Speakers
Description
Objectives
The upcoming Palgrave Handbook of Disability Sport in Europe (Van Lindert, Scheerder & Brittain (Eds.), 2022) explores the various ways disability sport is delivered throughout Europe. Main outcomes of this cross-national comparison of disability sport policies, infrastructure and participation levels across 19 countries are presented.
Methods
The country specific chapters are rooted in a theoretical framework. The main focus lies on (i) the disability sport structure at the national, regional and local level (Hallman & Petry, 2013), (ii) the steering mechanisms (legislative and policy framework), and (iii) the support framework for disability sport agencies (Scheerder, Willem & Claes, 2017). Sport participation data on pwd are included per country, supplemented by results of a secondary analysis on pan-European data on sport participation by pwd.
Findings
Preliminary results from the cross-national comparison show that in most countries, sport participation by pwd has evolved from segregated sport settings (only for pwd) towards mainstream sport settings (alongside persons without disabilities). This transition is fostered by human rights and inclusion policies. The manner and degree to which disability and mainstream sport systems become intertwined differs across the countries involved. Influencing factors, e.g. welfare system, culture and (ableist) attitudes, will be discussed.
Discussion/Conclusion
Striving for the inclusion of pwd in sport does not ensure systematic monitoring of disability sport indicators in the respective countries. The case studies exposed data gaps, especially in regard to sport participation. This book is the first collection and comparison of disability sport data across Europe and provides a better understanding of the evolution of disability sport governance, structure and policy.
