Breaking Down Barriers

Kelly Carr BHK ’11, MHK ’14

Kelly Carr doesn’t believe a disability should be a deterrent.

That’s why her research as a PhD student at the University
of Windsor has worked to showcase the strengths of people with disabilities to combat the negative stigma that often follows them throughout their lives.

Carr’s research is broken into three phases and examines how people with an intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) participating in a physical exercise program, meaningful employment and elite sports can influence opinion.

“Showcasing the strengths in people with disabilities can change social perceptions of what disability is,” says the human kinetics grad student.

She co-ordinated an Adapted Physical Exercise (APEX) program with Community Living Essex County which provided 15 participants with 12 weeks of full-body exercise training at the St. Denis Centre.

Carr, with the help of 23 HK undergraduate volunteers and instructors Sean Horton, Nadia Azar and Chad Sutherland, worked with the participants on strengthening, cardiovascular exercises and flexibility.

“Showcasing the strengths in people with disabilities can change social perceptions of what disability is,” says the human kinetics grad student. Kelly Carr

“A lot of people have the perceptions that they won’t be able to complete the exercise, they won’t want to go to the gym because it’s too loud or they’ll be too distracted,” Carr says.

“We have never come across that, and nearly everyone who has started has finished the program.”

Carr says her primary interest lays in the perceptions of those working with and working out with the people with ASD and intellectual disabilities. “I interviewed a good handful of the personal trainers, and one of the neatest things to come out of this is that many are considering careers now in a disability sector.

“I also interviewed typical gym users, and there was a lot of talk about the broader understanding of disability.”

Gym-goers don’t often have personal interactions with persons with a disability, says Carr. Some she interviewed said they were unsure on how they would approach them.

“But, by the third or fourth week of the program, they were interacting with no problem. It helps for them to talk, see that those with disabilities are sharing the same experience.”

The second phase of Carr’s research paired her with Career Compass, Community Living Essex County’s employment services for people with an intellectual disability. The service markets job seekers for their skills and ability to contribute to the workplace.

“Instead of the social service approach where they say, ‘it’s a
good thing to hire somebody with a disability,’ they look at their strengths.”

The strategy is effective because persons with an intellectual disability exhibit desirable traits and are often dependable, engaged, motivated, have low levels of absenteeism and high productivity, and pay attention to work quality.

The final phase of Carr’s research has yet to be completed and will involve volunteers watching athletes with intellectual disabilities compete in the Paralympics. Carr says that watching athletes with
a disability showcase their elite abilities may help to challenge the dominant perceptions around disability.

She hopes to complete her PhD under the supervision of professors Patti Weir and Dr. Horton by the end of this year. “After graduating I would love to be in academia, with a very applied focus where I’m providing services and evaluations for community programming in the disability sector,” Carr says.

“I think there’s a lot of room for growth in this area and working so closely with Community Living Essex County through my degree—an agency that’s committed to growth and positive change—has shaped me as a researcher and a person.”