Promoting Physical Activity by Creating Awareness of Adaptive Sports and Recreation Opportunities: An Academic-Community Partnership Perspective.

OBJECTIVE: To i) initiate community-academic partnerships in the area of adaptive sports and recreation (ASR) and ii) develop an understanding of local ASR opportunities and how they are used by individuals with disabilities (ID).

DESIGN: Clinicians at an academic medical center (AMC) identified a lack of knowledge regarding local ASR opportunities as a barrier to developing strategies to increase physical activity (PA) among ID. Partnerships with community organizations serving ID were formed to increase awareness of ASR opportunities. A community event was held to raise awareness of ASR opportunities among local ID and provided an opportunity for organizations to connect. A survey regarding ASR opportunity awareness and participation barriers was distributed to event attendees.

RESULTS: Strategic partnerships with three community organizations were formed to plan the event. A 66% survey response rate (n = 197) was observed, with 40% (n = 78) identifying as an ID, 37% (n = 73) as a caregiver/family member of an ID (CF), and 23% (n = 46) as a community member without a disability (CM). The majority of participants were Caucasian, although this finding was not significant. A difference between perceived barriers among ID/CF and CM was observed, as well as differences in awareness of ASR opportunities among the groups.

CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary data emphasize the need to engage ID regarding participation in ASR. Additionally, this study suggests a need to increase engagement among ID/CF of color. This information serves as a foundation for broader community based needs assessments.