Abstract

It is a fact that people with disabilities have historically suffered from some form of marginalisation and social exclusion. In the light of this trend, a large number of authors advocate a society for all, i.e. a society which we all form part of, since inclusion entails the acceptance of diversity (Forest & Pearpoint, 2010; O’Brien, Forest, Pearpoint, Snow, & Hasbury, 1989). Physical activity is without a doubt one of the ways of ensuring the social inclusion of people with disabilities. The Fidias swimming club in Cordoba seeks to support and assist with development, promotion and competition in disabled sports and in particular through water activities. In addition to their sports purposes, the latter have also become a means for improving quality of life as well as a tool for social inclusion. The main goal of this paper is to assess sport as a strategy for social inclusion and, more specifically, in the field of adapted swimming for people with physical disabilities. Doing it has generated high levels of satisfaction for its practitioners and a positive impact on their integration into society. The research has involved comprehensive analysis of aspects such as leisure and free time, independence and satisfaction, support from the close family and social environment, coaches and satisfaction levels by means of a non-experimental, descriptive and correlational study.