Deafness is not a recognised classification under the Paralympic banner, and subsequently, D/deaf athletes are required to compete alongside hearing athletes in the Olympic pathway . This results in arguable competitive advantages for hearing athletes and explains the lack of D/deaf athletes competing at Olympic level. Thus, the primary aim of my thesis was to inform the development of a standardised starting system that ensures fair competition between D/deaf and hearing athletes in mainstream athletics and across all levels of the D/deaf sport pathways. To achieve this, my thesis comprises a General Introduction (Chapter 1), followed by three further Chapters (incorporating three experimental studies and one qualitative study) that each tackle a particular challenge in line with the overall aims, and a General Discussion. To our knowledge, this thesis is the first of its kind to develop a comprehensive evidence-base, rigorously testing factors effecting reaction time (RT) (e.g., stimulus quantity, modality, and location), as well as the sociocultural requirements for an equitable starting system.
More specifically, Chapter 1 provides in-depth contextual information surrounding the history, cultural importance, and barriers experiences by D/deaf people in sport and wider society. It also includes a critical discussion of the complex relationship between RT and hearing level and why it is pertinent to establish equitable RTs in athletics. Both the contextual D/deaf sport background and theoretical underpinnings ascertain the need, rationale, and thesis’ structure to develop an impactful body of research to inform an evidence-based standardised starting system.
Chapter 2 is the first experimental chapter and investigated the relationship between stimulus location and RT in D/deaf and hearing populations. More specifically, we focused on haptic stimulus positioning i.e., high set-level compatible location (hands) versus low set-level compatible location (legs), considering the practical implications of whether it would be more beneficial to RT to position a haptic stimulus directly on the start line (i.e., proximal to the hands) or within the starting blocks (i.e., proximal to the legs). Results demonstrated that haptic RTs were significantly faster at a high-set level compatible location (i.e., the hands) with no significant population difference when presented with a haptic stimulus. These findings were used to inform the methodology, specifically the stimulus positioning, in Chapter 3.
Chapter 3 investigated the influence of stimulus modality (auditory, visual, and haptic), stimulus quantity (unimodal versus bimodal), and hearing level on RTs in D/deaf and hearing populations. Chapter 3 comprises two experiments with similar rationales but different tasks (a more internally valid laboratory target-directed aiming task and a field-based sprint start task), with notable results consistently demonstrating no significant between-group differences for RT when presented with a bimodal visual-haptic stimulus. These findings provide robust evidence and direction for what constitutes an equitable starting system.
The final study, Chapter 4, adopts a more inductive and qualitative approach, encompassing the sociocultural element of this thesis. It explored the experiences, perceptions and opinions of variable starting systems to gain a better understanding of what starting systems have been used at different stages of the participation and performance pathways in D/deaf athletics. It also addresses how and why D/deaf athletes compete in athletics, with focus on access to sport, athlete funding and competitive opportunities. Findings also provided useful insight into what D/deaf athletes, coaches of D/deaf athletes and stakeholders want, and need, from a standardised starting system that will be practical, efficient, and accessible across mainstream and D/deaf sport.
To conclude, Chapter 5 incorporates a general discussion with a particular focus on the applied implications and starting system solution in line with the main objectives and findings of this thesis. The theoretical implications, practical recommendations, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.