Development and translation of the Wheelchair Imagery Ability Questionnaire; processes and applied practice challenges

Imagery ability is considered a cornerstone psychological skill in sport (for a review see Cumming & Williams, 2012) and it is widely accepted that individuals who can imagine their movements accurately, vividly and with ease demonstrate greater improvements in their performance compared to those who struggle to use imagery (Robin et al., 2007). Whilst various measurement tools exist for non-disabled athletes (e.g., Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire; VMIQ2, Roberts et al., 2008), such measures are questionable in their suitability for use when working with athletes with a disability. This workshop will be an interactive experience with both authors sharing how they created, developed, and validated the Wheelchair Imagery Ability Questionnaire (WIAQ), an imagery ability questionnaire specifically for use with wheelchair athletes. The workshop aims to include both research and an applied practice focus. There are three learning objectives; 1) help participants identify issues associated with measurement development in disability sport, this will be achieved through discussion and sharing of the methods used in the creation of the WIAQ; 2) the workshop will look to extend participants knowledge on the protocols and challenges associated with translating measures and working with international research teams, and 3) offer practical ideas and interventions for use in applied practice. Participants should consider bringing a psychometric that they may wish to examine as part of the workshop, otherwise they will be provided with appropriate measures to work through, including the WIAQ.