LAW, SPORT, AND DISABILITIES: SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACHES

Abstract

Handicap is a generic concept which can comprise heterogeneous groups of people. Any international comparison reveals itself to be an arduous task.  In fact the groups of people concerned are not the same everywhere and practices vary according to this specific cultural, social and economic backgrounds. Public policies depend on the different representations of the notion of handicap and are influenced by both disabled people themselves as well as by policy makers as well.  For example in France from the early 1960s the word « handicap » was progressively replaced  by other nouns such as “infirme†(disabled) or “inadapté†(usted, malad). The shift in meaning of the word “handicapé†seems to be related to the distressing ordeals experienced by some, which have led to somatic and mental weaknesses and to the idea that ways can be found to compensate for handicaps and allowing ways to live as an able-bodied person. Beyond the widely spread social norms and behaviour, the handicapped person faces constraining representations almost stereotypical which a lead to the sense of enclosure. Being born triggers or handicapped generates a whole set of psychic disorders provoking an inner and collective moral suffering. The human body can be considered as the prevailing pillar of identity for both handicapped and valid people.  A two-fold psychological mechanism seems to be at the root of the handicapped person’s self-acceptance and his/her relationships to others and to social groups.  Through a mechanism of objectification the subject rediscovers his/her own and full identity within the world of able-bodied persons. Through the mechanism of appropriation the handicapped person accepts his/her self-experienced own image as he experienced it.  The construction of this new identity is internally nurtured and is strengthened by the close personal interactions which certainly contribute playing an important role in the development of our identity. The process is firstly generated among family members and then it is progressively encouraged more widely encouraged by social relations. In this perspective sport will fully impact the process.  Beyond too widely and hurriedly accepted evidences it is highly recommend one should disregard preconception we might have, even those barred or so-called evidence and be prepared to change our area of focus to define the ideal approach.  The main goal was to try to understand why and how sport activities can help to generate a transformation of self and social perception of our identity. The report presents the results of a survey, which was conducted in 2011 by the « Pôle Ressources National Sport et Handicaps » addressed to 1600 Clubs and 16000 Athletes indicate that a large number of clubs are really involved in the procedure of welcoming and confirms the positive impact of physical activity in order to reclaim a normal social image despite number of personal obstacles and considerable number of people with disabilities live in residential institutions. The survey shows also that clubs adapt their structures and procedures to facilitate the inclusion of people with disabilities, rather than expecting them to change to fit in with existing arrangements.