No Exceptions
Benefits of Participation
For many disabled people, there are benefits to participating in physical recreation and sport.
These include the increased social interaction, feelings of belonging to a wider community and creating opportunities for further skill development in their chosen activity.
In addition, people with physical impairments who practice active living can enjoy better overall health, an enhanced immune function and increased mobility.
Active living can also increase the energy a person has to deal with the physical and mental stresses of an impairment.
As an example: specific research into the therapeutic benefits of recreation for mental health consumers has highlighted the following points.
- Participation in recreational activities significantly reduces negative and increases positive symptoms
- Recreation enhances social rehabilitation through the development of social networks, improvement in social skills and maintenance of interpersonal relationships
- Community functioning is positively influenced through daily living skills and community survival skills
- Recreation contributes to a sense of personal wellbeing
- Hospital admission rates and relapses are reduced as a consequence. 3
3. Byrne, Al. and V. Carrol (1991) Recreating Mental Health, A guide to establishing recreation programmes for people with a psychiatric disability. The Richmond Fellowship of Tasmania, Hobart.
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Updated | 18 Jan 2007.
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