An exploratory study of the factors influencing the participation of persons with physical disabilities in wheelchair dancing in the Western Cape province of South Africa

Abstract

This study investigates the participatory factors influencing persons with physical disabilities participating in wheelchair dancing. Participants residing in the Western Cape Province of South Africa were selected for this study. Global literature on the impact of wheelchair dancing as a sport and the role it plays in the lives of people with physical disabilities is limited, with even less having been published within the ‘Global South’. Understanding what affects participation can assist in ensuring more persons with a physical disability can take part in wheelchair dancing and at the same time to ensure lessons learnt can improve inclusion for persons with physical disabilities in dance sport in the Western Cape of South Africa. The researcher is a person with a physical disability who represented South Africa at wheelchair dancing.