Disability inclusion and awareness in a youth livestock exposition: a qualitative exploration of the Special Olympics Kansas Champions Livestock Show at the Kansas State Fair

Abstract

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of children with disabilities participating in livestock exhibitions as livestock shows provide youth with different layers of development and skills that can be learned in the barn and the show ring. Integrating youth with disabilities in agricultural programs can improve social acceptance, self-esteem, and social skills for all youth involved as they can benefit from the opportunity to become more aware of differences and more tolerant and accepting of others. The purpose of this study was to understand and describe the lived experiences of participants in a disability inclusive livestock show and the perceived best practices of livestock expositions that are constructed with diversity inclusion towards youth with disabilities. LaVergne’s Diversity Inclusion Program Model was used to construct interview questions. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted as a collective case study with twenty participants involved in a disability inclusive livestock exposition to understand their perceptions and experiences with the program. Results from this study illuminated how disability inclusion in the livestock industry can create disability awareness and acceptance amongst participants to expose them to diverse individuals. This study offers insight on the lived experiences of individuals with and without disabilities and the benefits gained, along with parent/guardian and adult volunteer perspectives on the perceived best practices for disability inclusive livestock expositions. It was concluded participants obtained a positive experience from participating in the show and developed life skills while also gaining an understanding of equity in the show ring.