Contents

Publisher's Statement
Foreword
Feature
Current Issues

Bulletin 61 print

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| Feature | No.61 May 2011 |

The Centre for Inclusive Sport Studies in Madrid (Spain): An Example of Research Application in Adapted and Inclusive Sports
Javier Pérez, Javier Alonso & Javier Sampedro
Introduction
According to the European Commission (2008), social inclusion is a process that ensures that those at risk of poverty and social exclusion increase their opportunities and resources to participate fully in economic, social and cultural life as well as enjoy living conditions and welfare that are considered normal in the society in which they live. Within this complex and wide umbrella, inclusion into physical activity and sport has been linked to real practice (e.g. Students or sportsmen and women with and without disabilities together in one space, being coached and using the same resources). However, social inclusion is understood as an interaction of people with and without disabilities at home, school and community (Sherrill, 2003).
Inclusion also means allocation of services, changing people`s attitudes and developing a sense of responsibility. This is suggesting that, instead of making someone with a disability ready for society, the society should be ready or adapted for this person. In this way, we can say that inclusion is a cohesive sense of community, acceptance of differences and responsiveness to individual needs (Stainback & Stainback, 1996; in Hutzler, 2003). We know the beneficial effects of physical activity and sport on health, especially for those persons with disabilities, and in Spain there is a need to implement inclusion into the sport service, as in other fields such as labour markets or educational contexts, where this inclusion is being accomplished already. In our opinion, sport is a service, which is still not fully accessible in Spain, with very low research done into this issue, and very little attention from administrations and regular sport institutions.
Going beyond the real, effective and necessary inclusion in Physical Education of pupils with disabilities (where there is still a lot to do), other sport contexts need to be open to those with a disability. For us, the joint sport practice of people with and without disabilities is one of the most powerful tools we have for sport practice advocacy in populations with disability. At the same time, adapted sport manifestations should be more known, and should be seen as normalised practice and be made more sensitive to those disabled individuals who have some interest. More importantly, when regarding sport competition for the disabled, the national programmes in some countries like Scandinavia, Canada or Australia have regulated the integration of services for athletes with disabilities into their respective governing bodies. This implies the same treatment for these athletes as the able bodied sportsmen and women, and also the respect for their needs in order to obtain maximum performance. These processes are now starting in Spain, and there are many concerns regarding the future role of the institutions and their roles within disability sport.
In this context and trying to provide some light to the above mentioned situation, the sport experience and academic knowledge of the university have come together with private sector interests to create a referral centre for the study of the processes of inclusion in sport. During 2010, the “Centre for Inclusive Sport Institute” (CEDI) has been positioned as a fundamental institution, at the top level in Spain, for the analysis and dissemination of inclusion processes of persons with disabilities into mainstream sport. This has been made possible with the support from Fundación Sanitas at the institutional level, and from the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences – INEF (Polytechnic University of Madrid) at the administrative, academic and scientific levels. The agreement implies joint undertaking between these institutions for their common investment in this wide and unexplored field of action. From this agreement, the academic and scientific impact of every action of the CEDI is grounded in the most up-to-date and contrasted expertise regarding sport sciences as it applies to physical activity and sports for persons with disabilities and, even more importantly, advocating the real inclusive practice within all sciences.
After the signing of the agreement between the two institutions (October 28th, 2009), the first step of the Centre has focused primarily on the following:

- To make the CEDI the reference and inspiration at the academic/scientific level regarding dissemination of research knowledge and best evidence-based-practices in Inclusive - Adapted Physical Activities and Sport for disabled people, while focussing on health promotion.
- To position the CEDI as a reference at the institutional, academic and scientific level, with the best quality standards possible, in the framework of the “Strategic Alliance for Inclusive Sport”, headed by Fundación Sanitas across the whole country.

