that Fitzgerald and Long identify when related to sport.

First, are the structural barriers. These look like policies, systems and environments that are designed without disabled people in mind. For example, changing rooms or bathrooms that are inaccessible, having a lack of trained staff on site of a facility, and sports programs that aren’t adaptable to different levels of ability. Structural Barriers prevent participation and make it extremely difficult for people without special accommodations.

Second, are the attitude barriers. These are the beliefs and assumptions about disability that exclude disabled people. For example, coaches or teammates that assume disabled people “can’t play” or “shouldn’t play”. Or, viewing disabled athletes as purely inspirational, rather than skilled competitors. These attitude barriers can be just as damaging as physical barriers, if not more, because they shape who is and who is not welcomed and supported within sport.

Third, are the cultural barriers. These often emphasize able-bodied ideals, like speed, strength and competition; and put them over inclusion and diversity. This can look like competitions that don’t value participation from people with different bodies or ends. Or, a lack of representation of disabled people and athletes in media or leadership roles. This cultural barrier can lead to feelings of exclusion, even in spaces that are deemed to be “integrated”.

Finally, the policy and funding gaps. Even if inclusion is stated as a goal, it is often under-resourced. For example, there are very few disability specific programs that are isolated away from mainstream sport. Without this ongoing support, inclusion is often seen as symbolic rather than meaningful.

Fitzgerald and Long state that these barriers mean that interaction by itself is not enough. We need:

• Structural redesign- more accessible spaces and inclusive rules
• Cultural changes- valuing diverse abilities in sport
• Attitude shifts- we need to view disabled athletes as full participants, not exceptions
• And resource commitment- there needs to be more funding and support for inclusive programs

• Is sport for participation or competition?

In general, I feel like people sign up for sport for BOTH participation and competition. However, the media often likes to portray able-bodied people as being the only ones who do sport for competition, and disabled people as the only ones who do sport for participation. The media like to pin them against each other in that sense.

As we’ve seen, when a sport focuses solely on competition, it becomes almost like an exclusive club. When sport values and welcomes participation, it becomes a tool for inclusion, empowerment and community.

Fitzgerald and Long argue that the participation versus the competition debate is very relevant when it comes to disability sport. Traditional models of elite and competitive sport often replicate ableist norms, like speed and strength. However, Fitzgerald and Long challenge the idea that disability sport should imitate able-bodied sport by creating parallel elite/competitive avenues, like the Paralympics, for example, and instead suggest that we rethink what it means to be successful in sport.

Sport should not be “only allowed” for people who meet certain physical or medical criteria; it should be welcoming and inclusive of everyone, despite what they look like and are capable of physically, and what their medical records say. We need to question why we value sport; is it about the medals and achievements? Or is it about well-being, inclusion and empowerment of individuals? Finally, inclusion doesn’t just stop at “allowing people to play” or “letting them in”. It’s a continuous thing. You have to continuously, as an athlete, coach, or fan, make the individual feel welcome and consider their individual experiences, wants and needs as a PERSON.

Unless we rethink sport as a whole, it will continue to value competition over participation, when in my opinion, it should be a combination of both.