As part of my 12 week internship at Pulse Social, part of my job was to write and produce blog posts surrounding different topics within sports.
In this particular blog post, I explored the benefits of physical activity and sports for disabled individuals.
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Sports is a beautiful thing that comes with many positive benefits and that is a fact that you and I know very well. However, participating in sports can be even more particularly important for those with disabilities and those with hidden disabilities, too.
Let’s take a look at the different benefits of being active and why individuals with any type of disability should get involved.
1. It provides an escape and a safety net
Jeremy Kent, the CEO of Loud House, a sports marketing and commercial rights consultancy, has worked with a number of sports clients that embrace disabilities and he explained how competitive sport once helped to pull him through a dark time in his life.
“Not all disabilities are physical. There was a dark time in my life, and competitive sport pulled me through,” Kent said. “There are safety nets, best wishes, and laws for inclusion, but we live in a busy world, and indifference is palpable. Feelings of isolation, self-doubt and low value can manifest.”
“I have been fortunate to spend most of my life in and around sport. Through my sport of rugby and several Olympic federations, I have enjoyed the company of athletes from all walks of life with differing physical abilities and disabilities.”
2. Improved Health and a Community Network
Liz Fletcher, an Occupational Therapist Educational Development Lead at Sport for Confidence CIC, spoke of her confusion on why it is not common practice for sports to be inclusive and accessible.
Fletcher said: “Sport for Confidence CIC provides inclusive sport sessions for anyone and everyone to enjoy. People with disabilities can so often be excluded from sports but when you witness the impact on people’s mood, the enjoyment everyone can have during a game of, for example, inclusive basketball you wonder why it’s not common practice.”
Likewise Kent also explained how, reflecting on his own personal experiences, he believes sports provides the framework for a positive future.
“Exercise and a healthy diet can improve the quality and longevity of life,” Kent also said. “Competitive sport brings something more, and perhaps it is more noticeable and appreciated by those who are not at the very pinnacle of human achievement.”
“Sport brings belonging, structure and purpose. It removes isolation and introduces us to others who are similar to us, who accept us and value us as competitors and human beings.”
“Working hard and hitting a personal best for how we are today, right now, delivers a sense of achievement and positivity that builds self-worth and our own sense of value as an individual, in a team and in society.”
However, Fletcher explained that while she has seen physical activity prescribed or purposely crafted to fix someone’s health, she personally thinks this is missing the point.
“Sport, when delivered inclusively connects people, brings joy and boosts confidence, as a consequence you not only improve health outcomes but boost confidence, motivation, desire to achieve and progress in other areas of life,” she said.
“We are all built to move and be together but we need to create opportunities for everyone to feel included and valued in normal community environment so everyone has a choice to be active as a matter of normality rather than a way to fix problem.”
3. A New Challenge and Purpose
This idea of sports bringing a new challenge and a sense of purpose to individuals with disabilities that Kent touches on is something that really needs highlighting, because it often isn’t the first thing one will think of when asked the benefits of sports.
Living with a disability or disabilities brings many challenges on a daily basis, that is simply the reality for many, but sports brings forward a new kind of challenge that can actually prove to be fun and exciting.
According to Food and Healing, a Natural Health Website and Blog, when disabled individuals play sports and win (and lose, too!) it can make them feel good about themselves in a way they haven’t felt before. Likewise, when they become fitter, they are healthier and so they feel better again.
“Playing a sport and entering into competition offers a challenge that many disabled people enjoy. When they win, it makes them feel good about themselves in a way that was missing before,” the article explained. “When they feel better, they are more likely to do well in their sport and so it goes around.”
“If they win at a high level, they feel they have achieved something that would not have been possible without the disability, so it then becomes more acceptable to them – as well as other people.”
4. Improved Mental Health and Emotion Well-Being
Another benefit of sports for individuals with disabilities is how it can massively improve their mental health and emotional well-being.
The benefits range from reduced stress and anxiety, increased self-esteem and confidence and probably the benefit we all love the most is how sports can majorly improve our sleep because it helps to expend any leftover energy that we have not burned off during the day.
However, you might be thinking: but this is already pretty standard knowledge. Why does this need to be said?
You have a point but that is the thing. It is vital to highlight these same mental and emotional health benefits because it has been found that those with disabilities do face more mental health issues due to social and personal factors.
Invacare, a personal assistance supplier, explained in their article ‘Health Well-Being Benefits of Exercise for Disabled People’ how: “Along with these mental health risks is the issue of isolation. Disabled people are far more likely to withdraw socially and risk a lack of engagement in any meaningful activity.”
“Sport or exercise presents an opportunity to engage in group activities and the surrounding environment which can, in turn, reduce the risk of isolation.”
5. It can help improve social stigmas and stereotypes
Despite how far society has come, there are still many stigmas, stereotypes and discriminatory mind sets and the United Nations article above also spoke of how sports can be used as a “transformative tool” for those who experience “double discrimination” too, with particular focus on disabled women.
The article said: “It is reported that 93% of women with disabilities are not involved in sport and women comprise only one-third of athletes with disabilities in international competitions.”
“By providing women with disabilities the opportunity to compete and demonstrate their physical ability, sport can help to reduce gender stereotypes and negative perceptions associated with women with disabilities.”
Read the article at Pulse Social: https://pulsesocial.co.uk/blogs/f/disability-sports-the-benefits-of-being-active