Honey or vinegar? Athletes with disabilities discuss strategies for advocacy within the paralympic movement

Abstract

Drawing on interviews with 25 athletes with disabilities and para-sport participants (coaches, volunteers, and supporters), and on posts and comments made on a multiauthored blog discussing Paralympic sport, this article addresses how individuals advocate on behalf of disability sport. Our findings indicate that athletes and their allies adopt different styles of advocacy ranging in tone from more congenial (honey) to more confrontational (vinegar). In selecting what strategy to employ, advocates take into consideration their assessment of the perceived effectiveness of the strategy as well as the potential for backlash. We discuss our findings in light of Stake and Rosu’s definition of advocacy as a “fundamental act of human being” and within the context of the historically tumultuous relationship between disability rights advocacy and elite sport systems.