Peer-reviewed article
[Promoting participation in sports clubs: sports- and physical activity-oriented social work with people with disabilities].
Eghbalpour S, Reifferscheidt P ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This article discusses how sport and physical activity can support children and adolescents with disabilities in their development, well-being, and social inclusion. It identifies barriers that prevent these young people from accessing sports, such as inaccessible facilities, transport problems, and staff uncertainty. The article argues that sports-oriented social work, working across schools, clubs, families and communities, is needed to create truly inclusive physical activity opportunities that respect children's rights and everyday needs.
Key points
- Physical activity supports motor development, psychosocial well-being, self-efficacy, and social inclusion for children and adolescents with disabilities
- Barriers to participation include inaccessible facilities, insufficient transport and assistance services, lack of low-threshold offers, and professional uncertainties with heterogeneous groups
- There is a persistent gap between interest in sport participation and actual access to inclusive sport structures
- Inclusive physical activity promotion requires accessible structures, qualified professionals, cooperation between multiple services, and settings that respect everyday lives and participation rights
- Article references the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Article 30, on participation in recreation, leisure, and sport
Limitations
The document is a discussion of approaches and potential rather than an evaluation of specific interventions with measured outcomes. It does not provide empirical evidence about what works or comparative data on different models of inclusive sports provision.
Abstract
Physical activity is an important resource for health, development and social participation in childhood and adolescence. For children and adolescents with disabilities, sport and movement can support motor development, psychosocial well-being, self-efficacy, and social inclusion, while also contributing to the prevention of chronic diseases and obesity. However, access to inclusive physical activity opportunities remains limited. Barriers include inaccessible facilities, insufficient transport and assistance services, a lack of low-threshold offers, and uncertainties among professionals in dealing with heterogeneous groups.Against the background of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, particularly Article 30 on participation in recreation, leisure, and sport, this article discusses practice-oriented approaches to physical activity promotion for children and adolescents with disabilities. Drawing on findings on participation in organized sport, the article highlights a persistent gap between interest in sport participation and actual access to inclusive sport structures.The article focuses on the potential of sport- and movement-oriented social work to strengthen participation-oriented health promotion. Particular attention is given to cooperation between sport clubs, schools, child and youth services, families, assistance services, and local communities. The article argues that inclusive physical activity promotion requires not only individual support, but also accessible structures, qualified professionals, and settings that take the everyday lives, preferences, and participation rights seriously.