Athletes with physical disabilities should be looked at in the same light as other athletes. Just because they have a disability doesn’t mean they aren’t athletes. I’m sure they train as hard, if not harder than most athletes. For example, a disabled athlete who is confined to a wheelchair is required to have outstanding upper body strength.
Males with a physical disability have to deal with two main pressures placed on them by American culture. Men should be strong, aggressive, courageous, independent, and self reliant, which refers to hegemonic masculinity. If an athlete is disabled, these pressures can be extremely difficult to overcome. Another has to do with weakness. People with a disability are looked at as being weak. Disabled athletes must prove they are not weak by showing what they can do and overcoming the obstacles caused by their disabilities. I am impressed by how mentally tough these individuals are.
Upper body strength is certainly something that athletes with disability need to have for wheelchair racing. I could definitely see that in Scot Hollonbeck, who trained as a wheelchair racer at the University of Illinois. With that strength, wheelchair racers can often finish marathons in about an hour and a half.
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