Inclusão social através do esporte: vivências de adultos com deficiência física adquirida

Abstract

For some time, the idea of promoting social inclusion through sport has been incorporated in both international and national policies, as a strategic means of responding to contemporary issues that mainly affect the most vulnerable groups. The actions that have been implemented in this direction are not yet conclusive, especially with regard to people with disabilities. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of sport in promoting social inclusion of people with physical disabilities acquired during adulthood. Eight men and two women, residents of the city of Rio de Janeiro - Brazil, with ages between 34 and 67 years old, participated in the research. We used the qualitative approach of the Life History method, with open interviews, to bring the voices of the subjects engaged in sport. It was our goal to value and to give importance to their perceptions and feelings about their experiences "in" and "through" the sport, giving visibility to the realities they experienced. The lack of accessibility, the attitudinal, financial and environment barriers were identified as the main obstacles to practice and to engage in sport related activities, reducing its potential to promote social inclusion in its broadest sense. The data also showed that the experiences with sports integrated several experiences that influenced the self-knowledge of the subjects. In fact, these practices proved to be a starting point for a more active life, allowing the subjects to (re)understand their abilities after the acquisition of their physical disability. With the increase in self-confidence, the subjects discovered new interests, leading to the search for knowledge, as a means of exploring the expansion of their sense of belonging in society, as well as being more prepared to maintain engagement and ensure inclusion in the sport. The findings indicate that, from an individual perspective, there was social inclusion. However, public policies are needed to support initiatives in linking sport and education in order to promote lifelong learning, aimed at meeting the specific demands of people with disabilities.