Technology
Technology developed by and for people with disability can be a major enabler of participation at all levels and roles.
Technology is defined as the ‘branch of knowledge that deals with science and engineering, or its practice, as applied to industry’ (e.g. sport). It also describes tangible and intangible ‘equipment of a technologically sophisticated nature’ (e.g. computers, software, tools, machines, or other products both tangible and intangible) developed using scientific knowledge or processes. 124, 125
Technology developed by and for people with disability can be a major enabler of participation as players, officials, coaches, administrators, fans, and more. 126
This includes developing ways for people with different disabilities to engage with sport such as:
- Developing technology to allow people with low vision and blindness to play sports like table tennis using sound. 127
- Using talk-to-text technology to enable non-verbal people to become exercise instructors. 128
- Creating custom-built frames or equipment that allows users with different abilities to participate in sports and activities, such as skateboarding or power-wheelchair curling. 129, 130
- Adapting three-wheeled mountain bikes for people with spinal cord injuries to ride. 131
Equity of access
Due to cost, and the fact that technologies often need to be personalised to individual needs—which requires time, skill, and resources—technology can also be a barrier and create inequalities between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’, especially in sport. 126, 130 For example, in para-athletics a small percentage of athletes are using wheelchairs valued over $50,000, but most competitors have ones that cost between $5000 and $15,000, sometimes second hand. 132
It is likely that the speed and scale of technology development will continue to increase. It is important for sport as a sector, as well as organisations and individuals, to try to ensure that new tools, products, and technologies provide more equitable benefits and opportunities across the spectrum of abilities, support needs, and socio-economic levels. 126, 130
Resources and reading
- Paralympic uniform featuring accessibility modifications launched at Australian Fashion Week, opens in a new tab, Henry Hanson, ABC, (17 May 2024). The official uniform for the Australian Paralympic team has been unveiled at Australian Fashion Week, featuring accessibility modifications created in collaboration with the team.
- Student developing way for the blind to play ping pong using sound, opens in a new tab, The University of Sydney, (7 December 2023). A University of Sydney Engineering Honours student is developing technology to allow people with low vision and blindness to play ping pong using sound.
- Fairness under question as debate explodes over $50,000 F1-inspired wheelchair technology, opens in a new tab, Zachary Gates, Wide World of Sports, (3 November 2023). She's [Australian Paralympic wheelchair racer Christie Dawes] thrilled that cashed-up companies associated with Formula 1 are using their expertise to make wheelchairs faster and turn the sport into a sexier attraction. But her excitement is tempered by the fact that while a small percentage of athletes are rocketing along in wheelchairs valued in excess of $50,000, the majority are watching them disappear in the distance as they compete in wheelchairs that cost between $5000 and $15,000.
- Tai Chi activating non-verbal Queenslanders through innovative program, opens in a new tab, Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport, (10 October 2023). In a groundbreaking move towards inclusivity, the Tai Chi for Health Association- Queensland has implemented innovative talk-to-text technology to empower non-verbal people to become Tai Chi instructors and lead diverse exercise programs.
- Making STEM More Inclusive of People with Disabilitie, opens in a new tabs, Sara Frueh, National Academies, (25 July 2023). As she grew up navigating life in a wheelchair, Anjali Forber-Pratt encountered obstacles both in the physical world and in other people’s mindsets. Forber-Pratt was among the speakers at a summit hosted by the National Academies — the first of a series of events in June that examined how ableism in STEM can keep people with disabilities from engaging and thriving in these fields and explored how to advance STEM by creating more inclusive environments.
- Accessible skate park's custom-built frame lets skateboarders with disabilities feel 'free and proud', opens in a new tab, Jessica Ross, ABC News, (20 September 2022). Alley Oops Skate Park, at Birtinya on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, has two custom-built frames on wheels, which allow users to skate or scoot around the indoor course.
