ABSTRACT
Social capital enhances the flow of resources to individuals via formal and informal network and social support. Over the last two decades, social capital has been employed at exploring the processes that makes a conducive and secure community – for fostering different identities and behaviors . About 44 percent of the disabled community in India is women. Apart from the lack of social and physical autonomy this populace is subjected to stigmatisation, poor quality of life, disintegrated social and psychological functioning. Previous studies show that sport helps to build community identity and a sense of community and belonging. Our study focuses on the discourse of the intersectionality between disability, gender and sports in the formation and maintenance of social capital on a group of five women athletes with disabilities. Qualitative study based on primary and secondary data was done through narrative and content analysis. Results show that there might be a role of sports in developing social capital leading them to break few mental and physical barriers. The study finally shows the positive effects of the socio-cultural aspects of social capital.
Keywords: People with disabilities, social capital, paralympics, women with disabilities, sports.