Women's Resistance and Empowerment through Wheelchair Sport

Abstract

This study investigated the experiences of participating in elite-level sport for women with physical disabilities. Ten Paralympic wheelchair basketball players aged 18 to 32 years were interviewed about their experiences in elite-level sport. A semi-structured interview format was utilized and constant comparison with a grounded theory approach was used throughout (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). A poststructural feminist framework that incorporates Foucault's concept of resistance (Foucault, 1979) is used for interpretation. Two themes from the data are addressed in this paper: (a) resistance to disability and, (b) empowerment, both physical and mental. The majority of the women interviewed had acquired disabilities and were reluctant participants in sport initially, or were determined to ‘beat’ their disability by pursuing competitive sport. Either way, the women felt that their involvement in high-level sport was a way of regaining control over their bodies. They also felt that by mastering the skills required of high-level competition and being able to display their proficiency helped them to establish an identity based in the role of athlete, not “disabled person”. In this way, the women were able to resist the stereotyped expectations associated with their disability and also to feel empowered both physically and mentally

Keywords:

• competitive/elite wheelchair sport
• sport
• disability
• empowerment
• resistance