Conference Program

In the current institutional and scientific debate on the relationship between sport and disability in Italy, there is a growing need to strengthen coordination between public, private and third sector actors through more robust territorial analysis (Cerbara, 2024). Statistical evidence shows that people with disabilities continue to experience structural disadvantage, often associated with more acute forms of material deprivation than the rest of the Italian population (Istat, 2019; UISP, SVIMEZ and Sport e Salute, 2023). In this context, disability cannot be defined exclusively in relation to the oppression caused by physical barriers, the spatial organisation of territories, or as a product of stigmatising representations, the result of categorising stereotypes produced by social, political and cultural processes of normalisation (Vadalà, 2013; Oliver, 2015; Travaglini, 2020) oriented towards integration rather than inclusion. While acknowledging the concrete limiting role of architectural structures, it is argued that it is the disabling power inscribed in dominant social models (Lettieri, 2013; Oliver, 2015) that determines the conditions of access, recognition and participation in democratic life. Within this scenario, marked by a broader crisis of democracy and the ability of individuals to influence decision-making processes (Oliver, 2015), Italian Paralympic sport takes on a dual significance. On the one hand, it reflects the discrimination faced by people with disabilities, as evidenced by the persistent lack of adequate facilities and limited participation in collective sporting life. On the other hand, it represents a field of innovation and experimentation for people with disabilities, in which, through shared and co-designed sporting activities, they are able to develop alternative forms of disabled subjectivity (Roets and Braidotti, 2012; Abrams, 2015), dismantling the myth of autonomous individuality and social utility (Vadalà, 2013; Travaglini, 2020), enhancing the capacity for action (Mura and Zurru, 2013; Oliver, 2015; Beneduce and Taliani, 2021) and determining processes of self-recognition freed from stigmatising and stereotypical views of disability (Jarman et al., 2002). Furthermore, sport has a unique ability to influence urban spaces: the need for dedicated infrastructure makes sport a privileged area for implementing inclusive and sustainable policies capable of generating positive effects that go beyond the initial objectives. Sport and disability are a strategic field of action for building, together with the communities concerned, a shared and self-determined culture of inclusion. In this context, the paper presents the initial results of a pilot study conducted in Italy, aimed at exploring the perspectives and practices of local actors involved in organising sporting activities for people with disabilities, with the aim of contributing to the definition of more effective and participatory models of inclusive governance.