No Exceptions
Key Issues
The review of the previous No Exceptions Strategy identified key issues facing recreation and sport for disabled people. These issues are as follows:
- Sports organisations and recreation providers need to have the capacity to include people with impairments.
- There is a significant gap in terms of the capability of some to provide, because of their lack of awareness of - and attitudes towards - people with impairments.
- Many organisations see that reflecting the community in their programmes is important, but the impact on organisations in terms of extra demands on an already limited people resource raises issues of long-term sustainability.
More specifically, there are some significant gaps that have emerged through the consultation process. These are as follows:
- Philosophical commitment - people with impairments want real choice about what they do in their free time.
- Training - to upskill staff and volunteers working at national, regional and club level as administrators, coaches, teachers and teacher aides through regional sports trusts, colleges of education, polytechnics and universities.
- Leisure education - some support workers in the disability sectors have responsibility for, but are ill-informed around, people's recreation and sport education and participation.
- Choice - disabled people want the option of recreation and sport participation along with others (inclusive), and the options to learn, take part and perform in 'exclusive' settings.
- Supported opportunities - direct provision of recreation and sport by disability organisations is reducing, and inclusive provision by recreation and sport organisations is increasing. Communication, networks and support between disabled people and recreation and sport organisations is still emerging.
- Performance - there is dislocation between local participation and elite performance, with few structures and strategies in place to identify and develop talent.
- Resources - about processes to use, modifications to sport and recreation activities and equipment, examples of best practice, success stories.
- Funding - absence of strategies to direct funding from health and education into recreation and sport for disabled people.
- Promotion - of role models and everyday participants, with images to be used in mainstream publications as well as targeted material.
- Policy - regarding the respective roles of organisations in developing disability action plans.
It is in this context that the new No Exceptions Strategy has been developed.
Updated | 18 Jan 2007.
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