The global reality of the Paralympic Movement: Challenges and opportunities in disability sports

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to briefly illustrate some of the challenges and realities of national and international Paralympic sports. The elite disabled athlete paradigm is still not widely known in the world of regular sports competitions. The winning elite disabled athletes are restricted to a few countries, including the U.S., Canada, Germany, China, and Australia, with limited distribution of disability sport opportunities in other countries. This tendency for the success of a minority of countries reflects global problems of social vulnerability in accessibility (e.g., in dismantling the stigma of disability), political vulnerability (e.g., representative organizations of sports for the disabled do not fully pratice the philosophy of "sport for all"), and economic vulnerability (e.g., lack of opportunities for training, assistive sports technology, and sponsorships). Furthermore, elite Paralympic athletes have become veterans. For example, the participation of Brazilian elite athletes in the 1984 Paralympics marked the beginning of a new generation of athletes (approximately 16%) who returned to the Games in 1988. In both 2008 and 2012, nearly 28% of total participants were Brazilian veterans. Although this picture reveals longevity of athletes in the sport, there are many limitations in sports accessibility, often due to geographical centralization of opportunities in large urban centers. Yet, today, the world of Paralympic sport has been transformed into a sports spectacle, thanks to the exceptional performance of some athletes, to the technology of mass communication, and to the support of audiences during the Games. These sport "superstars" offer the world new images and new constructs of "ability." While this forum has helped to bring attention to these "heroes," other Brazilian athletes (and from other countries as well) are still waiting for their opportunities. Indeed, worldwide, young blind individuals, those in wheelchairs, amputees, or simply the uncoordinated, expect to play, run, swim, and take part in the international model of "sport for all." They expect sports opportunities to be a part of their daily lives, an option for rehabilitation and the preservation of health, and a basic human right

Using psychophysical tools to quantify body image perception: a tutorial / Usando ferramentas psicofísicas para quantificar a percepção da imagem corporal: um tutorial / Utilizando herramientas psico-física para cuantificar la percepción de imagen corporal: un tutorial

This article presents a tutorial about two protocols that can be used to measure an individual's perception of body image, direct and indirect , and which follow S.S. ( Stevens 1951) methods. Two psychophysical task approaches illustrate the ability of individuals to quantify body image distortions. We selected psychophysical tasks that indirectly assess a participant's behavioral component of body image (i.e., satisfaction tendencies about body image); and second, the cognitive component of body image (i.e., individuals' perceptual accuracy in magnitude estimation tasks, which depend on a familiarity with interval scales and the use of numbers and ratios to represent physical dimensions of stimuli). We determined individuals' perceptual sensitivity (i.e., his or her perceptual style ) to manipulations of the body's size by using Stevens' power function ( Stevens, 1951).

Este artigo apresenta um tutorial sobre dois protocolos que podem ser usados para medir a percepção de imagem corporal, direta e indiretamente , com base nos métodos de S.S. ( Stevens 1951). Duas abordagens psicofísicas ilustram a capacidade dos indivíduos para quantificar as distorções da imagem corporal. Nós selecionamos tarefas psicofísicas que avaliam indiretamente o componente comportamental da imagem corporal do participante (ou seja, tendências de satisfação sobre imagem corporal); e segundo, o componente cognitivo da imagem corporal (ou seja, precisão perceptual nas tarefas de estimativa de magnitude, que dependem de uma familiaridade com escalas de intervalo, e com o uso de números e proporções para representar dimensões físicas dos estímulos). Determinamos a sensibilidade perceptual dos indivíduos (ou seja, seu estilo perceptual) em tarefas de manipulação do tamanho do corpo, usando a função de potência de S.S. Stevens ( Stevens, 1951).

Este artículo presenta un tutorial en dos protocolos que pueden utilizarse para medir la percepción de imagen corporal, directa e indirectamente , con base en métodos de S.S. ( Stevens 1951). Dos enfoques físicos ilustran la capacidad de los individuos para cuantificar las distorsiones de la imagen corporal. Hemos seleccionado las tareas psico-físicas que evalúan indirectamente el componente conductual de la imagen corporal del participante (es decir, tendencias de satisfacción sobre imagen corporal); y en segundo lugar, el componente cognitivo de la imagen corporal (es decir, precisión perceptiva en las tareas de estimación de magnitud que dependen de una familiaridad con las escalas de intervalo, y con el uso de los números y proporciones para representar dimensiones físicas de los estímulos). Determinar la sensibilidad perceptual de los individuos (es decir, su estilo perceptual ) en tareas de manipulación del tamaño corporal, usando la función de potencia de S.S. Stevens ( Stevens, 1951).

Haptic anchoring and human postural control

Several studies have emphasized the contribution of haptic input that results from the use of rigid and non-rigid tools to the postural control system. Experimental protocols such as the light touch and the anchor system are based on individuals' haptic exploration of the environment through direct tactile-kinesthetic contact, or indirectly through rigid or flexible tools that are attached to the body. In this article, we introduce the main findings of humans' haptic use of non-rigid tools during postural control tasks. We illustrate the effects of an anchor system paradigm on the maintenance of stability via haptic information. Haptic anchoring includes the handling of flexible cables that are attached to loads that are in contact with a surface. We include results of studies about haptic information gathered during the holding of a walking dog's leash. Studies that used the anchor system demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing body sway in several groups, including young adults, children, older individuals, and intellectually disabled individuals. We discuss several experimental designs and intervention protocols in order to illustrate how haptic anchoring could prompt functional plasticity.

Orientação espacial em adultos com deficiência visual: efeitos de um treinamento de navegação / Effects of navigation training on orientation tasks by blind adults

O objetivo deste estudo foi demonstrar se um programa de navegação pode ajudar indivíduos com deficiência visual a melhorar a acurácia na orientação dinâmica. Nove participantes com deficiência visual retornaram a um ponto de partida após percorrer rotas em linha reta e triangular. Pré e pós-avaliações foram feitas entre um período de 4 meses, durante o qual o treinamento com navegação foi realizado. Entre pré e pós-teste, erros relativos de desvios angulares (ERDA) foram diferentes apenas na tarefa em linha reta. O valor de ERDA foi maior na tarefa em linha reta possivelmente por causa da magnitude do giro inicial antes de retornar ao ponto de partida (i.e., 180°) em contraste com a tarefa triângulo (i.e., 45°). Conclui-se que, em tarefas de orientação, os erros no desvio angular dependem da amplitude do giro inicial ao retornar para o ponto de partida. Ainda, a acurácia na manutenção da direção é influenciada por um treinamento específico com navegação.