1. Special Populations and Sport
chapter 14
Special Populations and Sport

2. Chapter Outline Americans with Disabilities Act
American Association of People with Disabilities
Sport Participation for Athletes with Physical Disabilities
Sport Participation for Athletes with Mental Disabilities
Sport Participation for Older Athletes
Issues for Special Populations in Sport
Summary

3. Special Populations in the United States
More than 54 million people have at least one mental or physical disability:
Of these, 3 times as many live in poverty.
Of these, only 34% are very satisfied with life compared to 61% of people without disabilities.
There are 80 million Americans older than 50 years.
These populations are discriminated against and excluded.

4. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
U.S. law signed by President George H. Bush in 1990
Eliminates discrimination in several areas:
Employment
Government
Public accommodations
Telecommunications
Transportation
Dramatic change in sport opportunities

5. Paralympics
Games for athletes who have amputations, are visually impaired, or have cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, MS, dwarfism, and so on
1960 inaugural games in Rome, Italy
400 athletes from 23 countries participated
(continued)

6. Paralympics (continued)
Today include more than 5,000 athletes, 120 countries, 21 sports
Division of the U.S. Olympic Committee
State Paralympics held annually for athletes aged 12 to 18 years

7. Special Olympics
Athletes with intellectual disabilities, cognitive delays, significant learning disabilities, or vocational problems
Represent 150 countries and more than 1.7 million athletes
First games in Chicago, with 1,000 athletes participating
Goal is to improve fitness, develop skills, and increase confidence and self-image
2007 Games to be held in Shanghai, China

8. Sport Participation for Older Adults
Associations
AARP
International Council on Active Aging (ICAA)
Performance sports
Masters, senior tours
In 2005, 10,400 athletes competed in the Summer National Senior Games in Pittsburgh
2006 National Senior Festivals for Golf, Tennis, and Hockey
Example: Phillipa Raschker (44 Masters world records in track and field)
(continued)

9. Sport Participation for Older Adults (continued)
Participation sports
Current trends implicate huge increase in physical activity and sports for the over-50 crowd
Increase in lifetime activities with age: swimming, tennis, walking, golf, yoga
Communities offer free or inexpensive programs
Example: Kids and Kubs (Florida softball league whose age limit is 75 years and older!)

10. Issues for Special Populations
Acceptance
Funding and organizational support
Community program opportunities
Training for coaches, administration, and officials
(continued)

11. Issues for Special Populations (continued)
Equipment
Inclusion with other populations
Media support

12. Summary
Recent laws protect special populations with regard to opportunities and discrimination.
Athletes with disabilities are now offered national and international competition.
Older adults are able to compete on senior tours.
An increase in community level funding, acceptance, support, and opportunities for these populations is necessary.

13. On Deck… Questions and comments Assignments and readings
Next chapter: Religion and Sport
Prevalence
Reciprocal relationship