Disability sports - the ability to inclusion? (2016)

The Dutch government sees sport as a strategic tool for the inclusion of marginalised groups, such as athletes with disabilities. The societal role of sport is increasingly emphasised, aiming to provide equal chances to everyone to participate in sport activities. The Dutch government has aimed to create this inclusion by integrating disability sports within local, mainstream sport associations. Researchers have suggested that inclusion only exists when the athletes with disabilities actively participate in the association, not only as passive athletes. However, research has shown that athletes with disabilities feel often hindered to actively participate in volunteering and in sport associations. Hence, in order to foster inclusion it is of utmost importance to explore how participation in local, voluntary sport associations can be encouraged. An exploratory, multiple case study is conducted, allowing an in-depth analysis within and across cases, studied in the real world context. Local sport associations, which are identified as successful examples of the integration of disability sports, serve as the cases. The results demonstrate that sport associations, who have a clearly stated policy regarding the integration and inclusion of athletes with disabilities and take a personal approach to their members, tend to encourage participation well. Furthermore, disability sports are not seen as part of the shift towards a service delivery approach. In order to reach inclusion, disability sports and its athletes need to be integrated in all parts of the mutual support organisation.