Gender and disability advancement in inclusive sport initiatives: Tiro en Braille and Goalball UG at Universidad de Guanajuato

Abstract

This study explores the advancement of gender and disability awareness, the empowerment, and the transformative attitudes and conduct that have taken place in two original inclusive/adaptive sport initiatives conducted at Universidad de Guanajuato in Mexico. Tiro en Braille is a student-designed inclusive sport. Goalball UG is an adaptation of regular Goalball based on gender and disability inclusion. The evolution and growth of both inclusive sport initiatives are analyzed through two frameworks related to participatory action research: Co-production explains the intra-sport evolution. Cross-pollination documents the inter-sport mutual learning/nurturing. The objective of the article is to explain how co-production and cross-pollination have helped to create two truly inclusive sport-for-development initiatives that promote gender and disability agendas in a public Mexican university. Drawing on interviews from 28 participants (players, staff, and project leaders) engaged in both initiatives and employing our proper signature model (VECTOR-I), informed by global agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals and UNESCO's Fit for Life Alliance, two things are analyzed: the role that co-production and cross-pollination play as mechanisms of knowledge transfer in the strengthened evolution of these inclusive initiatives and the contributions to gender and disability awareness, empowerment, and transformed attitudes. Our findings reveal how these inclusive sports help to reshape values regarding mixed-gender participation and unified formats. Furthermore, we identify specific components in both sports that have resulted from cross-pollination practices. The study illustrates in a Mexican university context, how institutional knowledge circulates between established and emergent inclusive sports, generating overall positive impacts on participants.