5
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?
-OR-
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.
| I think this means that ableism operates alongside other forms of discrimination, including racism, sexism, classism, and ageism, to rationalize unequal treatment. The societal standards regarding bodily capabilities support stereotypes that serve to discriminate against individuals who do not meet these expectations. Prejudiced beliefs about physical capability cause people to think both older individuals and people of color don’t perform well in sports. Disabled women experience multiple layers of discrimination because they face challenges both as women in a male-dominated sports environment and due to their disability.
The exclusion of para-athletes from mainstream sports coverage and funding debates perpetuates the notion that their sports are inferior and demonstrates ableist and frequently classist views regarding which athletic accomplishments deserve recognition. |
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 most shocking aspect of ableism discussions for me was realizing how mainstream sports culture, along with fields like kinesiology, sport science, and physical education, has made ableism so normalized and invisible. Before I read this material, I believed sports had the potential to empower everyone, but I now see how sports are primarily built upon able-bodied standards in game construction, athlete training, and evaluation. The concept that identities based on ableism are accepted as an everyday normal really resonated with me. Many sports environments fail to evaluate their accessibility and inclusiveness because they operate under the assumption that everyone shares uniform physical and cognitive capabilities.
The fact that disability sports remain largely ignored in discussions about diversity and inclusion struck me as significant. Disability inclusion remains absent from sports diversity discussions that typically address race and gender issues because ableism defines which athletes’ stories gain recognition. Discussions about sport inclusion usually focus on race and gender or sexuality but often omit disability, which reflects how pervasive ableism shapes whose athletic narratives gain importance. These critical reflections and awareness tests reveal hidden blind spots, so they are very beneficial. These tools reveal how power dynamics and privilege function throughout individual interactions and institutional structures. The absence of these frameworks and tools makes it possible to unintentionally perpetuate norms that lead to exclusion. Insights into inclusivity serve as critical tools for educators and coaches as they establish sport and fitness environments that value every body type and ability level. |
B) Keywords
Exercise 3:
Add the keyword you contributed to padlet and briefly (50 words max) explain its importance to you.
| “Disability”
The term disability includes various forms of physical, mental, intellectual, and sensory limitations. Disabilities present as either temporary or permanent states due to multiple causes, including birth conditions, sicknesses, injuries, or the natural process of aging. Environmental factors, social perceptions, and the existence of support systems determine how disability affects individuals. “Disability” remains an important concept as it covers a wide variety of conditions that influence people in different ways. My friends and family members show how disabilities create distinctive life experiences based on their specific conditions as well as how they interact with their surroundings. The impact of “disability” on someone’s life should be acknowledged alongside the fact that it does not determine their value nor limit their possibilities. |
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 examine multiple inclusion barriers faced by disabled people specifically in sport and leisure contexts. The medical model of disability frames disability as a personal problem that requires medical intervention that focuses on fixing the impairment but ignores wider societal restrictions. The medical model of disability results in perceptions that disabled people cannot participate fully in sports and leisure activities, which leads to their exclusion from mainstream opportunities. The social model redirects attention from personal impairments to social obstacles that block full participation, including inaccessible environments and negative perceptions about people with disabilities.
Sporting environments specifically face barriers through inaccessible venues along with insufficient adaptive equipment and missing inclusive training programs. Disabled athletes face discouragement because societal views wrongly assume they cannot fulfill sports standards or because sports organizations neglect to establish essential accommodations. Fitzgerald and Long contend that achieving inclusivity demands eliminating these obstacles while establishing settings where disabled individuals are recognized as empowered and skilled both within sports arenas and other domains.
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?
| Question #1: Should sport be grouped by ability or disability?
Fitzgerald and Long explore the crucial debate of whether sports competition should be based on athletes’ abilities or their disabilities. Sport should be organized based on ability instead of disability to achieve greater inclusive participation and diverse athlete representation. When we highlight athletes’ abilities instead of their disabilities we establish equal competition opportunities that foster skill advancement and personal development while promoting community involvement. This approach disputes the conventional belief that disabled athletes need separate sports environments while promoting equal recognition for disabled participants to establish a more inclusive sports culture.
