Disability inclusion in Saudi sports clubs: A mixed-methods study of gender and disability-type differences in...

Disability inclusion in sport depends not only on access but also on how organizations translate inclusion commitments into everyday practice. This study examined whether perceived organizational responsibility for disability inclusion differed by disability type and gender in Saudi community sports clubs and used qualitative interviews to contextualize the observed patterns. Methods A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was used. Phase 1 included 281 adults with physical, hearing, visual, or intellectual disabilities from five community sports clubs in Jeddah Governorate. Perceived organizational responsibility was assessed using a questionnaire developed specifically for this study. The Total Score was the primary quantitative outcome and was analyzed using HC3 heteroscedasticity-robust linear regression. Gender × Disability Type was examined exploratorily, and sensitivity analyses incorporated club fixed effects and excluded the hearing-disability group. Phase 2 comprised semi-structured interviews with 15 purposively selected participants.

Perceived organizational responsibility differed markedly across disability groups, with participants with hearing disabilities reporting the highest scores and those with intellectual disabilities reporting the lowest. The large disability-type effect was substantially influenced by the hearing-disability group, although differences across disability types remained statistically significant after its exclusion. After adjustment for disability type, women scored 7.39 points lower than men (b = -7.39, 95% CI [-10.67, -4.11], p < .001). This association remained similar after adjustment for club fixed effects and exclusion of the hearing-disability group. The exploratory Gender × Disability Type interaction was not statistically significant (ΔR² =.0015, p = .162). Interviews identified unequal experiences of belonging, gaps in organizational support, gender-related barriers, and limited opportunities for participant voice.

Perceived organizational responsibility for disability inclusion was not experienced uniformly across participants. Disability type and gender showed distinct associations with this organizational outcome, while qualitative findings highlighted implementation, access conditions, and opportunities for participant influence as relevant features of everyday club experience. The findings support closer attention to organizational practice rather than access alone when evaluating disability inclusion in community sport.