A social relational analysis of an impairment-specific mode of disability coach education

The purpose of this research was to analyse a mode of coach education provided by a major disability charity. The course was designed for sports coaches and physical activity professionals and focused on coaching people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The subsequent analysis drew on data obtained over two years, including participation observation, qualitative survey data and follow-up case study interviews. The research process was scaffolded by a level model approach. Data were analysed in an iterative fashion to generate themes representative of the process of coach learning in relation to discourses about disability, subsequently generating an understanding of the impact of disability coach education on coaches’ knowledge. To provide a level of abstraction and critical explanation, we drew on the work of Thomas and engaged with a social relational model of disability to analyse the formation and expression of coaching knowledge in relation to ASD. The analysis highlighted how coach education was an environment for the transmission of ideology about disability, that drew on medical model discourses and constrained coach learning, contributing to a ‘false’ ideology of inclusion

Crossing boundaries: the perceived impact of disabled fitness instructors in the gym

Objectives For disabled individuals, the gym is perceived to be an inaccessible space to exercise due to the deeply embedded ableism within this environment. This study uniquely explored how disabled gym instructors perceived they impacted the gym environment and the possibilities of making the gym a more inclusive space for disabled people to exercise. Design We used an inductive, qualitative design whereby ten disabled gym instructors were purposefully sampled. Methods Data were rigorously collected through semi-structured interviews totalling 35 h, transcribed verbatim, and subject to thematic analysis. Results Participants perceived they made three key impacts in the gym. First, they believed they promoted the gym as a more inclusive environment through helping construct a more accessible physical space, embodying an alternate way of being and providing a relatable narrative. Second, instructors believed their own unique understanding of disability improved their capacity to relate to disabled gym clients by instilling a sense of camaraderie and acting as an aspirational future self. Third, participants felt they enhanced applied practice for training disabled clients through creativity in training and supporting non-disabled instructors. Conclusion This article makes a significant contribution to knowledge by highlighting that disabled gym instructors can play a vital role in promoting a more inclusive space to exercise. It also highlights that to increase gym use amongst disabled populations, efforts should consider the potential beneficial impacts of disabled gym instructors in relation to promoting health and well-being

Understanding physical activity participation in spinal cord injured populations: three narrative types for consideration

The aim of this study was to identity the types of physical activity narratives drawn upon by active spinal injured people. More than 50 h of semi-structured life-story interview data, collected as part of larger interdisciplinary program of disability lifestyle research, was analysed for 30 physically active male and female spinal cord injury (SCI) participants. A structural narrative analysis of data identified three narrative types which people with SCI draw on: (1) exercise is restitution, (2) exercise is medicine, and (3) exercise is progressive redemption. These insights contribute new knowledge by adding a unique narrative perspective to existing cognitive understanding of physical activity behaviour in the spinal cord injured population. The implications of this narrative typology for developing effective positive behavioural change interventions are critically discussed. It is concluded that the identified narratives types may be constitutive, as well as reflective, of physical activity experiences and therefore may be a useful tool on which to base physical activity promotion initiatives

Family experiences of living with an eating disorder: a narrative analysis

Families are considered important in the management and treatment of eating disorders. Yet, rarely has research focused on family experiences of living with an eating disorder. Addressing this gap, this study explores the experiences of an elite 21-year-old triathlete with an eating disorder in conjunction with the experiences of her parents. Family members attended interviews individually on three separate occasions over the course of a year. In line with the narrative approach adopted, whereby stories are considered the primary means to construct experience, interviews encouraged storytelling through an open-ended, participant-led structure. Narrative analysis involved repeated readings of the transcripts, sensitising towards issues of narrative content (key themes) and structure (overarching plot). Family difficulties arose when personal experiences strayed from culturally dominant narrative forms and when family members held contrasting narrative preferences. Suggestions are forwarded as to how an appreciation of eating disorder illness narratives might inform treatment and support

Using a smartphone ‘app’ in qualitative research: the good, the bad and the ugly

This paper reflects on the use of a smartphone application (‘app’) in qualitative research following the experience of the FREE (Football Research in an Enlarged Europe) project, which investigated the lives of football fans in the UK. To meet this aim, a participant-focused audio-visual methodology was designed, featuring the use of an app to collect data. Fans were asked to take photographs and keep diaries to show the role football plays in their lives. The smartphone app was developed to allow fans to use their own mobile phones, capturing qualitative data in ‘real time’. The paper reflects on our experience of using the smartphone app in this qualitative research, analysing the advantages, disadvantages and the main risks that researchers will need to take into account when using smartphone apps in their future qualitative research projects. We encourage others to build on and advance this under-researched but potentially valuable tool

