About this Research Topic
Intersections of Disability and Sports, including but not limited to sport in low and middle-income countries is a fully open-access section devoted to publishing high-quality research in the field of para-sports or disability sports. There is a growing awareness that sports can play a life-altering role in the lives of persons with a disability, although opportunities to participate in sports are far and few due to a wide variety of barriers. This is especially true in low and middle-income countries due to the limited and often overstretched resources available for meeting the population's needs. Participation in sports may be further curtailed by the long-standing stigmatization of disability and stereotypes that characterize persons with disability as weak, dependent or incompetent. For far too long, sports can be conceptualized through an ableist and patriarchal lens and thus considered the preserve of able-bodied young males. However, the benefits of sports are available for all, provided that barriers to sports participation are challenged vociferously.
Understanding the role of sports in the lives of persons with disability and creating equitable access to sporting opportunities requires advocacy efforts backed by scientifically credible evidence that is not only empirical but also draws from the lived experiences of persons with disability. Therefore, we invite for this section, new ground-breaking scientific papers on the psychological, social, physiological, nutritional, behavioral, training and coaching-related aspects of sports participation of persons with disability. We seek to focus not only on the sporting endeavor of elite or professional athletes but also on people who engage in or seek to engage in regular sports for health and recreational purposes in gyms, outdoor spaces, educational institutions and amateur sporting competitions. The section also welcomes work that connects sports and mental health and familial support and sports participation in the context of disability. Our ultimate goal is to create an active community of researchers in disability and sports and to stimulate swift and free dissemination of high-quality research findings.
Areas covered by this section include, but are not limited to:
- barriers to sports participation in but not limited to low and middle-income countries
- links between sports participation and mental and /or physical health sporting experiences of women with disability
- sports participation and the development of social networks
- coaching with a disability affirmative lens
- role of familial support in the sports participation of persons with disability
- nutrition, disability and sport
We encourage the following types of articles: original research, review articles, case studies, perspective, opinion, and commentary pieces.
Understanding the role of sports in the lives of persons with disability and creating equitable access to sporting opportunities requires advocacy efforts backed by scientifically credible evidence that is not only empirical but also draws from the lived experiences of persons with disability. Therefore, we invite for this section, new ground-breaking scientific papers on the psychological, social, physiological, nutritional, behavioral, training and coaching-related aspects of sports participation of persons with disability. We seek to focus not only on the sporting endeavor of elite or professional athletes but also on people who engage in or seek to engage in regular sports for health and recreational purposes in gyms, outdoor spaces, educational institutions and amateur sporting competitions. The section also welcomes work that connects sports and mental health and familial support and sports participation in the context of disability. Our ultimate goal is to create an active community of researchers in disability and sports and to stimulate swift and free dissemination of high-quality research findings.
Areas covered by this section include, but are not limited to:
- barriers to sports participation in but not limited to low and middle-income countries
- links between sports participation and mental and /or physical health sporting experiences of women with disability
- sports participation and the development of social networks
- coaching with a disability affirmative lens
- role of familial support in the sports participation of persons with disability
- nutrition, disability and sport
We encourage the following types of articles: original research, review articles, case studies, perspective, opinion, and commentary pieces.
Keywords: Disability, sports, low and middle income countries, access, participation
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
