Introduction to Adaptive Sport and Recreation

As the number of adaptive sport and recreation programs increases, athletes with disabilities now have more opportunities than ever to participate in sports, recreation, and physical fitness. In response, students pursuing a career in sport management need to be fully prepared to incorporate adaptive sport and recreation into their organizations.

Introduction to Adaptive Sport and Recreation is a groundbreaking text designed to address this need. Written and edited by a team of esteemed educators and professionals, this comprehensive textbook offers a broad exploration of sport and recreation for people with disabilities within the framework of sport management.

It begins with social and theoretical discussions covering topics such as defining disability, confronting ableism, considering the concepts of inclusion versus integration, and understanding contact theory and social isolation theory. Students are exposed to participation barriers faced by athletes with disabilities and learn about models of disability perception and legal efforts to address disparities (such as the Americans with Disabilities Act). Also discussed are the disability rights movement as well as legal efforts and policies that have affected access to sport and recreation opportunities for people with disabilities.

Perhaps the most visible example of adaptive sports is the Paralympic Games. The history of this competition is explored in detail, and the text offers an overview of other elite adaptive global competitions as well. Differences between the Paralympics and the Special Olympics are examined, including their participants, organizational philosophies, and governance.

The text explores media coverage of adaptive sports and explains how the stereotypical frames of the past—which often clash with how athletes wish to be presented—are yielding to today’s more empowering and preferred position of viewing participants as athletes.

Students will also see how opportunities for adapted sport are expanding. The long-term athlete development (LTAD) model has been applied to adaptive sports at all levels of competition worldwide. A sidebar spotlights efforts made in this area by Swimming Canada. In addition, the benefits and challenges of offering adaptive programs for military populations and young people are discussed.

Because the costs associated with adaptive sport programs often exceed those of able-bodied sports, financial considerations are sometimes cited as a barrier. Students will learn about typical expenses for adaptive programs, along with different ways of identifying funding sources.

The text concludes with an insightful case study featuring the University of Alabama Adapted Athletics (UAAA) program. This case study offers a managerial perspective on starting an athletics program for athletes with disabilities by exploring all facets, including sports offered, funding, and facilities.

Throughout the text, profile sidebars, critical thinking exercises, and key points foster further discussion and enhance understanding of the concepts presented.

Introduction to Adaptive Sport and Recreation serves as the authoritative guide to prepare students to integrate adaptive sport and recreation programs in their future work as a sport management professional.

Audience

Upper-undergraduate- or graduate-level students enrolled in courses in sport and recreation management programs.

Chapter 1. Theoretical and Social Considerations of Adaptive Sport and Recreation
Justin A. Haegele, PhD, and Cathy McKay, EdD
What Is a Disability?
Ableism
Inclusion Versus Integration
Theoretical Considerations
Summary

Chapter 2. Barriers and Opportunities for Access and Inclusion
Kathleen McCarty, PhD; Laurin Bixby, PhD; and Winston Kennedy, PT, DPT, MPH, PhD
Models of Disability Perception
Understanding Barriers
Attempts to Mitigate Disparities
Social-Ecological Model
Summary

Chapter 3. Innovation in Disability Sport and Recreation
David Legg, PhD, and Simon Darcy, PhD
What Is Innovation?
Examples of Innovation
Approaches to Innovation
How to Share an Innovation
Summary

Chapter 4. History and Development of the Paralympic Games
Ian Brittain, PhD
Early History of Disability Sport
The Stoke Mandeville Games
The Start of the Paralympic Games
Development of the Paralympic Games
Impact of the Paralympic Games Linking to the Olympic Movement
How the Term Paralympic Has Changed Over Time
Impairment Groups That Participate in the Paralympic Games
Current Governance Structure for the Paralympic Movement
Aims of the Paralympic Games Beyond Sport
Summary

Chapter 5. Legal Aspects of Disability Sport and Recreation
Anita Moorman, JD
History of the Disability Rights Movement
International Legal and Policy Efforts on Disability Rights
United States Legal Framework for Disability Rights
Impact of Disability Rights Laws on Athletic Participation
Impact of Disability Rights Laws on Sports Venues
Summary

Chapter 6. Media and Disability Sport
Erin Pearson, MA, and Laura Misener, PhD
Introduction
Media Representation of Disability
Media Representation of Disability Sport and the Paralympic Games
Competing Perspectives of Disability Sports Coverage
The Future of Disability Sports Coverage
Summary

