Trevor Williams’s research while affiliated with Loughborough University and other places

This exploratory study examined the relationships between pre- and post-injury sport participation among active individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) in the United Kingdom. In particular, factors that influence individuals with SCI into sport were identified. A total of 143 British individuals with SCI currently participating in wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair tennis, and wheelchair athletics were recruited. A total of 112 subjects were active prelesion, and 31 subjects were inactive preinjury. A Disability Sport Participation questionnaire developed by the authors was used for data collection. The questionnaire was distributed through the British Wheelchair Sport Associations. Personal, impairment, health and fitness, socialization, and participation data of athletes with SCI were collected. Groups of active preinjury and inactive preinjury were compared. For athletes who had been active pre-SCI, the in-hospital rehabilitation program and specialized sport club for people with disabilities were more important contexts for introducing the sport after injury to individuals. Friends and peers with disabilities were much more influential as initial and continuing socialization agents than rehabilitation therapists. The main reasons for athletes with SCI who participated in sports after injury were for fitness, fun, health, and competition, although many athletes noted that social aspects and rehabilitation also influenced their sport participation. This study identified social contexts, social agents, difficulties, sources of information, and reasons for sport participation of athletes with SCI. The results may offer some directions for the improvement of rehabilitation programs for people with SCI and also help the development of appropriate strategies to encourage people with SCI to participate in sports and leisure activities.

The purpose was to examine classifiers as agents of social control in disability swimming. The examination centered on three themes: (a) resources used by classifiers to maintain the authority of Sports Assembly Executive Committee-Swimming (SAEC-SW) of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), (b) socialization to become classifiers, and (c) influence of dominant groups. Data were collected using participant observation methodology at national and international swimming championships and a survey of the 18 SAEC-SW authorized classifiers. The results identified six essential features of SAEC-SW classifiers. SAEC-SW classifiers use their medical and swimming knowledge and experience to control the classification process and to maintain fairness of competition. Socialization of SAEC-SW classifiers enables them to play their role appropriately in disability swimming classification.

The aim was to analyze the relationship between performance and classes of swimmers and between types of physical impairments and medal winners. Participants were 374 swimmers at the 1996 Paralympic Games with six types of impairments: poliomyelitis, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, amputation, dysmelia, and les antres. Data included performance times, gender, classification, swimming stroke and distance, and type of impairment. ANOVA and Spearman rank correlation treatment of data revealed significant differences in swimmers' mean speeds across classes and positive correlations in swimmers' classes and swimming speeds in all male and female events; no type of impairment dominated the opportunity to participate, win medals, or advance to the finals. It was concluded that the current swimming classification system is effective with respect to generating fair competition for most swimmers.