Adaptive Sports And The Paralympic Games

Thanks to technological innovations and changing attitudes, people with disabilities are able to participate in a wide range of physical activity. This comprehensive volume looks at more than thirty-five adaptive sports that provide modifications to allow people with disabilities to live an active lifestyle. From skiing to sailing and cycling to volleyball, adaptive sports make exercise, and all of its physical, social, and emotional benefits available to people with disabilities. This engrossing text also explores the Paralympics, which offers disabled athletes the chance to compete with their peers from across the globe while building their confidence and self-esteem.

As the number of adaptive sport and recreation programs increases, athletes with disabilities now have more opportunities than ever to participate in sports, recreation, and physical fitness. In response, students pursuing a career in sport management need to be fully prepared to incorporate adaptive sport and recreation into their organizations. Introduction to Adaptive Sport and Recreation is a groundbreaking text designed to address this need. Written and edited by a team of esteemed educators and professionals, this comprehensive textbook offers a broad exploration of sport and recreation for people with disabilities within the framework of sport management. It begins with social and theoretical discussions covering topics such as defining disability, confronting ableism, considering the concepts of inclusion versus integration, and understanding contact theory and social isolation theory. Students are exposed to participation barriers faced by athletes with disabilities and learn about models of disability perception and legal efforts to address disparities (such as the Americans with Disabilities Act). Also discussed are the disability rights movement as well as legal efforts and policies that have affected access to sport and recreation opportunities for people with disabilities. Perhaps the most visible example of adaptive sports is the Paralympic Games. The history of this competition is explored in detail, and the text offers an overview of other elite adaptive global competitions as well. Differences between the Paralympics and the Special Olympics are examined, including their participants, organizational philosophies, and governance. The text explores media coverage of adaptive sports and explains how the stereotypical frames of the past—which often clash with how athletes wish to be presented—are yielding to today’s more empowering and preferred position of viewing participants as athletes. Students will also see how opportunities for adapted sport are expanding. The long-term athlete development (LTAD) model has been applied to adaptive sports at all levels of competition worldwide. A sidebar spotlights efforts made in this area by Swimming Canada. In addition, the benefits and challenges of offering adaptive programs for military populations and young people are discussed. Because the costs associated with adaptive sport programs often exceed those of able-bodied sports, financial considerations are sometimes cited as a barrier. Students will learn about typical expenses for adaptive programs, along with different ways of identifying funding sources. The text concludes with an insightful case study featuring the University of Alabama Adapted Athletics (UAAA) program. This case study offers a managerial perspective on starting an athletics program for athletes with disabilities by exploring all facets, including sports offered, funding, and facilities. Throughout the text, profile sidebars, critical thinking exercises, and key points foster further discussion and enhance understanding of the concepts presented. Introduction to Adaptive Sport and Recreation serves as the authoritative guide to prepare students to integrate adaptive sport and recreation programs in their future work as a sport management professional.

This first-of-its-kind text provides a comprehensive presentation and review of the unique aspects of adaptive sports medicine and adaptive athletes, who are increasingly active and prominent, not only individually and in local leagues and organizations but also in larger settings like the Paralympics. Divided into thematic sections, part one covers the history and natural course of the care, policies and laws that have been developed over the years for persons with disabilities, as well as the biomechanics and technology of wheelchair sports and adaptive sports prostheses. The medical considerations of the adaptive athlete comprise part two, including injury epidemiology, emergent care, and surgical and rehabilitative considerations. Part three, by far the most extensive section, discusses specific wheelchair and adaptive sports, including adaptive running, cycling, water sports and throwing sports, wheelchair basketball, softball and rugby, as well as adaptive combative and extreme sports. Selected topics, including event planning, advocacy and controversies such as doping, are covered in part four. A comprehensive yet practical text, Adaptive Sports Medicine is a go-to resource and will be an invaluable reference for any sports medicine or primary medicine practitioner working with this unique population.

Academic research on the Paralympics and disability sport is growing. University courses, governing bodies, and sporting organisations are also witnessing a rise of interest in disabled sport. This book is therefore timely and of importance. Written by leading scholars, it addresses a variety of topics in relation to the Paralympics and disability sport. These include: the sociology of Paralympic sport; sport coaching at recreational and elite level; sport history and exercise rehabilitation; exercise participation; and future directions for disability sport research. Throughout the book, disability sport is both celebrated and critically examined. Critical questions are raised, and practical suggestions offered, about being a Paralympian, coaching athletes with a disability, and exercise as a form of rehabilitation. Empirical evidence is drawn from different people and various sports. These range from autoethnographic stories from a former Paralympian, to interviews with disability sport administrators, to observations of and interviews with coaches of athletes in the sports of adapted water skiing, para-swimming, and wheelchair basketball, rugby and tennis. The book will be of interest to sociologists of sport, sport coaches, sport and exercise psychologists, disability scholars, qualitative researchers, and disability sporting organisations. This book was published as a special issue of Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health.

"From Play to Paralympics" is a comprehensive resource designed to help parents navigate the journey from playful beginnings to potential Paralympic achievements. This guide offers insightful strategies on how to encourage athletic interests, build confidence, set realistic goals, and find the right adaptive sports programs for children with special needs. With a focus on mindful parenting, the book provides practical advice and emotional support to help parents foster their child's physical, emotional, and social development through sports. Whether your child dreams of competing at the highest levels or simply enjoying the benefits of physical activity, this book is an invaluable companion on their athletic journey.

The Paralympic Games is the second largest multi-sport festival on earth and an event which poses profound and challenging questions about the nature of sport, disability and society. The Paralympic Games Explained is the first complete introduction to the Paralympic phenomenon, exploring every key aspect and issue, from the history and development of the Paralympic movement to the economic and social impact of the contemporary Games. Now in a fully revised and updated second edition, it includes new material on hosting and legacy, Vancouver 2010 to Rio 2016, sport for development, and case studies of an additional ten Paralympic nations. Drawing on a range of international examples, it discusses key issues such as: • how societal attitudes influence disability sport • the governance of Paralympic and elite disability sport • the relationship between the Paralympics and the Olympics • drugs and technology in disability sport • classification in disability sport. Containing useful features including review questions, study activities, web links and guides to further reading throughout, The Paralympic Games Explained is the most accessible and comprehensive guide to the Paralympics currently available. It is essential reading for all students with an interest in disability sport, sporting mega-events, the politics of sport, or disability in society.

This book focuses on the ground-breaking coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games by the UK’s publicly owned but commercially funded Channel 4 network, coverage which seemed to deliver a transformational shift in attitudes towards people with disabilities. It sheds important new light on our understanding of media production and its complex interactions with sport and wider society. Drawing on political economy and cultural studies, the book explores why and how a marginalised group was brought into the mainstream by the media, and the key influencing factors and decision-making processes. Featuring interviews with key people involved in the television and digital production structures, as well as organisational archives, it helps us to understand the interplay between creativity and commerce, between editorial and marketing workflows, and about the making of meaning. The book also looks at coverage of the Rio Paralympics, and ahead to the Tokyo Games, and at changing global perceptions of disability through sport. This is fascinating reading for any advanced students, researchers, or sport management or media professionals looking to better understand the media production process or the significance of sport and disability in wider society.

"An overview of the Paralympic Games featuring sports played by Individuals and teams of athletes competing against each other ... Like the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games showcase super strength and skills, stamina and endurance both individually and through teamwork."--

An introduction to the Paralympic phenomenon which explores various key aspects and issues, from the history and development of the Paralympic movement to the economic and social impact of the contemporary Games. It is suitable for those interested in disability sport, sporting mega-events, the politics of sport, or disability in society.