Nancy Spencer-Cavaliere

Say What You Mean: Rethinking Disability Language in Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly

Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly (APAQ) currently mandates that authors use person-first language in their publications. In this viewpoint article, we argue that although this policy is well intentioned, it betrays a very particular cultural and disciplinary approach to disability: one that is inappropriate given the international and multidisciplinary mandate of the journal. Further, we contend that APAQs current language policy may serve to delimit the range of high-quality articles submitted and to encourage both theoretical inconsistency and the erasure of the ways in which research participants self-identify. The article begins with narrative accounts of each of our negotiations with disability terminology in adapted physical activity research and practice. We then provide historical and theoretical contexts for person-first language, as well as various other widely circulated alternative English-language disability terminology. We close with four suggested revisions to APAQs language policy.

So all kids can play? Looking beyond the rhetoric of an equal playing field

Abstract This paper explores the meaning and experiences of sport for young people living with lower incomes. Using data from interviews with 10 young people (aged 13–18) and six mothers, we engage with the work of Pierre Bourdieu to provide insight into the varied ways young people living with lower incomes were influenced by their social contexts. Narrative inquiry was used to further understand the meanings of sport for participants and the ways these were tied to their material conditions. Using creative non-fiction, research findings were transformed into stories to present the experiences of three teenagers: Joey, Stacey and Nathan. The concepts of habitus, capital and field are used in the discussion to explicitly theorise the similarities and differences between the stories and show the heterogeneity of sport experiences for young people living with lower incomes. Overall, the paper contributes empirical understanding by outlining the ways in which material conditions and family circumstances shaped young peoples’ experiences differently. In doing so, it disrupts the idea that sport is a level playing field and challenges the notion that sport is a worthwhile pursuit for all young people.

Interdisciplinarity in Adapted Physical Activity.

ABSTRACT It is commonly accepted that inquiry in adapted physical activity involves the use of different disciplines to address questions. It is often advanced today that complex problems of the kind frequently encountered in adapted physical activity require a combination of disciplines for their solution. At the present time, individual research questions in adapted physical activity are most often developed and pursued by researchers from a single discipline despite incentives to the contrary. However, the inclusion of multiple disciplines to address research questions raises a number of challenges. A major one is effective communication. The language related to the use of multiple disciplines is often used loosely. Key terms, such as multi-disciplinary, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and cross-disciplinary, are often used interchangeably. We introduce the technical meaning of these terms and outline some key epistemic challenges to communication across disciplines and highlight the importance of willingness, on the part of researchers, to carefully listen to each other.

Ethic of care and the competitive Ultimate Frisbee playing experiences of young women

Abstract Some young women’s primary reasons for participating in sport (i.e. social interaction and friendship) may not match well with the structures embedded within traditional competitive sport (e.g. winning at all costs, aggression). In response, in this study, we explored if and in what ways these reasons align with an alternative sport – namely, Ultimate Frisbee. We examined how female adolescent players experienced, understood and engaged in Ultimate, in particular, with two unique aspects that help to define the sport’s ethos: Spirit of the Game and self-officiating. Participants were nine female youth athletes who competed for Canada at a World Junior Championships. We used qualitative and interpretive description to examine data in the form of interviews, participant journals and reflective notes. Three themes captured the perspectives and playing experiences of the participants: (a) the Ultimate spirit, (b) the Ultimate sport and community and (c) the Ultimate player. Within these themes, the contextual nature of spirit of the game and players’ sense of responsibility to uphold this ethos, the challenges of self-officiating and the significance of relationships with others in this sport community, were apparent. Ethic of care and previous literature on Ultimate were used to help interpret these findings. Ultimate, in a number of ways, aligned well with young women’s reported reasons for taking part in sport. However, despite its claims as an alternative sport, it was still susceptible to the host of criticisms often associated with traditional competitive youth sport.

‘I feel like this is a good place to be’: children's experiences at a community recreation centre for children living with low socioeconomic status

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences of children living with low socioeconomic status (SES) at a community recreation centre using the framework of place attachment [Scannell, L., and R. Gifford. 2010. “Defining Place Attachment: A Tripartite Organizing Framework.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 30 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.09.006]. Seven children took part in semi-structured interviews and drawing activities. Additional data were collected through observations, field and reflective notes, documents and a staff focus group interview. The overarching theme of having opportunities emerged from a thematic analysis of the data. The children, as they shared about their experiences at the centre, talked about having opportunities in three main ways: opportunities to do, opportunities to connect and opportunities to be. The findings are discussed broadly within the framework of place attachment and through the literature on after-school programming, childrens geographies, place and SES.

‘Pushing the outdoor play agenda’: exploring how practitioners conceptualise and operationalise nature play in a Canadian context

Abstract The purpose of this paper was to examine how practitioners think about and implement nature play in a Canadian context. Using data from interviews with 21 practitioners, we examined two overarching research questions: (1) How do practitioners conceptualise (think about and discuss) nature play? and (2) How do practitioners operationalise (i.e. plan and implement) nature play? The desire to examine how practitioners implement nature play opportunities derived directly from two practitioners who were working in the recreation sector at the time of the study. Their interest in understanding how nature play opportunities were being implemented was due to the increased focus on nature play in Canadian documents. To reflect this ‘practical’ interest, we developed a community-university partnership. We chose interpretive description (ID) as the method to generate applied, contextual knowledge. The findings revealed that despite the nostalgia that surrounds child-led, unstructured nature play, as well as an ever-growing movement to increase opportunities for freely chosen, self-directed nature play, practitioners more commonly supported structured, adult-led activities focused on skill development and risk avoidance. Highlighting a disjuncture between the values and assumptions currently guiding play research, policy, and practice, the discussion aims to destabilise the notion that play must be linked to measurable outcomes. Instead, we propose that the provision of nature play should be judged on whether it actually enables children to spontaneously and creatively play in natural settings, and call on professionals to acknowledge and challenge several opposing values and assumptions that appear to be encroaching on children’s nature play.

Reimagining the Role of Human Services Workers: Staff Experiences of a Social Change Initiative

Abstract Despite recognition that social inclusion is a primary goal within the field of human services, people with disabilities continue to live lives of clienthood, marginalisation, and exclusion and human services staff struggle to make social inclusion a priority. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of human services staff about their experiences of an organisationally inspired initiative intended to change the focus of their everyday practices to better facilitate the social inclusion of persons with disabilities. A qualitative case study was used to gather observations, field and reflective notes, semi-structured interviews with staff (n = 15), and reflexive journaling. Thematic analysis of the data led to three themes: (a) challenges, old and new, (b) needing (careful) change, and (c) creating, learning and working together. These findings highlight the complexity of how to create change in the field of human services, but also demonstrate how innovative approaches have the potential to shift and reimagine how human services workers can better support people with disabilities in living meaningful lives.

Challenges of being new to Canada: considerations for physical activity

Immigrants to Canada are less likely to be physically active compared with non-immigrants, and the interrelations between personal and environmental factors that influence physical activity for immigrants are largely unexplored. The goal of this qualitative descriptive study was to understand how the experience of being new to Canada impacts opportunities and participation in physical activity. Two focus group interviews with immigrants to Canada were conducted. The first group (n=7) included multicultural health brokers. The second group (n=14) included English as a second language students. Qualitative content analysis was used to determine three themes consistent with the research question: transition to Canadian life, commitments and priorities, and accessibility. Discussion was framed using a social ecological model. Implications for practice and policy are suggested including enhanced community engagement, and organizational modifications. Overall, the development and implementation of physical activity policies and practices for newcomers to Canada should be centered on newcomers’ perspectives and experiences.