Community integration of wheelchair-bound athletes: a comparison before and after onset of disability

(1) To assess to what extent wheelchair-bound athletes living independently in the community were able to return to their premorbid level of functioning in the community; (2) to investigate how they value their current way of functioning in comparison to that before disability; and (3) to examine the factors that hamper their return to their premorbid life in four domains.

Forty-four wheelchair-bound athletes participated in this study. Data were collected by means of a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire which was divided into four domains: vocational status, leisure time activities, social functioning and relationship with partner.

Return to premorbid level of functioning in the community in the long term was reasonably well achieved for the domains 'leisure activities', 'social contacts' and 'relationship with partners', but not for 'vocational situation'. Between 60% and 80% of the participants reported satisfaction with their current level of functioning for all domains. However, about 50% of the respondents reported that they were currently less satisfied with their functioning on the domains 'vocational situation' and 'leisure activities', compared to before the onset of disability. Factors limiting integration were principally access to buildings and physical health problems (pain and fatigue).

It appeared that wheelchair-bound athletes were able to live a life on a level comparable to that before onset of disability for three of the four domains. It was emphasized that pain treatment in late rehabilitation and improving access for the disabled can contribute to the further integration of wheelchair-bound people into the community.