AccessAbility
Creating Access to Ability
The Need and benefits
Despite various international efforts, youth with disabilities are found to have lower levels of cardiorespiratory fitness, lower levels of muscular endurance, and higher rates of obesity, than typical youth their age.
In addition, the rates for depression, low self-esteem, and lack of confidence are higher in youth with disabilities compare to their non-disabled peers. These youth are often not encouraged to have active lives and in fact they tend to follow sedentary lives, with greater health problems, leading to more physical activity barriers and often resulting in complete social withdrawal.
Senior citizens and adults with mobility issues are also faced with similar challenges.
By now a large body of scientific studies serve as evidence for the beneficial role of physical activity, exercise, and sport participation in children, and youth with disabilities. These apply equally to senior citizens also. Some of these benefits are:
- Adequate levels of muscular strength and endurance, which are associated with increased bone mass, reduction in injury from falls, and a greater ability to complete activities of daily living.
- Sports participation enhances the psychological well-being of children and youth with disabilities, and the elderly citizens, through the provision of opportunities to form friendships, express creativity, develop a self-identity, and foster meaning and purpose of life.
- Special Olympic athletes have showed heightened self-esteem, perceived physical competence, and peer acceptance when compared to non-participants.
- Participation in regular physical activity can foster independence, coping abilities, competitiveness and teamwork among children and youth with disabilities. It also enhances the quality of life of the senior citizens who remain active through physical activities.