ABSTRACT
Previously I noted the supercrip critique of competitive wheelchair athletics that overlooks or misconstrues the ways in which individuals’ agentive action was enabled by significant others and institutional resources. Here I want to explore another dimension of this critique-the question of whether competitive athletics offers an empowering or disempowering experience for people with disabilities. While many recognize the benefits of sports participation for people with disabilities, others question whether the model of competitive athletics is an appropriate one to emulate. Competitive disabled athletes, it is said, set the bar too high for people with disabilities and encourage the able-bodied society to think that social reforms are unnecessary. They also reinforce social systems of domination, equating individuals’ self-worth with coming out on top in the competitive struggle for achievement (see Chapter 2).
