Project Summary
This dissertation united key stakeholders from the University of Guelph community in order to examine issues around accessibility and inclusion of students with disabilities in campus recreation and sport opportunities. The research team included representatives from the University of Guelph’s Centre for Students with Disabilities and the Department of Athletics, an undergraduate student with a disability, and two university alumni. The ultimate goal was to develop a planning framework to guide universities in supporting the human rights and inclusion of students with disabilities in extra-curricular campus life. What emerged from data analysis was the development of a framework for creating a Campus Culture of Compassion. This framework, which encompasses six guiding principles, three fundamental characteristics, and six process pieces, explores how universities can implement programs, policies, services and practices that better respond to the changing and diverse needs of university students with disabilities in order to ensure their full engagement in all areas of campus life.
Research Methods
This dissertation used a Participatory Action Research approach as the strategy of inquiry. This involves the researcher working as part of a collaborative research team in order to connect the research to larger social change efforts. The overall goal was to develop a framework to guide universities in creating an inclusive campus community, particularly pertaining to extra-curricular activities. In order to ensure that the framework included perspectives of all key stakeholders, interviews were conducted with five research team members and 18 University of Guelph stakeholders, including: students with and without disabilities, staff members from the Department of Athletics and the Centre for Students with Disabilities, faculty members, and senior administrators. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed for common patterns which were then clustered together into broader categories. Based on this analysis, a five page draft of the framework was created and then shared with all members of the research team. The research team collectively worked through and reflected on the initial framework in order to provide examples for the components and to identify areas that needed further development. In order to ensure that the framework truly reflected the perspectives of the participants, all participants were invited to participate in a ‘focus group’ where we provided an overview of the preliminary findings. Suggestions and recommendations from the focus group and team meetings were incorporated into the final framework.
Research Results
What emerged from data analysis was the development of a framework for creating a Campus Culture of Compassion. This framework centres around six principles that help guide universities toward developing a campus culture that is compassionate. Essentially, a campus culture of compassion values: (a) access for all; (b) diversity and uniqueness; (c) interdependence and social responsibility; (d) diverse knowledge bases, voices, and perspectives; (e) the power of learning and education as a tool for social change; and (f) the whole person. The framework also indicates three fundamental characteristics that a campus culture of compassion must possess. In essence, post-secondary institutions and their community members must be: (a) interconnected, (b) supportive and enabling, and (c) informed. Six process pieces are included in the framework which enables a campus culture of compassionate to be fuelled and sustained over time. These pieces include: (a) creating a vision for the future, (b) constructing a plan to achieve the vision, (c) securing funding to put the plan in place, (d) thinking critically and measuring actions against the vision, (e) being proactive to making change happen, and (f) reaching beyond compliance. The framework encourages university stakeholders to collectively reflect, dialogue, and collaborate in order to create broader systemic changes. These changes are necessary since constraints to campus engagement can threaten a student’s well-being and sense of self. This framework can serve as a starting point to initiate these conversations and inspire universities to use a participatory approach to encourage positive social change within the university context.
Policy Implications
This study offers insights into the barriers that students with disabilities face when seeking to participate in campus recreation and athletics while providing practical strategies to combat these barriers.
Government of Canada policy acknowledges that in order to have claim to full citizenship, athletes with a disability must be provided equivalent opportunities to develop their abilities and to compete at provincial, national and international sporting events. The framework that emerged from my dissertation is aligned with this initiative and seeks to shed additional light on the important role that recreation and athletic engagement plays within an individual’s life, and within a community as a whole. The framework informs communities on the core values, characteristics and process pieces that are essential to creating an inclusive and accessible environment.
The framework from this dissertation reveals that a major component of being involved in sport and physical activity is being adequately informed. Thus, persons with disabilities must have access to information regarding: a) the benefits of being physically active, b) available programs and services, and c) the accessibility of an event or service prior to participation. This study highlights the benefits of developing mutually benefiting partnerships both within and outside of one’s core community in order to streamline services, provide support in a holistic approach, blend resources, and diminish redundancies. A collaborative approach will also help to increase participation rates, reach a broader target audience, and provide diverse and supportive services.
Next Steps
The perspectives of key stakeholders within a university, highlighted in this study, may be transferable to other community groups and within other community contexts. The components of this framework can ideally be used to encourage communities to collaborate and create community conversations that raise awareness of each other’s perspectives and work towards collective problem solving. However, future research may need to explore the perspectives of other community groups, particularly those who are marginalized, in order to enhance the relevance and usability of the framework within a generalized community setting.
Future research could also develop a ‘tool kit’ for creating community cultures of compassion based on the main components of the framework. The ‘tool kit’ would draw upon the insights gained from the framework, and would follow a similar format of guiding principles, characteristics, and process pieces. Future research could document the process by which a university, or other community, utilizes the framework or ‘tool kit’. Such a study would provide insight on the usefulness of the framework or ‘tool kit’ within another community context both in terms of its ability to create campus partnerships and conversations, as well as its ability to facilitate action or social change. It would also shed additional light on the process by which university stakeholders, or community members, can use a participatory approach to unite relevant individuals in order to achieve a shared outcome.
Key Stakeholders and Benefits
- The following organizations could benefit from the findings of this study:
- Ontario University Athletics Association (OUA)
- Canadian Interuniversity Sport
- Canadian Intramural Recreation Association (CIRA)
- Sport Canada
- Canadian postsecondary institutions
- Canadian Sport Associations