Social Inclusion through Recreation for the Disabled

Social Inclusion through Recreation

There are many social impacts that are affiliated with recreation. These social impacts

can change the lives of people who interact and take part in leisure activities in the outside world.

Even though people who are disabled work with non disabled people, there is a lack of social

connection between them. Recreation is one thing that can build a stronger connection. My

paper focuses primarily on social inclusion for disabled people through recreation.

Experiencing a sense of belonging entails individuals having a valued set of social

relationships. These relationships that they have developed are with the people who they have

chosen. They choose these certain people because they believe they have something in common,

and on the other hand, they have chosen them. People who have a strong social inclusion have a

social circle that contains a wide variety of people. Some people have social relationships with

only whom they engage with during specific activities and rarely see outside of those grounds.

Other people may be seen in a wide assortment of settings. A sense of belonging is also

associated with people feeling that they are accepted for whom they are and what they believe in.

Individuals with disabilities lack this specific sense of belonging. The truth is that disabled

people do not have many opportunities to meet peers with common interests or preferences.

“Often they do not see persons with whom they desire to establish social relationships in more

than a single context or setting, and face life in a society that, while quite good at pointing out the

challenges they face, typically overlooks the gifts they offer.” (Abery)

A sense of presence in the community is also...

... middle of paper ...

...an also aid people who do not have disabilities. It is

both helpful and fun to explore the outside world and not only limit you to your home, office,

or school. By these children interacting in the outdoors, it gives them a chance to feel like the

other children which blocks out all of the negative feelings that they have for themselves. By

interacting in everyday recreational events they feel alive and just like any other person.

Works Cited

Institute on Community Integration. Feature Issue on Social Inclusion Through Recreation

for Persons with Disabilities. University of Minnesota. Volume 16. Number 2. Summer 2003.

Gaylord, V., Lieberman, L., Abery, B. & Lais, G. (Eds.). (2003). Impact: Feature Issue on

Social Inclusion Through Recreation for Persons with Disabilities, 16(2) Minneapolis: University

of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration.