Lived experience as a change agent: Mixed Ability and transformative action in sport

Abstract

The Mixed Ability model – an innovation in the grassroots sport ecosystem – combines unadapted practical participation, education and advocacy to promote the inclusion of, and interaction between players, regardless of dis/ability, into mainstream sports settings. Central to the development of Mixed Ability sports is the lived experience of disabled participants who co-produce and co-deliver training to a wide variety of stakeholders. In this conceptual paper, I explore how key aspects of critical pedagogy, co-production and prefiguration are framed within the Mixed Ability model to engender transformative and social justice outcomes for all involved.