Scheduled for Sport Management, Special Populations, Leisure and Recreation Posters, Thursday, April 3, 2003, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall A


Physical Activity Socialization Experiences of College Students With Orthopedic Disabilities: A Case Study Approach

Daniel Webb, North Carolina A&T State Unive, Greensboro, NC

Since the implementation of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), P.L. 101-336 (ADA, 1990), numerous colleges and universities across the U.S. have made their campuses more accessible for college students with varied orthopedic disabilities (Beilke & Yssel, 1999). As a result, there has been a continuous increase (since 1990) in the enrollment of college students with varied orthopedic disabilities Beilke & Yssel, 1999; Kelly & Sedlacek, 1994). However, beyond addressing the issue of campus accessibility, colleges and universities must also address the issue of involving such college students in campus-related extracurricular activities as a means to fully facilitate their transition, as well as to meet their physical and social needs (Enright & Conyers, 1996). Thus, as a means to understand the nature of college students with varied orthopedic disabilities physical activity socialization experiences, the purpose of this study was to examine and describe the physical activity socialization experiences of college students with varied orthopedic disabilities as it relates to their previous interaction with peers without disabilities, physical education/activity teachers/leaders, and the type of physical activities in which they had previously participated during their academic school years. Utilizing a case study approach, data were collected from three college students with varied orthopedic disabilities via face-to-face in-depth audio and video recorded semi-structured interviews (Thomas & Nelson, 2001). Utilizing constant comparative content analyses, audio tape-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim for the observation of consistencies, and the emergence of themes (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994; Thomas & Nelson, 2001). Results indicated that two socialization themes (i.e., parents and siblings) emerged from participants' responses.

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