Active Beyond Education? and Sainsbury's Inclusive Community Training
The National Disability Sports Organisations (NDSO)’s latest research, Active Beyond Education?, is an insightful report which highlights a number of areas directly addressed by Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training.
Active Beyond Education? explores young disabled people’s experiences of sport and physical activity, during their transition from education to adulthood.
Downloadable from the EFDS website as an Accessible PDF as well as plain Word document, the research illustrates some approaches to take to promote continued participation as disabled people move into adulthood.
The findings support educators, healthcare professionals and sport providers to deliver more accessible activities for young disabled people.
Specifically, Active Beyond Education? identifies that adaptations to existing sports or other activities are often simple and inexpensive,[i] and can have a dramatic impact on a person’s ability and motivation to participate.
An example highlighted in the research was that of a woman in her early twenties with a restricted growth condition. She had enjoyed sport at school and described straightforward adaptations that were made in order to include her in activities, including lowering hurdles on an athletics track and playing rounders with a modified, smaller bat.
Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training is a workshop designed to improve the skills and confidence of those who support disabled people to be more active, and is a creative and informal development opportunity.
The three hours of practical training, supplemented by online resources, was described as "a very good course, with great tutors and well-prepared" by past participants.
An aspect of Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training includes learning about practical tools to support inclusive delivery, as well as exploring creative ideas to support disabled people to take part in physical activity and sport.
Another area identified by Active Beyond Education? was that a number of contributors commented that it remains difficult to find out what sports are on offer in their local area.[ii]
With compulsory sport at school ending at the age of 16 and there being few extracurricular sporting opportunities available at schools, local clubs provide an obvious alternative.
However, it is still not easy to find out what is on offer locally, and young disabled people told researchers that it feels as if it is their responsibility to identify opportunities themselves:
Outside school you’ve got to make the effort and find the stuff that suits you. The onus is a lot more on you… and as a disabled person I think it can be a lot harder to find activities that suit you.
I think a lot of disabled sports are hidden, and it makes it very difficult to find them.
Additionally, Active Beyond Education? states that healthcare professionals, such as physiotherapists, should be encouraged and guided to recommend suitable activities to young disabled people.[iii]
Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training involves learning about local groups, activities and further training opportunities, directly addressing the status quo highlighted in the research.
The training is designed for the likes of carers, support workers, parents, volunteers and community groups and organisations. It is not for qualified sports coaches.
Earlier this month a physiotherapist who attended a workshop in Norfolk told English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) how what she had learned would impact on her professional approach:
These sessions are for people with completely varying knowledge in topic areas, and I think that's brilliant. The sessions are fun, interactive, for all ages, all abilities, all sports. The tutoring was great, and I learned a lot!
Working as a physio in the community… I feel what I have learned on the training will help me engage and work better with patients.
A further finding in Active Beyond Education? is that life-skills – self-confidence, resilience and independence – can have an important impact on participation.[iv]
During the research, there were many examples where young disabled people had not had the opportunity to develop these life-skills. Upon leaving education, this resulted in them finding it challenging to continue to engage in sport and physical activity.
Accessible sporting opportunities can play a role in helping to improve the skills of disabled young people and therefore their future chances of engaging in sport and physical activity.
With the expertise acquired by undertaking a Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training workshop, the expectation is that areas highlighted in Active Beyond Education? can be positively addressed. The aspiration is to continue to work to improve and help make active lives possible.
Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training, part of Active Kids for All, is supported by £1 million of National Lottery funding from Sport England. This initiative is being delivered through the English Federation of Disability Sport and sports coach UK.
The ‘Active beyond education?’ report is available in both Accessible PDF and plain Word format. To read the full report please click here. For further information, please contact EFDS, email AK4A@efds.co.uk or telephone 01509 227751. Find us on Twitter @Eng_Dis_Sport, Facebook and LinkedIn.
[i] Page 30, Active Beyond Education? research report, PDF version
[ii] Page 31, Active Beyond Education? research report
[iii] Page 5, Active Beyond Education? research report
[iv] Page 14, Active Beyond Education? research report
