Disability sport and activist identities: A qualitative study of narratives of activism among elite athletes’ with impairment

Objectives: Sport and exercise psychology has recently expanded into how it can be utilized to enable social missions like activism. No research, however, has examined activist identities among disabled, elite athletes. This article is the first to engage with this new and complex issue by examining narratives of activism amongst elite athletes with impairment and their adoption/rejection of various activist identities. Methods: Thirty-six people were recruited using maximum variation and criterion-based purposive sampling strategies. Data was collected using interviews and fieldwork observations (e.g., observation and social media material). The large data set was rigorously analyzed using a narrative thematic analysis. Results: All participants adopted an athletic identity and an athletic activist identity. A small group also adopted a political activist identity that was concerned with challenging disablism. The athletes’ reasons for adopting or eschewing activist identities are identified and connections made to organizational stressors, interpellation, feeling, emotional regulation, narrative, habitus, health and wellbeing. Also revealed is the impact that sporting retirement had on activist identity construction. Conclusions: The article makes a novel research contribution by revealing two different activist identities within the context of disability sport and what social functions each identity might serve. It also significantly develops knowledge by revealing various organizational stressors experienced by disabled athletes, the importance of embodied feelings and emotional regulation in activist identity construction, the damage that social oppression can have on wellbeing following sporting retirement, and the positive possibilities retiring may have for developing different identities. Practical suggestions are as well offered

Struggling to stay and struggling to leave: The experiences of elite para-athletes at the end of their sport careers

This paper is closed access until 28 October 2019.OBJECTIVE To explore the retirement experiences of elite para-athletes. Athletic retirement has long been of interest to sport psychologists. With a few exceptions, little attention has been paid to the retirements of elite athletes with disabilities. The research that has been done on para-sport was conducted in the late 1990s and the context of Paralympic sport has changed in the interim. DESIGN: An online survey was distributed to retired para-athletes (n = 60) and qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposive sub-sample (n = 13). SAMPLE: The sample included 48 Paralympians (21 had medalled at the Paralympic Games) and 12 internationally competitive para-athletes. The group included 39 males and 21 females and was diverse in age (22–77 years of age), impairment history and impairment type (35 acquired impairments and 25 congenital impairments), and sport (24 different para-sports). METHODS: Guided by a subjective and transactional epistemological framework, data was thematically analyzed. RESULTS: Although most para-athletes leave sport for the same reasons as their able-bodied peers, certain reasons for retirement, such as declassification, are unique to para-sport. Para-athletes facing these types of retirements had particularly difficult transition experiences and could benefit from additional support. Para-athletes also reported that the increasing professionalization of para-sport, combined with uncertainty about post-sport employment opportunities for people with disabilities, made it more difficult to retire. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the experiences of retirement that are unique to para-sport will permit sport psychologists and other practitioners to provide better and more targeted support to para-athletes

Considerations for making informed choices about engaging in open qualitative research

There is currently little guidance that exists for researchers in the sport and exercise sciences on open qualitative research practices. The purpose of paper is to provide researchers with guidance regarding the considerations necessary for making informed decisions about engaging in open research practices within qualitative inquiry. The guidance was developed through a series of four working group meetings with experts in qualitative research and meetings with key stakeholders (study participants, journal editors, and data management experts). The wider open qualitative research literature also informed the guidance. Nine core values were first identified as underpinning the considerations for engaging in open qualitative research practices: Choice (academic freedom and participant autonomy); Plurality not replication; Flexibility and emergent design; Transparency; Relational ethics; Quality; Education; Equity; and Responsibility. Considerations for researchers are then provided in the following areas as they pertain to open science practices in qualitative inquiry: Types of Data; Types of Studies; Participant Groups; Anonymity and Confidentiality; Participant Consent; Storage and Stewardship of Qualitative Data; Knowledge Dissemination and Open Access Publications; Cost, Time, and Resources; and Preregistration of Qualitative Studies. This paper provides an initial framework for identifying considerations for engaging in open qualitative research practices. These considerations will help qualitative researchers make informed decisions about and plan for implementation of open science practices, as well as assessing the risks and benefits of open science practices in qualitative inquiry

Perspectives from the Spinal Cord Injury Community with TeleSCI Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic : A Qualitative Study

Purpose: To explore individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) experiences with and perceptions towards teleSCI services during the COVID-19 global pandemic in British Columbia, Canada. Method: Using maximum variation sampling, we invited selected individuals from a larger quantitative dataset (n=71) to partake in an interview. In total, 12 individuals participated in the study. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Interview transcripts were then coded and analysed by team members using qualitative descriptive analysis. Results: Individuals with a SCI perceived teleSCI services to be convenient, accessible, affordable, and an effective way to access some healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in-person healthcare was still needed by many participants to effectively manage and treat their SCI associated secondary conditions. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that, in a post-pandemic world, the SCI community would benefit from blended models of healthcare delivery that leverage telecommunication technologies to increase accessibility to healthcare while still providing in-person care for assessments and treatments.Education, Faculty ofMedicine, Faculty ofNon UBCKinesiology, School ofMedicine, Department ofReviewedFacultyResearcherUndergraduateOthe

Predicting high quality of participation in adaptive snow-sports for individuals with disabilities:An exploratory study

Objectives: This exploratory study aimed to examine the individual, program and environmental (social and physical) characteristics which predict high quality of participation in adaptive snowsports for each dimension of the Quality of Participation in Parasport Framework (QPPF): autonomy, belongingness, mastery, challenge, engagement and meaning. Methods: A survey was completed by 133 individuals with disabilities or their representatives on each dimension of the QPPF in adaptive snowsports and on the factors impacting the quality of participation. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the study participants, and a multivariate logistic regression model was constructed for each dimension of the QPPF to evaluate the relative contribution of individual, snowsport-related, program and environmental factors to each dimension. Results: Individuals with disabilities in this study reported high quality of participation on all dimensions of the QPPF. The individual characteristics only predicted the QPPF dimension of challenge. However, the program and environmental characteristics such as equipment, number of instructors and barriers were robust predictors of quality of participation. Conclusion: Overall, participants experienced high quality participation. Supporting the adaptive snowsports programs while reducing the barriers faced by people with disabilities should be a continued effort to promote quality of participation.</p