Blog: 'Disability Rights UK has a natural affiliation with EFDS'
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 Leanne Wightman from Disability Rights UK discusses a close working relationship with EFDS and the Get Yourself Active project.
Leanne’s blog:
Today, I’d like to introduce a project which we hope can really make a difference for disabled people. I’ll also touch on how the work we are doing supports the EFDS Charter for Change.
Disability Rights UK (DRUK) is an organisation run by and for disabled people. We campaign, deliver and explore ways in which disabled people can be more independent and live a good life.
We have a natural affiliation with EFDS because physical activity and sport can be important methods to help live the fulfilling lives we want – which is where our new project comes in.
I am working on Get Yourself Active, to create opportunities and find examples of disabled people taking part in physical activity and sport. Never has physical activity and sport for disabled people been so high on the agenda for grassroots organisations, national governing bodies and in many cases health and social care organisations.
Being high on the agenda is great, but there is still much work to be done in terms of making physical activity and sport a real and achievable option for disabled people. As I heard Tanni Grey-Thompson say at the launch of the EFDS Charter for Change – “we should be able to take part in sport and be rubbish at it!”
The Get Yourself Active project, funded by Sport England, is a partnership between DRUK, Cheshire Centre for Independent Living, Leicester Centre for Integrated Living and Equal Lives (Norfolk).
Our aim is to work with health, social care and sports professionals locally and nationally to explore ways for people to use personal budgets to participate in physical activity. We are going to demonstrate that increased participation in physical activity and sport will:
- Improve confidence and self-esteem
- Help people to feel more in control and have a greater sense of independence
- Improve physical and mental health and wellbeing
- Open up opportunities to be part of the local community e.g. volunteering, education and training
I think the EFDS Charter for Change very much embodies this project and approach through its Three Asks. Through the Get Yourself Active project we think that we can find some answers, particularly to the second Ask in the Charter for Change: “Disabled people will have the same opportunity as non-disabled people to be active throughout their lives”.
For Get Yourself Active to work, we need commitment and enthusiasm from friends and supporters, something which hasn’t been hard to find.
We, together with EFDS and many other organisations, are working hard to point out that disabled people should have access to physical activity and sport – it can really make a difference to people’s health and wellbeing, and it supports communities coming together.
EFDS and DRUK believe physical activity and sport should not be an add-on or an after-thought. You can help us create an environment where disabled people of all abilities can take part in physical activity and feel better for it.
