The article analyzes the meanings assigned by teenagers with disabilities to experiences participating in group sports. The qualitative study, based on comprehensive critical analysis, drew on semi-structured interviews with teens with physical disability. The results of the analysis pointed to three thematic lines: (1) the body, (2) sociability and group interactions, and (3) interactions outside the group. The sports setting features groups as a space for sociability, evoking autonomy, self-esteem, and performance. Reconfiguration of the body with disability approached the able-bodied ideal of the able body, which also shaped the challenges in interactions outside the group. In conclusion, the meanings legitimize hegemonic models of masculinity and femininity, and the able-bodied ideal was mobilized as a common system for relevance among teenagers with physical disability that practice sports.
Keywords:
Disability Studies; Adolescent; Sports
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