Shifting the perspective on disability

Abstract

Disabled people may experience physical, mental, emotional, social, and financial problems because of their limitations. There are many sources of social change, one widely recognized is sport. This study aimed to develop more knowledge about the sport as a social inclusion tool by exploring the experiences of athletes in a Paralympic sport in Colombia. The study utilized interviews with ten wheelchair rugby players from the Colombian National Team in 2020. Through the thematic analysis, six themes emerged: Sport as physical and psychological rehabilitation; sport as a promoter of independence; sport as a way of life; Sport as a catalyst for reshaping perceptions of disability within individual, familial, and societal contexts.; sport as a promoter of family and social relationships and social networks and sport as paid work and economic support The results show that sport contributes to social inclusion through the empowerment of athletes personal, social and economic capacities.