DISABILITY SPORT RESEARCH INITIATIVE
Researh Fellows
RESEARCH ARTICLE:
Inclusion of the Sport for Athletes with Disabilities into Non-Disabled Sport Organizations: Strategies and Recommendations
By Eli A. Wolff
VISTA
'99: International Conference on Sport for an Athlete with a Disability
August 28, 1999 - September 1, 1999
VISTA '99
COLOGNE, GERMANY -- I attended the VISTA '99: International Conference on Sport for an Athlete with a Disability. I was invited to give a poster presentation entitled, "Inclusion of the Sport for Athletes with Disabilities into Non-Disabled Sport Organizations: Strategies and Recommendations."
I was invited to the VISTA '99 Conference as a result of an oral presentation I gave in July 1999 at the 50th Anniversary Conference of the International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women (IAPESW).
At the IAPESW Conference, I gave a presentation entitled, "Recommendations of the Disabled Women in Sport Task Force of the Women's Sports Foundation."
I met Dr. Gudrun Doll-Tepper and Dr. Karen DePauw, two of the organizers of the VISTA '99 Conference, and they invited me to come to Germany.
Disabled Women
in Sport Task Force
The Disabled Women in Sport Task Force was established by the Women's
Sports Foundation (WSF) to determine the degree to which the WSF adequately
meets the needs of disabled women in sport and to identify further ways
the WSF might be able to meet those needs. The Task Force developed recommendations
for how the WSF could further work to meet the needs of disabled women
in sport.
These recommendations fell into seven categories:
- mission and goals
- media and information distribution
- governance
- funding and grants
- education
- events and programs
- awards and recognition
Financial Support
I was able to receive extremely generous financial support from the
Brown University Chaplain's Fund, the Brown University RAB Grant Program,
the Brown University Royce Fellowship Program, Kevin
Fitzgerald, and the Women's Sports Foundation.This
financial support funded the costs of preparing the poster presentation,
travel to Germany, and room and board during the conference.
Research
Once I was invited to the VISTA '99 Conference, I determined that
I wanted to present on the process of including opportunities for athletes
with a disability into a non-disabled sport organization. I analyzed the
work that had gone into organizing the Disabled Women in Sport Task Force,
and I recognized that I could document a model for a journey to inclusion.
With the assistance of Dr. Mary Hums, professor of sport management at the University of Louisville, I was able to document this journey into poster format.
In the first step in the journey to inclusion, an individual or a group of people must gain credibility and access to the non-disabled sport organization.
Next, this individual or group should recommend an assessment of the non-disabled sport organization. The organization is then assessed based on specific criteria. In developing this model, I realized that these criteria were actually the categories identified by the Disabled Women in Sport Task Force.
In order to carry out the assessment, the individual or group working on the assessment should survey and interview all levels of the non-disabled sport organization. All levels of the disabled sports programs (usually having no affiliation to the non-disabled sport organization) should also be interviewed and surveyed. After the assessment is carried out, recommended change is then based on the survey and interview results.
Finally, in order to implement the change, technical support and training is needed.
VISTA '99 International
Conference
The VISTA '99 International Conference on Sport for Athletes with
a Disability is stage for fruitful dialogue between renowned academics,
coaches, athletes, and administrators on key issues of competitive sport
for the disabled.
The conference title, VISTA, a term described by the Oxford dictionary as "�a long succession of remembered events�" identified the purpose of the meeting as a review of accumulated expertise.
The Conference was held at the German Sport University, Cologne, and the program focused on current key issues in sport for the disabled: sport performance (exercise physiology, advances in training techniques, technical developments/equipment, sports medicine), classification, integration/development/recruitment, ethics, organization/administration, and media/marketing/sponsoring.
The VISTA Conference was an amazing opportunity for me to meet, interact, and learn from international leaders in the sports movement for athletes with a disability. The Conference was also a nice opportunity for me to see several people I work with on a day to day basis in the United States.
Project to Study
the Inclusion of the Sport for Athletes with Disabilities into National
Governing Bodies of the Sport
Under the auspices of Northeastern University's Center
for the Study of Sport in Society, I am a research fellow alongside
Dr. Ted Fay, professor of sport management
at University of New York College at Cortland, and Dr.
Mary Hums. Our research focuses on the integration and inclusion of
opportunities for athletes with disabilities into mainstream sport organizations.
As the focus of my research and work is in integration, development, organization,
and administration, I primarily attended these sessions.
Our Research Project is titled: Project to Study the Inclusion of the Sport for Athletes with Disabilities into National Governing Bodies of the Sport
V ISTA Presentations:
There are several noteworthy presentations worth mentioning. Mr.
Ray Allard from Sports Canada presented, "Integration - the Canadian
Experience." This was very informative because it spoke of efforts toward
integration in Canada. I was able to draw many comparisons between the
United States and Canada.
"The Coordination of Elite Sports for Athletes with Disabilities in Australia," presented by a representative from the Australian Paralympic Committee, provided insight into the upcoming Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia and efforts being made to share resources between the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
Mr. Jack Benedick presented, "Integration - the disabled Alpine skiing model." This presentation informed about how integration of opportunities for athletes with disabilities can take place within a specific sport.
A critical session during the conference was on sport opportunities for women with disabilities. Dr. Karen DePauw, Washington State University, Dr. Claudine Sherrill, Texas Women's University, and Dr. Hums presented their research on various topics related to women in sport for athletes with disabilities. Dr. DePauw presented, "Equity issues in disability sport: female athletes with a disability."
Dr. Sherrill presented, ""Gender concerns in integration, development and recruitement."
Dr. Hums presented, "Women working in the management of sport for people with disabilities: career paths and challenges." This session was very well received by conference participants, and there seemed to be quite a bit of interest in future directions regarding women in sport for athletes with disabilities.
Furthermore, I was able to inform about the Disabled Women in Sport Task Force, and there was quite a bit of interest in making this an international network and working group.
US Summit
The highlight of the conference came for me on Monday, August 30,
and it took place outside the formal conference sessions. Dr. Hums, Dr.
Fay and I organized a "US Summit" of leaders in the United States
working in the sport movement for athletes with disabilities.
In addition to the three of us, attendees included David Grevemberg, a recent graduate of the graduate sport management program at Georgia State University, Dr. DePauw, and Dr. Sherrill. We met over lunch, and we had an extremely engaging and empowering conversation about future research and initiatives in the area of sport for athletes with disabilities. I found the meeting fascinating because there were all these great minds working around the same table.
VISTA Summary
For me, it was awesome! In addition to having my poster presentation
on display, I also made handout versions of the poster. This allowed me
to interact with people one on one and share my poster in a way that was
personal and informative. I received a tremendous amount of positive feedback
on the poster.
Missing from many of the presentations on integration were actual criteria identifying what an inclusive organization would look like. Also missing was a strategic, well -informed process for going about integration and inclusion. My poster presentation advocated for an assessment model and also outlined specific criteria. People were very interested in this work, and want to be a part of future collaborations and partnerships.
Overall, the conference was an extremely powerful and important event. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet so many interesting and passionate people from all over the world.
Report by Eli Wolf:
Northeastern
University's
CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF SPORT IN SOCIETY
716 Columbus Avenue, Suite 161 CP
Boston, MA 02120
Phone: (617) 373-4025
Fax:
(617) 373-4566