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Blog: 'ASA has used the Charter to see where we can improve'

The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) website features a blog post every Friday through the year.

July's theme is EFDS's Charter for Change, which was launched by EFDS at an event in Parliament in February. This week Rachel Tallon, Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) Programme Manager - Disability, blogs for us. She discusses embracing the Charter's Three Asks and how swimming are shaping their new future strategy.

Rachel's blog:

For many years I have been a passionate advocate for the social model of disability and offering inclusive opportunities to people.

Inclusion is, for me, all about choice. This means offering people both exclusive sessions as well as making general or public sessions open to all. 

So I was privileged and delighted in my first few weeks working for the ASA to accompany our Chief Executive, Adam Paker, to Parliament for the launch of EFDS’s Charter for Change.

I was equally proud that the ASA – the national governing body for swimming – was one of the first National Governing Bodies to back the Charter and its Three Asks.

Since then. we have used the Charter and the ten Talk to Me Principles as a measuring stick to see where we are and where we can improve. Although swimming is the highest participation sport for disabled people in England, we want to work with our partners to improve the experience and get more disabled people engaged with swimming.

We back the Three Asks:

  • Everyone involved in providing sport or physical activity will support disabled people to participate.
  • Disabled people will have the same opportunity as non-disabled people to be active throughout their lives.
  • All communications about sport and physical activity will promote positive public attitudes towards disabled people’s participation.

In order to provide the right support to swimming pool providers and to ensure that the ASA is offering the right products and programmes to disabled people, we have commissioned some new behaviour change research. This is really exciting, and the results will shape the ASA’s strategy and approach moving forward.

Let’s Go Swimming is a new project that is focused on a number of areas including the environment, staff training and pool activity – all of which have a high impact on someone’s ability to access and enjoy aquatics.

The environment covers a multitude of areas and by making small changes, it can have a big impact on a disabled person’s ability to access and enjoy the sport.

As part of the Let’s Go Swimming project we are testing two different types of training for front of house staff, face-to-face and online. From our trials we will offer training nationally to improve staff confidence at assisting disabled customers and ensuring disabled people get a better experience.  

This is a vital, when 65% of people have admitted they avoid disabled people because they don't know how to act around them (source, BT - 'Ready, Willing and Disabled’ Event 2011).

Following research and work in the pilot areas we are looking to increase participation in a scalable and sustainable way through a number of interventions including in our first phase: Disability friendly pools toolkit; training available for centre staff; offering inclusive pool activity; marketing and communication toolkit.

This is all really exciting and I am looking forward to seeing the development of the project. 

If you want to find out more about swimming, please contact the ASA via their website. Find out more about the Charter on our designated website page.