Research project Although almost all children and young people are members of a sports club at some point in life, it is relatively few children and young people with disabilities who regularly participate in some form of organized sports.
With a norm-critical approach consisting of a qualitative method, the project investigates opportunities and barriers towards equal conditions. The aim is to reach a deeper understanding of how active national representatives at national level perceive and understand inclusion and how they operate in practice to enable a change towards equality in sport.
When it comes to power and influence, few people with disabilities are found in leading positions in sports organization and in society at large. The Parasport Federation administers sports for people with disabilities, visual impairments and intellectual disabilities.
Through collective mobilization the Parasport Federation is an important player when it comes to influencing power and enforcing change in the Swedish Sport Confederation and raise awareness of issues that are important to make sports more equitable and accessible. In connection with the union meeting in May 2013, the Parasport Federation decided to establish a long-term and sustainable strategy for inclusion of sports administered by the Parasport Federation but which could have their homes in various Special Sports Federations. In 2014, the Parasport Federation conducted a survey to identify the conditions and then draw up action plans for collaboration and future transfer and inclusion of sports from the Parasport Association to the Special Sports Associations. Strategy 2020 (Parasport Sweden, 2017) is the collective name for the Parasport Federation's strategic work aimed at 2020. The changing process is now in motion and comprises 18 Special Sports Associations. Two associations are almost on target, some on the right track and others still at the start. In the long term, the organizational change in Swedish sports means one dismantling of the Parasport Association and an inclusion of athletes with disabilities in the Special Sports Associations.
With a norm-critical approach consisting of a qualitative method, the project investigates opportunities and barriers towards equal conditions. The aim is to reach a deeper understanding of how active national representatives at national level perceive and understand inclusion and how they operate in practice to enable a change towards equality in sport. The project describes, analyzes and compares how seven Special Sports Associations understand inclusion in relation to disability, sport and gender. The project thus contributes significant knowledge with relevance to and anchored in the UN Convention on rights for people with disabilities and the sport's own governance document, Sport wants.
Questions
What does inclusion mean? How is it implemented in practice and who is it for?
