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.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Bragança, S., Carvalho, M., Arezes, P., Ashdown, S.P.: Work-wear pattern design to accommodate different working postures. Int. J. Cloth. Sci. Technol. 29 (2017)
Kozey, J.W., Das, B.: Determination of the normal and maximum reach measures of adult wheelchair users. Int. J. Ind. Ergon. 33, 205–213 (2004)
Thorén, M.: Systems approach to clothing for disabled users. Why is it difficult for disabled users to find suitable clothing. Appl. Ergon. 27, 389–396 (1996)
Chang, W.-M., Zhao, Y.-X., Guo, R.-P., Wang, Q., Gu, X.-D.: Design and study of clothing structure for people with limb disabilities. J. Fiber Bioeng. Inform. 2, 62–67 (2009)
Carvalho, M., Duarte, F., Heinrich, D., Woltz, S.: WeAdapt: inclusive clothing design proposal for product development. In: Include 2009 (2009)
Clulow, E.E.: Clothes for the handicapped. J. R. Coll. Gen. Pract. 24, 362–366 (1974)
Gill, S., Prendergast, J.: garment fit and consumer perception of sportswear. In: Materials and Technology for Sportswear and Performance Apparel, pp. 245–260 (2015)
GBWR: Report & Consolidated Financial Statements 2015 – 2016 for the year ended 31 March 2016 Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby Limited (2016)
Wang, Y., Wu, D., Zhao, M., Li, J.: Evaluation on an ergonomic design of functional clothing for wheelchair users. Appl. Ergon. 45, 550–555 (2014)
Howe, I.: Fashioning Identity: Inclusive Clothing Design and Spinal Cord Injury. University of Sydney (2012)
Wu, D.W., Wang, Y.Y., Li, J.: Design of functional daily wear for wheelchair users. Adv. Mater. Res. 332–334, 458–461 (2011)
Çivitci, Ş.: An ergonomic garment design for elderly Turkish men. Appl. Ergon. 35, 243–251 (2004)
Wu, S.K., Williams, T.: Factors influencing sport participation among athletes with spinal cord injury. Med. Sci. Sport. Exerc. 33, 177–182 (2001)
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge the commitment of the participants of this study. This study had the financial support of FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia of Portugal under the projects UID/CEC/00319/2013 and UID/CTM/000264; and FEDER funds through the Competitive Factors Operational Program (COMPETE) POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007136
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Braganca, S., Steele, J., Gill, S., Carvalho, M., Arezes, P. (2018). Sports-Wear in Wheelchair Rugby: Establishing Design Needs. In: Di Bucchianico, G., Kercher, P. (eds) Advances in Design for Inclusion. AHFE 2017. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 587. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60597-5_36
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60597-5_36
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-60596-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-60597-5
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)