Chapter 7. Elite Adaptive Sport
Jeff Ward, PhD, and Mary Hums, PhD
Major Games Featuring Disability Sport
Current Issues in Disability Sport Competition
Summary

Chapter 8. Sport for Athletes With Intellectual Impairment
Abby Fines, PhD, and Christina Mehrtens, PhD
Special Olympics Versus Paralympics
Contextualizing Intellectual Disability Within Sport
Intellectual Disability and Special Olympics
Intellectual Impairment and the Paralympics
Summary

Chapter 9. Para-Athlete Development
Darda Sales, PhD, PLY, and Laura Misener, PhD
Long-Term Development Model
American Development Model
Foundation, Talent, Elite, Mastery Model
Application of the Long-Term Development Model to Para-Athletes
Considerations for the Development of Para-Athletes
What’s Next?
Summary

Chapter 10. Adaptive Sports and Recreation for Military Populations
Jasmine Townsend, PhD, CTRS, FDRT, CARSS-II, and Derek Whaley, MS, CTRS, CARSS-I
Common Health Conditions Among Service Members and Veterans
Veteran-Focused Treatment Options
Adaptive Sports and Recreation for Military Service Members
Characteristics of Community-Based Adaptive Sports and Recreation Programs
Benefits of Adaptive Sports for Military Populations
Summary

Chapter 11. Adaptive Youth Sports
Anthony G. Delli Paoli, PhD, and Javier Robles, JD
Adaptive Youth Sports Settings
Adaptive Youth Sports Participation
Summary

Chapter 12. Funding Disability Sport
Michael Cottingham, PhD; Tiao Hu, MS; Don Lee, PhD; and Oluwaferanmi Okanlami, MD
Costs and Expenses Related to Disability Sport
Sources of Funding
Collegiate Programs
Funding Personnel: Disability Sport Promoters
Future Trends in Disability Sport Funding
Summary

Case Study: University of Alabama Adapted Athletics
Margaret Stran, PhD, and Brent Hardin, PhD
Starting the Program
Sports
Organization
People
Facilities
Funding
Sport for All
Outreach
Change
Advice
Summary

Robin Hardin, PhD, is a professor in the sport management program in the department of kinesiology, recreation, and sport studies at the University of Tennessee. He earned his PhD in communications from the University of Tennessee, as well as a master’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in sport studies. He completed his bachelor’s degree in communications at East Tennessee State University. His research interests lie primarily in the areas of sport governance, holistic care of athletes, and professional development of administrators. He is the former editor of Sport Management Education Journal (2018 through 2021) and has served on several other editorial boards. He is a member of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) and the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America), and is a member of the official statistics staff for football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball at the University of Tennessee. He is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm and retired from the Tennessee National Guard.

Joshua R. Pate, PhD, is the dean of the School of Business and Management and the program coordinator for sport management at Lees-McRae College. He earned his PhD in sport management from the University of Tennessee, as well as a master’s degree in communications and a bachelor’s degree in sport management. Pate’s research is in disability, access, and inclusion through a sport lens. Pate has served on the editorial team of Sport Management Education Journal and serves on multiple editorial boards. He is a member of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM). He volunteered at the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Winter Games as one of 70 Paralympic News Service flash quotes reporters, with his work focused on wheelchair curling. Pate has a physical disability (cerebral palsy) and participates in recreational snow skiing, water skiing, hand cycling, and general exercise.

 

Adaptive Youth Sports Participation
The medical and social models of disability discourse
The Start of the Paralympic Games

All ancillaries are free to adopting instructors through HKPropel.

Instructor guide. Includes a sample syllabus; chapter objectives; activity ideas, assignments, and class projects; recommended responses to the critical thinking exercises in the text; and key terms with definitions.

Test package. Contains more than 300 questions in true-false, fill-in-the-blank, essay and short-answer, and multiple-choice formats. The files may be downloaded for integration with a learning management system or printed for use as paper-based tests.

Chapter quizzes. Contains ready-made quizzes (10 questions each) to assess student comprehension of the most important concepts in each chapter.

Presentation package. Features more than 250 PowerPoint slides of text, artwork, and tables from the book that can be used for class discussion and presentation. The slides in the presentation package can be used directly within PowerPoint or printed to make handouts for students. Instructors can easily add, modify, and rearrange the order of the slides.