Every four years, Paralympians’ tales of triumph, hard work and talent appear in the sports pages when the world gathers to celebrate the Paralympic Games. Meanwhile, at the grassroots level, sport and physical activity academics and policy makers are exploring the opportunities and obstacles in place for everyday people with disabilities who are trying to navigate physical activity offerings from the playground to the podium. U of T’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) is making inroads, forging partnerships, gathering data and making recommendations on how to ensure Canadians with disabilities, across the lifespan, have access to physical activity opportunities to reap the many health benefits of being active.
With the Paralympic Games just weeks away, on March 1, KPE is turning the spotlight on this important conversation at its upcoming public symposium, Mobilizing Change: Enhancing Physical Activity Accessibility.
University of Toronto Professors Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos and John Cairney will be joined by Paralympic medallist and Professor Danielle Peers (University of Alberta) and Professor David Legg (Mount Royal University) to delve into their research in these areas and discuss practical applications of their work. Senior Lecturer and University of Toronto Scarborough’s Distinguished Visitor, the Honourable David C.Onley will be the esteemed MC for the evening.
Below Professors Cairney and Arbour-Nicitopoulos discuss the timeliness of the event and some of the themes the speakers will address.
What was the inspiration behind organizing this symposium?
JC: Our Faculty’s mission is to provide physical activity (PA) opportunities to everyone. Individuals with disabilities are in higher need of such PA opportunities than the general population. Thus, we decided to put a spotlight on research that will raise the awareness and prompt actions related to increasing PA opportunities for individuals with disabilities. In the run up to the Games, media attention often focuses on disabled athletes at the elite level, but that’s not the only story to focus on.
What are you hoping to achieve in leading this important conversation?
KA: We are hoping to address critical issues in the area of physical activity and disability that span from general participation to elite-level performance. Access to quality physical activity programs (including sport) is a concern for all individuals, but particularly for individuals with disabilities given the many well-documented barriers to physical activity such as accessible spaces, well-trained instructors and coaches, funding, and sustainability. We want to highlight the stories and experiences of children and youth, young adults, adults and even older adults – not just in the realm of elite-level sport (which tends to be the focus) but also in terms of general physical activity participation. What does the ‘physical activity pathway’ look like across these different life stages? What needs to change and how can we advocate for such change?
This symposium will be held a week before the Paralympics. What is the connection between the themes you’ll be discussing and this high profile event?
JC: Providing adapted PA grassroots opportunities is also a means of bolstering the Paralympics movement. Our public symposium will also be addressing the pathways to the Paralympics and helping us better identify and tackle the barriers to high-performance sport for individuals with disabilities.
Who are you hoping to see attend this event? What will they get out of it?
KA: Given the broad physical activity focus of our talk we are hoping all individuals with lived experiences with a disability, caregivers, professionals working with individuals with disabilities, representatives from organizations that work (or aspire to work) within the disability community, politicians and policy makers attend this event.
What type of action, conversation or legacy do organizers hope to see come as a result of this symposium?
JC: We look forward to including more and stronger grassroots interventions to allow young individuals with disabilities to have access to physical activity opportunities early in life. We want to initiate more conversations about the fact that many disabilities are not immediately visible. We need to help the general population better understand how we can best deliver physical programs, by making them more inclusive.
We hope that this and future conversations will lead to early interventions and programs that are sustainable. That includes adequate long-term investments with permanent, adapted physical activity programs. We also aim to mobilize community action and making this a priority for the population at large. It’s also important to question the legacy of the Games and how they do or do not impact participation across all levels.
Details about Mobilizing Change: Enhancing Physical Activity Accessibility can be found at kpe.utoronto.ca/mobilizing-change.