The CEDI`s vision is to analyse and to spread the benefits, at all levels, of inclusive - adapted physical activity and sports for persons with disabilities through the awareness of responsible agents and institutions, offering opportunities for actual practice, empowerment and knowledge up-dating. This vision has inspired the development of four action lines into the centre: research, teaching and training, activities and visible actions. The CEDI has been fully active in the four of them. This article presents concrete actions related to every area and the achievements of the CEDI project during this year, following the determined lines of action.
Research and Knowledge Exchange
Regarding research, (line 1), the CEDI is leading 2 research projects and is a collaborator in another 2. The main one, led by the CEDI, is already completed. This was the “Analysis of sport habits of persons with disability in Spain (APRADDIS)”, which resulted from a public research call by the High Council for Sport. This project analyses the levels of practice and benefits of physical activity in persons with disability from an inclusive perspective. Another project led by the CEDI is the “Evaluation of reaction time in sprinters with normal hearing and impaired hearing” (in progress). The CEDI is collaborating at the international level in one multi-country research project in the “Leonardo Da Vinci” European Commission programme, named “Adapted Physical Activity in Vocational and Educational Training” (APAVET, from October 2010 to June 2012). Moreover, together with the Higher Sport Council and the Spanish Paralympic Committee, the CEDI has analysed the integration processes at the international level through the project “Integration processes in sport: the case of Para-cycling at the international level”. Two calls for PhD student scholarships has been delivered, which focus on the issues of inclusion into sport by individuals with a disability.
Training and Teaching
In the area for training and teaching (line 2), the CEDI has adapted and translated the European Inclusive Physical Education Training (EIPET) documentation into the Spanish context, which is a key milestone in the education and training of physical education teachers in the actual inclusion and participation of pupils with disability in physical education classes. Together with the Spanish Paralympic Committee, the CEDI has developed the “Information Resource Centre on Paralympic Sport” located at the library of the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences (INEF), as a unique forum for the location of and access to all the information generated regarding Paralympic Sport in Spain. Even more, the CEDI has been represented in 6 postgraduate or masters courses in sport sciences training modules, acceding to the highest standards of university training. Finally, the CEDI is a place for practical tutorials for postgraduate pupils, focusing on integration processes.
We are also involved in forums and congresses. For example, during its first year of life, the CEDI was invited to 16 congresses and conferences (6 of them at the international level), and we have participated in another 6 more (with oral or poster presentations). In total, more than 20 presentations have been delivered. The number of actions, and especially, the quality standards achieved, has given the CEDI the most relevant and influential role in Spanish sport. For example, technical advice was provided for coordinating the scientific committee for the “Second Spanish Conference of Adapted Sport” (Valencia, February 2011), which was organised by the Spanish Paralympic Committee, the Higher Sports Council and the University of Valencia, who coined the conference title “Integration processes at international level: Suggestions in the Spanish context” (2011). Also, the “I National Conference on Adapted Cycling” (May 2011), organised by the Community of Madrid, has been coordinated at the scientific level by CEDI.
Moreover, the CEDI has been present throughout these months in 6 different postgraduate courses regarding research into sport sciences related health, disability, sport and applied research. 5 training courses regarding inclusive sports have been organised in this time period, for example, an undergraduate specialisation into “Inclusive Physical Activities” for sport sciences students, which was included in the continuing education programmes of the Community of Madrid`s government.
Activities
Regarding activities (line 3), the CEDI has organised 3 inclusive sport activities and has collaborated in another 5, some of them as one-off (one day) events and some together with other institutions in promoting sport for children with disabilities in inclusive settings. According to the CEDI philosophy, we find activity development the ideal context for training and community awareness raising so in 3 of the technical and training courses developed, activities were also included. In this regard, the “III Inclusive Basketball Camp” was organised by the Real Madrid Foundation and the CEDI´s collaboration in April 2011, with the participation of 48 children (23 of them with physical disabilities) in an ideal context of inclusive practice for the promotion of health, life skills and values through basketball practice (see photo 1).
At the same time, space for new sports has been generated from an inclusive perspective. For example, electric wheelchair hockey has been developed at the regional level and “windreamer”® and inclusive kite sports (see photo 2) have also been used for inclusive sport promotion.
Photo 1: Practice at the Inclusive Basketball Camp. Photo 2: Windreamer ® inclusive practice.