- Adaptive mountain bike advancements help paraplegic riders return to the sport they love, opens in a new tab, Che Chorley, ABC News, (6 September 2022). Adaptive three-wheeled mountain bikes are giving people with spinal injuries the chance to compete again. Enthusiasts are hoping adaptive cycling will be embraced on a national level
- Planet Fitness to Begin Including Inclusive Fitness Equipment in Its Clubs, opens in a new tab, Club Industry [Canada], (24 September 2021). Planet Fitness Inc., Hampton, New Hampshire, and Paralyzed Veterans of America, National Council on Independent Living and American Council of the Blind (collectively Coalition for Inclusive Fitness) are working together to add accessible exercise equipment in Planet Fitness locations for people with disabilities, the organizations announced this week. "People with disabilities face significant barriers when attempting to access health and wellness activities, and it's clear that health inequity is often due to a lack of access and opportunity,” he said. “Today's commitment is another way we are working to eliminate barriers and enhance people's lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience for everyone."
- Adaptive curling: sweeping away barriers, opens in a new tab, Jelena Svircev, Lauren Massey, Ian James Ralston, et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, (29 January 2024). Adaptive sports programmes offer people with physical differences and activity limitations opportunities to participate in athletic endeavours and actively engage in the larger community. The SCI Recreation Therapy team designed and developed a piece of equipment that expands the sport of curling to include those with limited to no hand function who use a power wheelchair for mobility. This is particularly notable since there are fewer competitive adaptive sports options for those with high-level tetraplegia versus paraplegia. Although technologies are improving to allow for more inclusive sports participation by individuals with high-level spinal cord disorders, such as with sip-n-puff pneumatic switches allowing for adaptive skiing and sailing, equipment is often complicated, cost prohibitive and dependent on the developers of the tool or ‘super-users’ for programming and active use. The adaptive curling device shared here is inexpensive to produce, easy to manufacture and straightforward to replicate. It can easily be mounted to a power wheelchair by an attendant with verbal direction from the athlete with spinal cord disorders. The current design and instructions are freely available for replication and modification (online supplemental file 1). The development of this simple but unique piece of adaptive curling equipment exemplifies innovative practices in the field of recreation therapy in leading community sports reintegration and creating a more accessible environment for all individuals.
- ‘A small leap for disabled man’: the athlete-led evolution of the sports wheelchair and adaptive sports, opens in a new tab, Samuel Brady, Sport in History, Volume 43(1), pp.103-127, (2023). The history of the sporting wheelchair demonstrates that wheelchair athletes and non-disabled medical professionals – two distinct social groups as defined by the Social Construction of Technology – held different interpretations of wheelchair sport and technology, and their purpose. Originating as a form of rehabilitation, wheelchairs and wheelchair sport were once interpreted solely within the medical realm, resulting in restricted technical development for sporting wheelchairs due to concerns around user safety. Wheelchair athletes, however, adapted their equipment in resistance of medicalised rules, based on their reinterpretation of the technology and desire to advance wheelchair-based sports beyond the institution, legitimising technical innovation as a site of agency for disabled athletes. In doing so, the functionality and form of wheelchairs evolved, facilitating the creation of specialised, sport-specific wheelchairs, such as the basketball wheelchair and racing wheelchair. In response to this, the rules of these sports were altered, stabilising the athletes’ interpretation of wheelchair technology as sporting devices, and wheelchair sport as elite competition.
- Advancing sport opportunities for people with disabilities: from grassroots to elite, opens in a new tab, David Legg, Mary Dubon, Nick Webborn, et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, Volume 56(22), pp.1266-1267 (2022). It is important to recognise that these promising global trends could also result in pitfalls and unintended negative consequences. Despite the increased focus on equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility across sectors, disability is often left behind. For example, Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter notes that ‘sport does not discriminate on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise’. Disability would fall under the final category, but by not being named explicitly, does it risk being overlooked or undervalued in comparison? Another unintended consequence of enhanced disability inclusion in sport is that only those with disabilities that are closest to the able-bodied perception of ‘normal’ might benefit. For example, athletes with technologically impressive prosthetics or high-end sport wheelchairs are often showcased at the expense of athletes with more significant disabilities whose bodies may be seen as less ‘acceptable’. Finally, while technology can enable sport inclusion, if the broader market does not recognise its value and companies do not find efficiencies for its production, then the costs will remain prohibitively high and only the wealthy will benefit, creating further disparities to sport participation for persons with disabilities from low-income backgrounds.
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