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Physical literacy (PL) is increasingly being implemented as a means for holistic development for children and youth. Despite this, children experiencing disabilities and their families continue to face barriers that impede participation in physical activities and subsequent PL development. To empower families to actively engage in their PL development, this study sought to provide an accessible, home- and play-based, parent-facilitated intervention, namely, PLayTubs. The purpose was to explore parents’ subjective understanding, involvement, and attitudes toward facilitating physical activity opportunities contributing to PL development through this intervention. Four parents with a child (<12 years old) diagnosed with a developmental impairment participated in a 10-week PLayTub experience. Data were collected via semistructured interviews with parents and their children. Making use of an interpretive description methodology and an ecological-dynamics conceptual framework, this study resulted in three themes: (a) a catalyst for autonomy, (b) more than just movement, and (c) an accessible alternative. Parents found that PLayTubs fostered autonomous participation and individual agency, enhanced connections and togetherness, and allowed for the creation of meaningful experiences with physical activity. These positive insights demonstrate the benefit of home-based interventions for this population and highlight the need for larger studies in the future.

This needs-assessment study evaluated the physical activity levels, needs, preferences, and requirements for exercise among individuals with visual impairments, aiming to establish evidence for the codesign of a subsequent home-based exercise program. The questionnaire, comprising 35 questions, was developed by a research team of disability and adapted physical activity experts. It was implemented for the online survey, collecting data from 145 adults with severe low vision and blindness between January 15 and January 29, 2024. Descriptive statistical analysis and content analysis were employed. Seventy-five participants (62.5%) were classified as overweight or obese, and only 15 participants reported engaging in the recommended levels of physical activity. Regarding the requirements for future home-based exercise programs, seven themes were identified: accessibility, nonvisual learning support, safety management, personalization, motivation, education, and technology. The results emphasized the urgent need for adapted home-based exercise programs that align with individuals’ specific health conditions and abilities.

Strengths-based media coverage of people with disability challenges deficits-based perceptions of impairment that are elicited through a traditional, medical model. As an evaluation of strengths-based media coverage, we examined the impact of viewing Paralympic media coverage on explicit attitudes toward people with disability. University students (N = 135, M _age = 20.2 years) were assigned to a 12-day experimental condition of viewing either (a) Paralympic events (n = 47), (b) Olympic events (n = 48), or (c) no media coverage (n = 40). Attitudes toward disability were assessed pre- and postintervention using the Attitudes to Disability Scale. Repeated-measures profile analysis with a doubly multivariate design did not reveal improved attitudes toward disability after viewing Paralympic media coverage. Supporting previous work that questioned the ability of the Paralympic Games to alter perceptions of disability, these results suggest that the International Paralympic Committee is not achieving their intended legacy of inclusion.

This study investigated how jogai frequency influences referee decisions and match outcomes in judo athletes with visual impairment during official competitions. Video analysis of 268 matches revealed 1,395 instances of jogai, with 211 matches experiencing jogai and 57 without. Associations were carried out between jogai occurrences and match duration, sport classes, sexes, weight categories, and referee decisions post-jogai using chi-square tests (p < .05). Significant associations were found between jogai and match duration (χ² = 39.08, p < .001) and competition phase (χ² = 29.43, p = .043), particularly with frequent match stoppages (mate) within the first minute across all phases. These findings suggest a need for further research and potential adjustments in judo rules, informed by the new evidence-based classification, to enhance the equity and safety of matches for athletes with visual impairments.

Adapted physical activity has been critiqued for its lack of attention to assumptions underlying both research and practice. In response to these critiques, the purpose of this paper was to perform a secondary analysis of a recent systematic literature review to examine the axiological and ethical assumptions of physical activity intervention research involving adults with Down syndrome since 1990 in light of the possibilities of critical disability studies. Findings revealed the dominance of normative movement ideologies and a focus on physical activity performance. Participants were not afforded research roles beyond that of subjects, and there was no evidence of results being communicated to them. In future, we hope scholars will consider the use of emancipatory frameworks where power is situated within the community involved and more inquiry that expands our understanding of the benefits of physical activity for individuals with intellectual impairment that decenters the focus on normative ways of being.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of athletes in a competitive military sports recovery program with a specific focus on the extent to which coaches supported, or frustrated, athletes’ basic psychological needs. Eight military veteran athletes competing in parasport took part in semistructured interviews. The accounts of their experiences of working with coaches in this context and their influence on their psychological needs and well-being were thematically analyzed. Results demonstrated that coaches’ behaviors that support basic psychological needs can have positive effects on athletes’ well-being and support their wider rehabilitation. Furthermore, frustration of these needs through controlling behaviors contributed to psychological ill-being. Findings suggest practical implications to help inform coaching practice to support optimal recovery and an environment that promotes well-being.

This study investigated the use of recommended practices in university-based experiential learning associated with adapted physical activity and education (APA/E) undergraduate courses. Participants (N = 165) were instructors of APA/E courses with an experiential-learning component and/or professionals involved in APA/E experiential-learning programs at their university. Participants completed an online questionnaire designed to describe program characteristics and evaluate the use of two sets of practices, including those recommended for involving students and people with disabilities. Findings highlight low proportions of the use of practices recommended for people with disabilities and indicate that significantly more practices recommended for students were implemented (Z = −10.45, p < .001). Findings from this study have several implications for evaluation and intervention in APA/E experiential learning, such as including the disability community in planning and designing programming to benefit both students and people with disabilities. Instructors should aim to increase their implementation of practices recommended for involving people with disabilities.