Abstract
Participating in physical activities and sports entails positive impacts for youth with disabilities regarding their physical and social well-being. In Quebec, however, opportunities to practice inclusive sports adapted to their needs are scarce beyond the boundaries of the school environment. Through 33 semi-structured interviews conducted with practitioners involved in organizing such adapted sporting events, this study aims to better understand the needs and expectations linked to these events and, simultaneously, identify the social, experiential, and educational roles of these events on youth with disabilities. Results demonstrate substantial positive impacts on these young people (enjoyment, pride, self-esteem, etc.) and on their relatives. Results also highlight several barriers, notably, material and human, that can hinder their desire to go on with physical activities and sports in their school environment.
Highlights
Among the newest statistical studies conducted in Quebec on young people with disabilities, it has been observed that 17.4% of pupils in elementary and high schools live with a disability or have learning or adjustment difficulties (Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport du Québec [MELS], 2014)
We present the main unifying topics that emerged from the data analysis phase, namely, “characteristics of the supervised youth,” “types of inclusive physical activities and sports organized in schools and planning modalities,” “motivations to participate in inclusive sporting events,” “social and experiential benefits of inclusive sporting events on youth with disabilities,” and “needs and expectations of practitioners involved in inclusive sporting events.”
Close to one third of respondents who work in regular schools and support youth with disabilities state that functional limitations are growing increasingly severe
Summary
Among the newest statistical studies conducted in Quebec on young people with disabilities, it has been observed that 17.4% of pupils in elementary and high schools live with a disability or have learning or adjustment difficulties (Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport du Québec [MELS], 2014). The prevalence of overweight and obesity in youth with disabilities increases by 2 to 3 times when compared with other children and adolescents (Aubé, 2012; Carbonneau & Roult, 2013) From this perspective, several studies underline the importance of physical activity to counteract sedentary behavior found, quite notably, among young people with disabilities (Badia, Orgaz, Verdugo, & Ullàn, 2013; Dugas & Point, 2014; Shikako-Thomas, Majnemer, Law, & Lach, 2008; Stidder & Hayes, 2013).
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