Opportunity-related Barriers
These may include:
A lack of clubs within the area that provide your sport that will include disabled people within their sessions.
A limited range of sports available to disabled people within the area, and there is a demand to do your sport in addition.
A feeling by coaches that they are not appropriately 'trained/qualified' to include disabled people within their sessions.
A good range of sports being available within the area for disabled people, but the times they are held are difficult, and a lot of the venues are not on a public transport route.
A lack of tournaments/competitions/events available for disabled people.
The extent to which opportunity-based barriers exist is reducing as a consequence of the work being done within the 22 Local Authorities by the Disability Sport Wales Development Officers (DSWDO), employed through the Disability Sport Wales Community Programme. With 600,000 participation opportunities being provided across Wales during 2009 opportunity is decreasing as a barrier. However, whilst participation opportunities may be increasing, there is still a need to develop the range and frequency of competitive opportunity for disabled people. This is an area where Welsh GBs and FDSW can work together to ensure that (where possible) appropriate structures become embedded in governing body competition programmes.
Possible solutions to opportunity-based barriers:
If this is just an issue within a couple of areas of Wales, contact the DSWDO for the local authority and discuss with them ways in which they can work with the club to encourage them to provide access to disabled people. It may also be that as a GB you could revisit any club accreditation schemes you might have, and ensure that is inclusive so that clubs are encouraged to think about that from an Welsh GB perspective as well.
Again, this is an area which can be developed in conjunction with the DSWDO for the local authority.
This will be addressed through continuous education of coaches, ensuring that developing coach education workshops are representative of disabled people, and/or referring coaches to (and awarding CPD points, or including on the coach license, recognition of) UK Disability Inclusion Training.
Work with DSWDOs to identify the demand for your sport in their local authority, and work together to identify the most appropriate venues, taking into account timing of sessions, and whether it will be possible for disabled people, who may rely more on public transport, to get there.
Consider including disability, or impairment-specific opportunities within existing events. It may be that you build these opportunities gradually and each year add a wider range of impairment classifications. Contact FDSW Academy for further information and guidance.
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