“The wheelchair really is just a piece of athletic equipment to play the sport of basketball”: The experience of college athletes with disabilities navigating social inclusion and exclusion

This study examines the experiences of youth with physical disabilities navigating social inclusion and exclusion and their engagement in activism through college wheelchair basketball. Studies on disability frequently examine marginalization of, and challenges faced by individuals with disabilities, which can reinforce stereotypical understandings of individuals with disabilities. Yet the attention to youth’s participation in sports, particularly competitive sports that illuminate their strengths and resilience, allows us to identify and discuss effective strategies for supporting the social inclusion of youth with disabilities. As part of our focused ethnography on one U.S. collegiate wheelchair basketball team, we conducted in-depth individual interviews with players and coaches. Participant youth described wheelchair basketball as mediating both social inclusion and exclusion. Their involvement in wheelchair basketball expanded the opportunities for self-growth, participation in social activities, and access to higher education. They, however, highlighted their differences from other athletes without disabilities, including unequal treatment of wheelchair basketball compared to “stand-up” basketball, which motivated them to engage in activism. Participants described strategies they have employed to increase the awareness of their games and educate their classmates about disability and wheelchair basketball. These narratives suggest implications for social justice, particularly the need to raise the voices of youth with disabilities, and strategies for supporting their engagement with advocacy roles and activism.