2 minute read
Column: Activity Alliance
The importance of inclusive spaces
Chair Activity Alliance
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We know there’s still much work to do to achieve our vision – fairness for disabled people in sport and activity. The pandemic has severely exacerbated issues that have existed for a long time. This is simply not fair or right.
Prior to the pandemic, we were beginning to see encouraging signs, with more disabled people recorded being active than ever before. However, we are now seriously concerned about the pandemic’s impact on disabled people. Our second Annual Disability and Activity Survey (2020-21) revealed that twice as many disabled people felt that coronavirus had greatly reduced their ability to do sport or physical activity, when compared to non-disabled people.
This is wholly unacceptable, especially when we consider that there are 14 million disabled people in the UK – that’s one in five. Every one of us deserves the right to reap the physical and mental health benefits of being active. We cannot allow disabled people to feel forgotten as we strive to recover.
Our research shows there is a demand for greater choice and opportunities to be active. That’s why we urge those in the leisure sector to do everything they can to remove barriers to a healthier, happier nation.
Our insight shows there are three main barriers to disabled people being active: ● Physical – Is the access into and inside your facility accessible? Are you making the adaptations or changes needed to support everyone taking part? ● Logistical – are there accessible transport links to and from your facility? Are sessions available at convenient times? Is it affordable? ● Psychological – are your frontline leisure staff confident in providing
Activity levels among disabled people have declined during the pandemic
© SHUTTERSTOCK/PHOTOGRAPHEE.EU
inclusive and welcoming activities and customer service, so disabled people feel welcomed in your environment?
Activity Alliance is here to help you to break down these barriers. Our resources and training is readily available on our website.
Our Achieving Fairness strategy, published in 2021, has two clear goals. That is to change attitudes towards disabled people in sport and activity, and to embed inclusive practice. Making spaces and places inviting and accessible will all help the vision for greater fairness.
We want our places and spaces to genuinely improve. Disabled people must be at the forefront of decision making. The best informed solutions must always involve disabled people.
The pandemic has given us an opportunity to rebuild. We need to take this opportunity to rethink and reinvent. We ask people to champion inclusion and work with us to make better active environments that benefit everyone. ●