Moreover, in some circumstances separate divisions or events must be established for athletes with specific disabilities to ensure fair competition and maintain safety. The main objective must be to reduce the necessity for separation while working towards better integration to create equal competition opportunities for athletes of all abilities. The core objective remains to deliver a sport experience accessible to all participants which fosters empowerment and holds significant meaning for everyone involved. |
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).
| I believe this to be true
Sportswomen whether they have disabilities or not regularly encounter this particular paradox. Sporting environments frequently require athletes to demonstrate masculine characteristics including strength and competitiveness. Women who participate in sports must still uphold traditional feminine standards which require gracefulness and modest behavior along with specific physical attributes. Sportswomen experience a conflicting demand to exhibit strength and competitiveness within a male-dominated sports environment while concurrently fulfilling traditional female beauty norms to maintain their acceptance as women. Disabled sportswomen experience heightened complexity in this paradox because they encounter extra discrimination and bias due to their disability which makes it more challenging to navigate both athletic expectations and gender norms. The statement highlights the necessity of creating sports environments that embrace inclusivity and acceptance so athletes can succeed through their abilities without facing gender or disability discrimination. |
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
| d) Murderball does both of these things
Wheelchair rugby athletes in Murderball reject marginalized masculinity through their participation in an aggressive physical sport which opposes the common perception of disabled persons as passive or weak. Through their actions, disabled athletes challenge the stereotype of being helpless by demonstrating their strength and independent competitive spirit. This represents disabled men’s refusal to accept marginalization as well as their rejection of the belief that disability diminishes masculinity. Moreover, the film simultaneously supports ableist definitions of masculinity by showing disabled athletes who demonstrate their manhood through bodily strength and aggressive behavior which society typically links to able-bodied men. The sport’s focus on toughness and dominance might unintentionally support the belief that masculinity requires physical power and combative behavior for disabled men which appears to uphold ableist standards. The film presents a dual interpretation in which it simultaneously contests and supports societal norms and demonstrates how gender and disability intersect with social expectations. |
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 critique of the “supercrip” narrative resonates with me as it depicts athletes with disabilities as remarkable because they manage to overcome their disabilities. The narrative appears empowering but actually reinforces ableism because it highlights individual achievements against disability instead of focusing on systemic obstacles faced by disabled people. This perspective implies that society only respects disabled individuals who achieve extraordinary feats while failing to recognize the importance of creating inclusive environments for every ability. The “supercrip” narrative showcases athletes who achieve exceptional feats by overcoming their disabilities which makes their accomplishments appear more significant because of their physical limitations. The way athletes with disabilities are framed can hide their real athletic abilities by turning them into inspirational symbols rather than acknowledging their true sporting capabilities. The article Cripping Sport by Richard, Jonceray, and Duquesne examines how sports-based resistance to ableism appears through both modifications within the structure of (para)sport and through developing alternative marginal spaces that oppose traditional ableist systems.The 2021 study by Lynch and Hill of elite female wheelchair tennis athletes indicates that sports environments for the disabled break away from standard norms compared to able-bodied sports settings which allows disabled athletes greater opportunities to challenge ableism. Mainstream media coverage maintains its focus on the “supercrip” narrative during events like the 2024 Paris Paralympics by portraying athletes as warriors against their disabilities rather than showcasing their athletic achievements or the societal barriers they face. The 2016 Rio Paralympics “We’re the Superhumans” video promotes the narrative of athletes as “superhuman” because they excel in sports despite their disabilities. The inspirational narrative risks diminishing the value of people with disabilities unless they demonstrate exceptional achievements beyond their impairments instead of challenging the systems that necessitate such accomplishments. |
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)
| Yes, in my opinion, the movie Murderball utilizes the supercrip narrative but introduces significant complexities to it. The documentary Murderball features elite wheelchair rugby players who exhibit aggressive, competitive, and hyper-masculine behavior. The film breaks down stereotypes of people with disabilities as non-active or frail yet maintains the supercrip narrative through its portrayal of athletes as inspirational figures who “overcome” their disabilities to participate in such an intense physical activity. The blog post I Am Not Your Supercrip criticizes the supercrip narrative which suggests people with disabilities should be seen as heroic just because they accomplish daily tasks or succeed while managing their disabilities. The story emphasizes personal victories while promoting the notion that disabilities represent challenges people must conquer instead of embracing them as a natural element of human diversity. Furthermore, the film Murderball highlights the physical strength and perseverance of athletes with disabilities which opposes ordinary disability stereotypes but persists in inspiration porn by valuing athletes based on their athletic achievements despite their disabilities.
The depiction of the supercrip narrative in Murderball depends heavily on gender dynamics. Murderball centers on recovering masculinity through athletic competition by portraying the athletes as powerful, sexually attractive, and competitive men. The narrative demonstrates traditional masculine ideals by equating the recovery of one’s manhood after injury to the process of overcoming disability. The blog reveals that supercrip stories demonstrate gender bias by celebrating disabled men who meet masculine standards of strength and autonomy. Through its narrative Murderball exploits the supercrip concept while simultaneously promoting gender norms that make hyper-masculinity appear necessary to mask disability instead of accepting and normalizing it. |
