Sports-Wear in Wheelchair Rugby: Establishing Design Needs

Sara Braganca, James Steele, Simeon Gill, Miguel Carvalho, Pedro Arezes

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Published conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    117 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    This paper reports the findings of a preliminary study that intended to understand how wheelchair rugby athletes feel about the clothing they wear while playing the sport and how the available clothes make them feel. 61 non-professional wheelchair rugby players from 21 different teams/clubs in the United Kingdom participated in this study. To understand the players’ opinions, this study consisted of a mixed-method approach, with data collected through a focus group and a questionnaire. The results show that, on top of the lack of availability of sports-wear for this specific sport, which compromises the athletes’ satisfaction, comfort and performance, there is also a need on the part of the athletes for this type of specialized equipment. This study showed that there is a need for this type of sports-wear, hence the importance to act and develop more specialized garments to satisfy this population not just in terms of safety, comfort and performance but also in terms of inclusivity.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationAdvances in Design for Inclusion
    EditorsGiuseppe Di Bucchianico, Pete F Kercher
    Place of PublicationCham
    PublisherSpringer International Publishing AG
    Pages381-389
    Number of pages8
    ISBN (Electronic)978-3-319-60597-5
    ISBN (Print)978-3-319-60596-8
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 11 Jun 2017
    Event8th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics and the Affiliated Conferences - Los Angeles, United States
    Duration: 17 Jul 201721 Jul 2017

    Publication series

    NameAdvances in Intelligent Systems and Computing
    PublisherSpringer
    Volume587
    ISSN (Print)2194-5357
    ISSN (Electronic)2194-5365

    Conference

    Conference8th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics and the Affiliated Conferences
    Abbreviated titleAHFE 2017
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    CityLos Angeles
    Period17/07/1721/07/17

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Sports-Wear in Wheelchair Rugby: Establishing Design Needs'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this