The impact of exercise and physical activity on people with disabilities for better health

The Act on Discrimination against People with Disabilities from the year 1995 defines disability as a physical and or mental impairment that has a significant and long-term effect on an individual’s ability to perform normal daily activities.

Exercise and physical activity are one of the basic components of a healthy life. For people with disabilities, there are additional therapeutic outcomes, whether being based only on physical therapy, improvement in fitness and performance, or being done only for recreational purposes.

Evolution of sport, physical activity, and disability

Sports for people with disabilities have evolved rapidly over the past century, starting with the archery tournament at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in 1948, followed by the Paralympic Games in 1960, to are now organized contemporarily in parallel with the Olympic Games. 

The most significant benefits that exercise and physical activity offer to people with disabilities are:

1. Recovery
2. Social integration

People with disabilities have special needs and they include, but are not limited to, the need for independence, group membership, and acceptance in society. Exercise and physical activity in people with disabilities would help create a framework for establishing contacts between alike individuals who have the same or similar needs and problems, while helping to make new friends. By interacting with other people who face the same or similar variety of difficulties daily, disabled individuals can be aided in understanding that they are not alone. This could result in some openly sharing their daily struggles and successes with others and building mutually undeniable understanding while seeking viable solutions and building a community.

Often, people with disabilities have low self-esteem and are prone to depression and isolation, and if that is the case, exercise and physical activities can restore their sense of well-being and remind them that they are valued.

Exercise and physical activities are suitable for people with disabilities, and they are an excellent way to spend free time usefully. In this sense, depending on the nature of disability, they can enjoy either sport specifically tailored for their disability, such as bosh (a game that involves achieving a goal with the help of balls), golf, adapted sports such as darts, wheelchair basketball, javelin throwing, weightlifting, and even casual sports such as archery, bowling, swimming, table tennis, and more. Therefore, disability should not be seen as an illness, or an obstacle to exercise or engaging in physical activities. Instead, the focus should be placed on the identification of what kind of sport or activity is most suitable for a particular type of it.

Finding a type of fitness activity for individuals with disabilities could be difficult, but it is not impossible. Identifying the suitable type of exercise for the disability is of enormous importance, as exercise and physical activities will offer important benefits to disabled individuals, just as they are for anyone else, as the health benefits of it are countless.

People with physical disabilities

Even when the mobility in people with disabilities is limited, or even if there is difficulty with bodily control, participation and enjoyment in some, adapted sports and other fitness activities is not only possible, but critically important. Today, parents, therapists and sports educators work tirelessly to include disabled individuals in sports by tailoring various aspects of it to fit variety of disabilities by designing adaptive sports and fitness programs dedicated to people with it.

People with intellectual disabilities

It is extremely difficult to find a formula for successful exercise and physical activity for people with intellectual disabilities, due to diverse factors and abilities that must be taken into consideration. However, this is very much conceivable. This particular task requires the assistance of a combination of specialists, including special aids and sports educators.

People with autism

It is commonly thought that Autism affects social skills and the ability to communicate, but it can also have implications for the physical health and activity of individuals diagnosed with it.  The fact is that food aversions could easily lead to malnutrition (weight gain or loss) and, with that, health issues.  In addition, individuals with autism are sensitive to environmental stimuli (such as light and noise), which sometimes makes it challenging to be physically active, subsequently adding to health misalignments.  Therefore, identifying suitable exercises and physical activities for individuals with Autism is of tremendous importance.

Recommendations for physical activity for people with disabilities

If it is possible, and if it in accordance with daily obligations, it is highly recommended to accumulate at least 30 minutes of physical activity with a moderate intensity for disabled individuals.

It is advisable to apply the same principles of exercise, i.e., degrees, increases in duration, intensity, and frequency of particular activity, as explained in previous chapters.

You need to start thinking about what are the most fitting exercises are and how to go about them, in accordance with the nature of disability.

Keep in mind that you are enhancing not only physical and social, but also psychological benefits while exercising. Therefore, work on making it possible and exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, as that will improve your self-esteem, social intelligence, and you will be healthier while promoting an active lifestyle.