Christianity, Sport and Disability: A Case Study of the Role of Long-Distance Running in the Life of a Father and his Son who is Congenitally Blind and has Profound Intellectual Disabilities

The aim of this qualitative case study was to explore the role of sport (longdistance running) in the lives of a father and his son who is congenitally blind and has profound intellectual disabilities. Drawing on the works of Jean Vanier, Stanley Hauerwas, Henri Nouwen and John Hull, the major theme...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Practical theology 2012-07, Vol.5 (2), p.189-207
Main Authors: Watson, Nick, Parker, Andrew
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Congenitally
father-son relationship
Fathers
intellectual disabilities and blindness
Learning disabilities
long-distance running
prophetic incarnational message
Running
Sports
Suffering
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Summary:The aim of this qualitative case study was to explore the role of sport (longdistance running) in the lives of a father and his son who is congenitally blind and has profound intellectual disabilities. Drawing on the works of Jean Vanier, Stanley Hauerwas, Henri Nouwen and John Hull, the major themes explored are relational and religious trust, suffering, sacrificial love, embodiment and blindness. A series of one-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with the father (and mother) concerned and the resultant transcripts analysed using thematic content analysis. Locating the lived experiences of the interview respondents at the centre of the analysis, findings demonstrate that sport is an invaluable means of physical, psychological and spiritual development which has the potential to act as a "counter-narrative" and "prophetic incarnational message" to the commercialized world of sport.
ISSN:1756-073X
1756-0748
DOI:10.1558/prth.v5i2.189