Disability and the gym: experiences, barriers and facilitators of gym use for individuals with physical disabilities

Purpose: Individuals with physical disabilities are among the most inactive population in society, arguably due to the lack of suitable environments to exercise. The gym is a space dedicated to improving physical fitness in a controlled environment with specialized equipment and qualified instructors. The feasibility of using this space to promote health to this population, however, is yet to be established. Method: Over an 18-month period, 21 people with physical disabilities were interviewed regarding their experiences in the gym. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, transcribed verbatim, and subject to thematic analysis. Results: Four broad themes were identified: (1) experiencing enhanced well-ness, (2) perceived conflict between gym values and disability, (3) influence of a previous gym identity, and (4) experiences of psycho-emotional disablism. Conclusions: Participants were perceived to experience a variety of health benefits; however, they also experienced many barriers such as not aligning to the cultural norms of the gym, limited interpretations of health, oppressive messages from the built environment, and negative relational interactions. While there is potential for the gym to be used as a place to promote health, more must be done to foster an inclusive atmosphere in this space

A ‘healthy’ future? Supporters’ perceptions of the current state of English football

Over the last few years clear public policy support in favour of fan engagement in the governance of football has developed. This is based on the assumption that supporters are dissatisfied with the current governance structures within the sport. There is, however, no robust academic evidence of whether this is indeed the case. This article aims to contribute to the debate by presenting data from qualitative fieldwork with 21 football supporters during March-May 2013. Each participant created a photograph album over an eight-week period, and was then interviewed individually to elicit the meaning of their photographs and diaries. This group of fans used their photographs to express dissatisfaction with several aspects of current football governance, highlighting issues with the financial, physical and social health of the sport. We suggest a number of implications of this, both for the fans and for the future state of the game

Implicit beliefs of disability and elite sport: the para-athlete experience

The purpose of this study was to explore the implicit beliefs and underlying motivational processes of para-athletes, and how these beliefs influenced perceptions of sport performance, as well as challenge the dominant social stereotypes that misconstrue disability as inability. Utilising a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five elite para-athletes from various sporting backgrounds and analysed from a psychosocial perspective according to the procedures of theoretical thematic analysis. To invoke greater emotional tone and depth, participant-created visual data were used to supplement the initial thematic analysis. Three themes associated with the implicit beliefs of para-athletes were identified and termed, (1) on being disabled, (2) achieving is believing and (3) accepting differences or being indifferent. These themes illustrated how participants had to accept the ‘fixed’ nature of their disability first, before they could work towards overcoming its limitations. Through continuously adapting and adjusting their strategies to address setbacks as they occurred, the process of accepting limitations and overcoming setbacks led to increased feelings of self-efficacy and competence, which consequently led to the dominant incremental beliefs participants held

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

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

Exercise is medicine? Most of the time for most; but not always for all

Based on extensive research on the relationship between exercise and health, exercise as a form of medicine is a powerful concept of growing popularity within healthcare, academia and policy. Proponents of this exercise is medicine (EiM) movement frame exercise as a panacea for a variety of health issues and uncritically promote exercise as good for all. Two clinical populations particularly influenced by the EiM agenda are spinal cord injury (SCI) and arthritis. The purpose of this research was to explore how individuals with SCI and arthritis personally make sense of their exercise experiences. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with participants with SCI and 20 participants with arthritis. Following a thematic narrative analysis, three patterns were identified across the whole data set. These were: 1) exercise and restitution; 2) exercise and pain; and 3) exercise and pleasure. Taken together, these results provide new knowledge regarding the impact of exercise that both align with, and contrast, the dominant EiM discourse. When exercise is perceived as ‘medicine’, stories of exercise participation spoke of cure, and restitution, rather than health and well-being. Pain was an unwelcomed side effect of exercise participation for some, and had a detrimental impact upon motivation and engagement. Lastly, a focus upon the medicinal benefits of exercise did not reflect the multiple pleasures experienced through exercise participation. Thus, health professionals, academics and policy makers need to prescribe to more ethical forms of exercise promotion that may lead to more efficacious, person-sensitive interventions