Everyone Has a Right to Glide! How Coaches Can Remove Barriers for Skaters with Disabilities By Courtney Fecske, PhD, CTRS
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.S. Figure Skating is making intentional efforts to practice inclusion, appreciate diversity, and enhance equity. When we discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion, people with disabilities are unfortunately often left out of the conversation. Skaters with disabilities are included in this movement and as coaches there are many practices you can follow to encourage people with disabilities to take the ice! This article aims to discuss common barriers that our athletes with disabilities may need to navigate before they even make it onto the ice and what we can do as coaches to help our skaters overcome these barriers.
Common Barriers Hull (1990) wrote, “If any agreement concerning the nature of leisure exists, it is the common belief that leisure is a positive experience accompanied by satisfying and pleasurable moods, emotions, or feelings” (p.104). When many of us think about what we love about skating, it is simply the freedom and feeling of gliding. The cool crisp air on your face, the fluid flow of movement, the “rip” of a running edge, the comfort of the ice, our home. Youth sport in particular has been shown to be an effective mode to promote psychological benefits (Martin, 2006). Evidence overwhelmingly supports that physical activity, recreation, and sport have the potential to positively and significantly impact the lives of participants (Hogan, Caralino, Mata, & Fredrickson, 2015; Gaskin, Anderson, & Morris, 2010). Thus, if we know that there are many positive outcomes to
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engaging in recreation, leisure, and sport for people with disabilities why do we not see more skaters with disabilities on the ice? Let’s get to the heart of the matter and look at what the evidence shows as to why it is challenging for people with disabilities to access the sport we love. The research shows that individuals, particularly adolescents with disabilities, have fewer opportunities to participate in leisure, recreation, and sport than those without disabilities (Block, Tallaferro, & Moran, 2013). This is unfortunate because empirical evidence also supports the many positive benefits of participation in sport and physical activity for adolescents with disabilities (Anderson, 2009). Aside from lack of opportunity, other impactful barriers include (1) lack of knowledge about how to include people with disabilities in sport programming from multiple parties such as program directors and coaches. For people with disabilities (2) attitudes and stereotypes can also be prohibitive towards sport participation. At many rinks there may be a lack of representation of skaters with disabilities. Further, coaches and ice rink staff may have preconceived notions about if and how someone with a disability can ice skate and this can create an unwelcoming atmosphere. Another common concern can be a (4) lack of resources and financial support. Next, social support and sense of belonging (5) can make all the difference in creating an inclusive space. Lastly, physical accessibility (6) can be a significant barrier to participation for this community. Skaters need to be able to access the facilities at an ice rink including the restrooms, locker rooms, lobby, and ice surface. Beyond what evidence shows, as coaches, we found a passion for the ice that we all want to share with our skaters so how can we do this while acknowledging that there may be barriers stopping people with disabilities from participating in figure skating?
