“That’s where the dollars are”: understanding why community sports volunteers engage with intellectual disability as a form of diversity

Abstract

This paper aims to provide new insights into why community sports volunteers engage with intellectual disability as a form of diversity, and how these drivers impact on the opportunities and activities provided for athletes with intellectual disabilities. Research methods: The authors use a critical diversity management framework, combined with theoretical tenets of ableism, to explore volunteers’ engagement with disability. The paper draws on a ten-month ethnographic study undertaken in a community sports club in Melbourne, Australia, that had recently introduced two specialist teams for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Results and findings: The findings indicate the business cas..