The double scope of the CEDI (best knowledge and best practices) has been presented and disseminated through all actions in the different lines of intervention, but particularly through the most important activity developed: the “Inclusive Sport Week”. This activity marks the real launch and presentation of the CEDI into society. This brand new and fresh activity to promote inclusive sports, which mixes the best theory and practical session, with more than 20 speakers, 10 sport coordinators, 50 sportsmen and women with and without disability from the selected sports (hall soccer, inclusive hockey, inclusive basketball and inclusive tennis) and more than 200 participants.
Held from 25th to 29th October, 2010, the activity itself was structured in theoretical and inclusive practical sessions. Theoretical sessions were developed for the morning gathering, always about relevant and current topics. These included inclusive physical education, health related sport practice for persons with disabilities, accessibility into sport services and integration processes from disability to mainstream sport. In the afternoon, actual inclusive practice was performed, with the collaboration of disability associations (Fundación ONCE), sports institutions (Real Madrid Foundation), or sport clubs and national federations. The practices were one per day, with professional exhibitions in the afternoon, followed by colleges` participation and children`s inclusive practices. Sports like blind soccer (see photo 5), inclusive (electric wheelchair) hockey, inclusive basketball (see photo 6) and inclusive tennis (see photo 4) were practiced.
The “Inclusive Sport Week” finished with the participation of the best possible rolemodel of inclusion in sport worldwide: the South African athlete Oscar Pistorius, who presented a keynote presentation at the conference during Inclusive Sport Week (see photo 3). This was, in our opinion, the best event ever in Spain for the promotion of inclusive sport, and the involvement of key institutions and the presence of some of the best sportsmen and women, with and without disability in Spain. For example, Vicente del Bosque (national soccer coach) and the aforementioned Oscar Pistorius. Participants evaluated this activity as excellent.
Photo 3: Oscar Pistorius’ keynote presentation at the Inclusive Sport Week.
Photo 4: Practice of Inclusive Tennis.
Knowledge dissemination and action visibility
In this line (4), the CEDI has been present in the media, written press, newspapers, institutional newsletters and radio interviews. Special coverage was developed for the presentation of the “Strategic Alliance for Inclusive Sport” (October 4th, 2010) and during the above mentioned “Inclusive Sport Week”. The first CEDI book ““Disability, physical activity and sport: Key factors for quality of life” was launched during August, 2010 and the second “Moving forward together towards integration” was presented this past March, 2011. For the CEDI, expert knowledge dissemination and education is a priority. Especially publicity and dissemination of information relating to all activities determined in the different lines of action. The methods for dissemination are mostly through the CEDI´s website, press releases, newsletters info, emailing and hard copy publication material.
Importance of institutional collaboration
The CEDI is playing a determined role, having a real and inspiring presence on the most knowledgeable platforms related to sport and disability in Spain. In this regard, at the scientific level, it has been requested to be present or collaborate in research projects and activities regarding the topic. For example, the CEDI has been cited greatly in the newspapers and is related to one of the most influential institutions of Physical Activity and Sport for persons with disability: the International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity (IFAPA). Dr. Yeshayahu Hutzler, its President, is one of the CEDI external experts.
At the same time, the CEDI is present in the main forums related to integration in sport, a “hot spot” nowadays in the Spanish sport context. The Spanish Paralympic Committee is leading these processes and the CEDI is working together with it organising conferences, manuals and actual inclusive activities: for example, the future implementation in Spain of the “Paralympic School Day” programme. The Higher Council for Sport, which is the main institution regarding sport in Spain, is also a partner in some projects. For instance, the development of a good practice manual regarding integration processes into sport. Both of these key institutions include the CEDI in their newsletters and websites.
Finally, at the institutional level, great success was achieved with the presentation of the “Strategic Alliance for Inclusive Sport” (October 4th, 2010). Fundación Sanitas presented its strategic plan with the participation of key partners: Spanish Paralympic Committee, Higher Council for Sport, Telemadrid, Madrid City Council and Real Madrid Foundation. This event was a social presentation of the Fundación Sanitas strategy for forthcoming years, with the CEDI as a core component, regarding the grounding of inclusive actions in sport, from a research and best practice perspective.

Photo 5: Inclusive blind soccer practice. Photo 6: Inclusive basketball
Conclusion
With these initial steps, the CEDI project has been definitively launched in the 4 different lines of action. Partner institutions are being inspired by the CEDI project and supporting it fully. The CEDI has attained a position at the highest scientific, academic and institutional level in the development of inclusive physical activities and sports in Spain. However, many steps still have to be taken in order to promote inclusion in sports as a key tool for normalisation and as a way to enhance participation of persons with disabilities into real and effective sport practice.
References
European Commission (2008). Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2008: Social inclusion, pensions, healthcare and long-term care. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. Luxembourg: p.119.
Hutzler, Y. (2003). “Attitudes toward the participation of individuals with disability in physical activity: a review”. Quest, 55, p.p. 347-373.
Sherrill, C. (2003). “Should social inclusion be a major goal of physical education”? Palaestra, 19, p.p.52-56.
Contact
Javier Pérez,
Universidad Politecnica de Madrid
Madrid, Spain
Email: j.perez@upm.es
Javier Alonso
Universidad Politecnica de Madrid
Madrid, Spain
Email: j.alonso@upm.es
Javier Sampedro
Universidad Politecnica de Madrid
Madrid, Spain
Email: j.sampedro@upm.es

http://www.icsspe.org/