Creating disability awareness through sport: exploring the participation, attitudes and perceptions of post-primary female students in Ireland

Abstract

According to research, negative attitudes and perceptions towards people with disabilities begin to emerge early in one's development creating one of the most difficult barriers encountered by children with disabilities; those expressed by their peers. As a result, young people may begin to label others around them, differentiating between the disabled and the non-disabled. From a physical education (PE) perspective, offering disability awareness experiences to young people through sport is one way in which to positively influence how children understand disability themselves. The purpose of this study was to provide a detailed description of post-primary students' reactions to a disability awareness experience using extended contact theory, Sport Education and the disability sport of sit-volleyball as the framework. Findings suggest that participating in a disability sport was found to be favourable amongst the students. So much so, students expressed an interest in further disability sport experiences as part of their regular PE curriculum. Given the recent announcement by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment for the design and implementation of short courses at the junior cycle level, these findings may offer suggestions for teachers on how include other disability awareness experiences at the post-primary level.