Key Points
- A new study has analysed the benefits of recreational activity for those with a physical or intellectual disability.
- Benefits included improved mobility and walking endurance, and better balance and quality of life.
- One of the most important aspects of recreational activity for people with disability is social connection.
Gabby Vassallo was 35 years old when she was hit by a car while riding her bicycle. She was training for an Iron Man triathlon.
The result was a traumatic brain injury and permanent spinal damage — a life-changing prognosis.
Now, at age 49, she's proof positive that physical recreation has many benefits for people who live with physical or intellectual disabilities. And she's on a mission to spread that message, which was confirmed by a recent study in which she took part.
"I'm all for the benefits of getting people off the couch," Vassallo told SBS News. "It doesn't matter what disability you have, there is no excuse not to do something."
At home, she can get around without walking aids thanks to modifications. In public, she uses a walking stick or a wheelchair. But when it comes to cycling or swimming, there's no stopping her.
"The 'c-word', the 'can’t do it', is not a word I really like to use because it’s limiting," she said.
Since her accident, Vassallo has done a couple of triathlons, ridden through the French Pyrenees on her modified bike, played wheelchair basketball and switched between swimming and Pilates to keep fit.
"I don't want my disability to stop me from doing anything," she said.
That attitude is what connected her with Leanne Hassett, a physiotherapist and associate professor at the University of Sydney, who helped treat Vassallo at the rehabilitation hospital.
"She got that I was somebody that wants to get back into some kind of physical activity, even with the limitations I have," Vassallo said.
Hassett co-authored a new study that systematically reviewed data on the outcomes and benefits of sport and recreation for those living with a physical or intellectual disability.
"This is actually the first time that there's been a meta-analysis done of this, really combining people with a range of different health conditions," Hassett told SBS News.
"Our idea was to look more broadly — regardless of health condition — to look at the benefits of sport and physical recreation for people living with any type of physical or intellectual disability."
Hassett explained that previous studies had examined the benefits of specific activities for people with particular health conditions — such as strokes or brain injuries — but said none looked at overall outcomes.
"We looked across the whole world, and we didn’t limit it by English," Hassett said of the research, which reviewed a range of outcomes for study participants, including mobility levels, quality of life, fatigue, depression and anxiety.
Gabby Vassallo says she never wants her disability to limit what she can do. Source: Supplied / Gabby Vassallo
What does the science say?
Published in the reviewed randomised controlled trials that involved adults living with a physical or intellectual disability, and the effect that sport or other physical recreation had on them compared to those who were not active.
After mining six databases, researchers found 74 trials that involved 3,000 people from all over the world, 70 of which included people with physical disabilities, and four that focused on those with intellectual disabilities.
The most common physical recreation activities tested were traditional Chinese exercises, like Tai Chi, followed by yoga and dance. There were no studies that used sport.
The most common disabilities were degenerative health conditions like Parkinson's or multiple sclerosis, with study participants "an equal split" between men and women, with an average age of 55, Hassett said.
The results for the study participants who attended 65-minute recreation sessions twice a week for 13 weeks, were improved mobility and walking endurance, better balance and quality of life.
"We really found benefits across all of those different outcomes when people participated in recreation activities," Hassett said, adding that most were group activities.
Hassett said that, in order for there to be wider benefits to the population, more work has to be done in the community, rather than focusing on "specific disability settings with only people living with disability participating".
"So a yoga program — how can we make just your local neighbourhood yoga program accessible for someone with a disability to be able to go and join?" she said, adding that researchers had found modifying the class or sourcing extra equipment to do so only required "minor" effort.
"They might've just held a pose for a shorter period of time, or they might have needed a chair next to them as an extra bit, so there was really little things that needed to be changed that really seemed to make it possible … we just need to get started with making sure we've got better accessibility out in the community."
Gabby Vassallo says the social component of physical recreation for people living with disability is crucial. Source: Supplied / Gabby Vassallo
Social connections are critical
Both Hassett and Vassallo said that one of the most crucial aspects of the benefits of recreational activity when you have a physical or intellectual disability is the social component.
"The thing I noticed after my accident is it's very isolating," Vassallo said. "So we all know after COVID — whether you had a disability or not — how important having a social connection is."
Vassallo credits physical recreation for maintaining her independence, keeping her mobility up and getting her out into the community.
"You get to meet people, whether you're doing it [the activity] with people or for me, going for a bike and having a coffee afterwards, I get to chat with random people in the coffee shop," she said. "If I'm not doing that, I might be stuck at home."
She hopes her example will help spur others to challenge themselves.
"I don’t mind getting out there, even though I ride a funny bike and I've had some people say some negative things about it — I don't care," she said.
"I reckon if people can see someone, like me, with an obvious disability having a go, they can see there's no reason that they can't."
