The participation of young people with disability in local sports

Abstract

Participation in sports is important for everyone. This study explores the participation of young people with disability in local sports and physical activity. The main purpose of this study is to determine the number of participants with different disabilities and how often they participate in local sports. It also investigates why other people with disability do not participate in any type of sports. The research instruments also verify and examine why some others don't participate regularly, the main obstacles which people with disabilities have to overcome in order to be able to participate and join a sporting activity and/or club, the type of sport environment the person with disability participates in, and the means of transport being used to reach the sport facility. The meaning of sports participation to persons with disability was also investigated. The study consisted of 200 questionnaires and 5 in-depth interviews with people with disability. The degree of participation in physical activity among people with disability was found to be veiy high (76.7%); however it is effected by a multi-factorial set of barriers that are a standard issue found on our islands, mainly: Transport, facilities and other issues. Future research should utilize this information to develop intervention strategies that have a greater likelihood of success.