BECOMING A WHOLE HUMAN BEING THROUGH SPORTS

Muhammad Hamid Anwar1, Diana Septi Purnama2, Herka Maya Jatmika3, Awan Hariono4

1,2,3,4
Yogyakarta State University
1
M_hamid@uny.ac.id, dianaseptipurnama@uny.ac.id, 3herka_mayajatmika@uny.ac.id,
2
4
Awan_hariono@uny.ac.id

Abstract
This paper unravels the meanings people with disabilities attach to sports as reflected in their lives and social
contexts. This research is biographical narrative research, which is an effort to explore the intertwining of
meaning through a person's life journey. There are two participants involved in this research, namely people with
disabilities acquired from birth and people with disabilities acquired throughout their lives.
The results show an extraordinary phenomenon that may be little realized by everyone. Participants expressed
the immense meaning of sports in their lives. They said that it was through sports that they seemed to be living
as human beings. In addition, sport has become a more promising way of life and provides a higher social status
for people with disabilities. The phrase "from zero to hero" is best defined as not just a jargon or provocative
phrase in the title of a movie or novel. Through sport, people with disabilities have discovered this reality and
have made a better life for themselves.

Keywords: Disability, Sports, Meaning, human existence

Content

1. Introduction
The worldview of disability in general and Indonesian contexts has always been evolutionary. In the beginning, a
person's disability was often seen as a disgrace that had to be hidden. It was believed that a person's disability
resulted from a curse or a disease caused by behavior that became a punishment. Through this perspective, in the
past, children with disabilities would eventually be hidden at home and tended to be a burden on family life.
Even though modern thinking has moved on, this mystical perspective is still prevalent. On the other hand,
although the development of the times has changed people's thinking, including the phenomenon of disability, it
turns out that the unpleasant behavior experienced by people with disabilities is still actual. The way people, in
general, perceive disability in the form of fear, strangeness, or pity still often appears and makes them feel
uncomfortable.
Theoretically, perspectives that feel odd, unfamiliar, or frightening are indirectly formed based on one's
understanding. In the Indonesian context, there is a lack of space that provides an understanding of the condition
of disability. It is clear that in various teaching materials in formal education in Indonesia, there is almost no
material that provides a clear understanding of the condition of disability from the causes and characteristics
accompanying it as a separate attitude or character that must be understood.
There is a saying that a lack of understanding causes fear. Just like when someone is afraid of things that contain
danger, such as venomous animals (snakes), electricity, and various other dangerous objects and creatures, in
reality, this is due to a lack of understanding of the characteristics and workings of each. For those who
understand, the risk and danger can be minimized and even eliminated - so that it is no longer scary. This is also
how the general public views people with disabilities.
Being trapped in a minority view of their existence, persons with disabilities often receive unpleasant or even
inhumane treatment. Various forms of insults and diatribes become something familiar to the lives of persons
with disabilities, often even from their own families. On the other hand, even if a positive attitude emerges, it is
often in the form of empathy and compassion, which, in reality, is not something that persons with disabilities
expect.
In its general interpretation, sport is always related to physical activity with particular prerequisites and criteria.
In turn, this leads to a system that is relatively close to the involvement of people with disabilities.

2. Method

3. Results
4. Discussion

5. Conclusion

6. Acknowledgement

7. References