Adolescence is a critical period when youth, with or without spinal cord injuries (SCI) form self-concepts, attitudes, and behaviours that shape their adult lives. Physical activity (PA) can serve as a powerful social vehicle for this development and to promote overall health however, youth with SCI often experience a plethora of barriers that limit their access to PA or favourable outcomes with PA such as physical, social, attitudinal, organizational, and institutional barriers. Parental support has been identified as one of the strongest correlates to PA participation among youth with disabilities. Parents play a crucial role in addressing the challenges their child faces by offering resources for meaningful participation in organized sport and PA that prioritize accessibility and adaptability. This study focuses on understanding the experiences and perceptions of youth with SCI with PA participation, along with parents’ experiences supporting their child’s PA participation and seeking opportunities. In situating this study in critical disability studies (CDS) through a constructionist lens, five youth (age 15-24) and five parent semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants across Canada. Through a reflexive thematic analysis, four main themes were developed: 1) redefining the meaning of PA: feeling freedom and self-expression; 2) the role of others in developing meaningful social connections; 3) wanting the grow the sport but who do we want? and; 4) inclusion on whose terms? The conditional nature of disability sport spaces. The findings offer important insight into the social environments of PA spaces and highlight the lived experiences of youth with SCI and parents in PA, community recreation, sport, and outdoor recreation. These findings have the potential to inform policy change and the development of more inclusive PA programs. Furthermore, these findings amplify voices that are often underrepresented in research and provide meaningful, relatable perspectives for families navigating PA and disability.
Kailan Tang (Fri,) studied this question.