Breaking barriers: Strategies for promoting disability inclusion in sport and physical activity

In 2012 the London Paralympic Games burst on to our screens with a level of focus and interest that had never been seen before in Paralympic Sport.

The opportunity of a home games inspired many to watch at home and for those lucky enough, to buy tickets to be part of a moment in time. 

In 2012 I was lucky enough to spend much of my time at the games and one of my overriding memories is the change in attitudes of the crowd as they moved from the amazement of what disabled people could achieve to a genuine appreciation of the sporting prowess of these athletes regardless of disability or impairment.

Fast forward 10 years and how have disabled people’s experiences of sport and physical activity changed?

According to some of the latest research by the Activity Alliance (2020/21):

• Disabled adults are almost twice as likely as non-disabled people to be physically inactive (42.4 % vs 22.6%).
• Only 4 in 10 (42%) of disabled people feel they have the opportunity to be as active as they want to be, compared to 69% of non-disabled people.
• Four in five (77%) disabled people would like to be more active.

Reframing your sport and physical activity offer for disabled people

So, with so much more to be done in this space what more should we be doing to change this narrative?  Here are some of our top tips for reframing your offer for disabled people.

1. Consult with the people that matter

Do you know what people want and need? As a sector we are often guilty of “doing things to” communities. Genuine engagement, consultation and coproduction alongside disabled people and organisations with direct links can really help you to ignite your work in this space.

Don’t forget to consider the methodology you use for consultation; will questionnaires give you the level of detail and insight you need or will focus groups and interviews garner more information? It may be that you need to take a mix of approaches, but time invested at this point will reap huge rewards as you move forward.

2. Coach education is key

Often when we approach the development of opportunities for disabled people, we think about what new provision we need to create. However, research by the Activity Alliance (2020/21) suggests that two thirds (64%) of disabled people would prefer to take part in sport with both disabled and non-disabled people. However, in 2012, just half (51%) of active disabled people were doing so. So how do we make this happen in real-time and why isn’t it happening already?

More often than not coaches have all the skills needed to coach disabled people but lack the confidence and experience of doing this in real-time. 

The Home Country Disability Sport Organisations can offer valuable support for this challenge with a range of CPD opportunities for coaches and volunteers:

• Activity Alliance – Inclusive Activity Programme
• Disability Sport Northern Ireland – Disability Inclusion Training
• Scottish Disability Sport Coaching and Education
• Disability Sport Wales – Disability Inclusion Training

As National Governing Bodies continue to develop their own provision in this space we are seeing more and more disabled specific opportunities available, it is essential that all new and experienced coaches are empowered to differentiate their coaching practice for athletes regardless of ability or disability.

3. Communicate well

If a disabled person wanted to find out how to get involved in sport and physical activity, whether as a participant, volunteer, official or coach, how easy would it be for them to access relevant information about opportunities? 

We know that it is the detail that matters for people when exploring opportunities, for example does the environment / opportunity cater for someone who is a wheelchair user, someone who uses BSL or someone with a learning disability?  We can encourage clubs to recognise that they do not have to be all things to all people and that being clear in the communications upfront about what they can offer is the most important thing.

At Inclusive Employers we are passionate about supporting the sector to improve its offer for disabled people and we know that these tips will only be a starting point. 

If you would like to talk to us about how we can add value to your work, whether that be through training, consultancy or advice, please contact us at sport@inclusiveemployeres.co.uk or speak to your account manager.