Sense of belonging: is inclusion the answer?

Abstract

The Americans with Disabilities Act mandated the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of social and civil life in the United States including sports. As a result, sport and recreation programmes designed for typically developing youth began to include children with disabilities. One popular recreation context providing sport activities for youth with disabilities is summer camp. Research on inclusive camps has shown mixed results, with some studies suggesting that children with disabilities continue to experience exclusion from physical activity and leadership opportunities, social isolation, and stigma. This conceptual and argumentative essay will review current research on inclusive camps and will argue that, until the mechanisms of inclusive camps are better understood and applied in practice, camps for children with disabilities may be the best delivery system to promote inclusion and a sense of belonging, arguably one of the most important outcomes of camp.