The complexities of implementing inclusion policies for disabled people in UK non-disabled voluntary community sports clubs

Narrowing the Definition of Social Inclusion in Sport for People with Disabilities through a Scoping Review

“…In the absence of a clear definition [ 46 ], attempting to define the concept of social inclusion of people with disabilities in sport will help policy makers implement more effective inclusive sport programs. Eighteen (18) studies were selected that included or suggested a definition.…”

“…Depending on their preferences and needs, people with disabilities’ choices to participate in sport can vary greatly: some prefer to train in mainstream clubs because there they can train with people without disability; others feel more comfortable in segregated activities, parallel activities, or mixed activities. Many scholars have argued for giving equal importance to segregated and inclusive approaches, arguing that many people who engage in disability-specific sport may regain their self-confidence, which later enables them to engage in mainstream sport, in a sport development continuum [ 4 , 45 , 46 , 55 ]. It is perhaps too early to claim that true inclusion in sport takes place in sports clubs involving groups with athletes of different abilities, yet there are many authors who support this idea.…”

“…It is perhaps too early to claim that true inclusion in sport takes place in sports clubs involving groups with athletes of different abilities, yet there are many authors who support this idea. We can read about the importance of full and partial inclusion [ 46 ], mixed ability groups [ 52 ], the empowerment model [ 28 ], and sport for all [ 42 , 45 , 47 ].…”

“…Successful social inclusion, therefore, requires a change to the social model [ 46 , 49 ], and this is most likely to succeed in mainstream sport.…”

“…Even a search of the literature on inclusion in sport showed us that one has to specify the term “social inclusion” to get the right results in the browser, as the word “inclusion” itself is too broad. All this contributes to the vagueness of the field, which is also noticeable in the legal framework [ 46 ].…”