Promoting people with disabilities’ social inclusion in Africa through sport

Since time immemorial, societies have developed theories explaining disability, the occurrence of impairment, the existence of differences. These social representations influence the way people with disabilities are considered and treated (Diop, 2012). In Africa, social representations of disability that are based on spiritual, divine and relational understandings (Ibid). These biases can lead to stigmatisation, discrimination, and even violence against people with disabilities. In addition, the autonomy of people with motor, sensory or mental disabilities is often compromised, thereby increasing their social exclusion.

Disability sport and social inclusion

Generally, people with disabilities have fewer opportunities than non-disabled people, and their employment rates and educational attainment remain lower (WHO, 2011). Delivered in an adapted and inclusive way, sports programmes can help combat their marginalisation and change the negative perceptions frequently associated with disability.

In the Ivory Coast, more than 3% of the population has a visual disability (RGPH, 2014). Access to literacy and learning a trade that can improve their socioeconomic conditions is limited. Thus, the Ivorian Federation of Sports for the Visually Impaired (FISMA) created the “Sport’s victory over handicap” project to facilitate the social integration of 300 visually impaired and illiterate girls through sports (cecifoot, judo, athletics) and literacy in braille.

In Burundi, local beliefs state that having a child with a physical or mental disability is synonymous with a curse. In order to promote the social inclusion of children living with a mental disability, Burundi’s National Olympic Committee aims to provide an adapted football practice that will also improve the beneficiaries’ health.  

Like Arnaud Assoumani, Paralympic long jump champion and Sport Impact Leader, who believes that sport can help in “Breaking down barriers and promoting inclusion“, Golden Boots Uganda advocates for the use of sport as a transformative tool. The organisation wants the people with disabilities to actively contribute to society and be recognised in the same ways as their non-disabled counterparts (sportanddev, 2020).

Paralympism in Africa

The Paralympic Games give an international platform of equal opportunities, promote assistive technologies and challenge prejudices related to disability. The Games are quite popular in Africa, but Paralympic sports suffer from great disparities.

Like most modern regulated sport, disability sport has spread from the Global North to the Global South and continues to reproduce that process of diffusion though increasingly expensive sport prostheses, adapted equipment, and coaching techniques (Novak, 2014). The disability sport diffusion on the continent is uneven and African participation in the Paralympics is dominated by South Africa, where disability sport and Paralympism played a key role in post-apartheid reform (Rademeyer, 2017).

Recognising this heterogeneity, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and Loughborough University have designed a project to expand Paralympic sport reach and challenge disability stigma across sub-Saharan Africa. Para Sport against Stigma uses interdisciplinary action research in Gambia, Malawi and Zambia to generate a better understanding of how Paralympic sport can be implemented and have an effective, relevant and sustainable impact for people with disabilities.

For both disability sport and Paralympism to be successful in promoting the social inclusion of people with disabilities in Africa in the long run, it is crucial to strongly integrate disability into public policies and work on the resources, technologies and adapted infrastructure. Only then will people with disabilities be able, more than ever, to play an active part in society.