ABSTRACT
While there has been a recent rise in academic research focused on athlete activism, little attention has been given specifically to para-athletes as ‘activists’. This chapter will provide an overview of the latest developments in para-athlete activism research. First, we frame Paralympic sport and disability activism within an historical context. Following this we focus on athlete activism for parasport improvement. Here we will highlight literature concerned with how and where para-athletes advocate for various areas of social change within parasport contexts. Next attention turns to para-athlete activism for broader social good. Here we will discuss research that seeks to understand the various contributions that para-athletes make, or don’t make, towards disability activism in wider society (i.e. equality, diversity and inclusion). The next section concerns a critique of athlete activism from parasport contexts. In particular, here we will highlight research that problematizes the International Paralympic Committee’s new plan to promote para-athletes as ‘activists’. We close the chapter with a set of future directions for para-athlete activism research.
