True inclusion: evaluation protocol for an approach to increase meaningful participation of children with disability in athletics

Abby Haynes; Simone Pearce; Kate Kirby; Dominique Moritz; Kerry West; Suzy Green; Christine McCoombes; Catherine Sherrington

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1403866

True inclusion: evaluation protocol for an approach to increase meaningful participation of children with disability in athletics

Front Public Health. 2024 May 22:12:1403866. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1403866. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Abby Haynes¹, Simone Pearce², Kate Kirby², Dominique Moritz², Kerry West^{1

3}, Suzy Green⁴, Christine McCoombes⁴, Catherine Sherrington¹

Affiliations

¹ Sydney Musculoskeletal Health, Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, The University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
² School of Law and Society, Sunshine Coast Mail Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia.
³ Physiotherapy Department, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁴ Little Athletics Australia, Inclusion project, Albert Park, VIC, Australia.

Abstract

Children with disability face many barriers to participating in community sports. Little Athletics Australia aims to increase fair and meaningful inclusion via a new structure which will enable all children to take part in the same contest by competing for their 'personal best' score. Named the True Inclusion Method (TIM), this new structure will be piloted in 13 sites across six states. Formative evaluation of this pilot will critique TIM and its implementation using observations of events, and interviews and surveys with child athletes with and without disability, their parents/carers and Little Athletics volunteers. Implementation outcomes are acceptability, appropriateness, adoption, feasibility and fidelity. Qualitative data will be analysed thematically. TIM is designed to encourage inclusive participation by children with disability in sporting events, and to improve the competitive experience for all children by celebrating personal achievement and fostering fun.

Keywords: athletics; children with disability; contest; fairness; inclusion; meaningful competition.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Australia
Child
Children with Disabilities* / rehabilitation
Female
Humans
Male
Pilot Projects
Program Evaluation
Sports*

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The True Inclusion project was awarded grant funding from the National Disability Insurance Agency and Sports Australia.