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West Midlands disabled people to have their say on physical activity

Disabled people and people with long term health conditions are getting the opportunity to tell key West Midlands decision makers how to improve access to physical activities, post-lockdown.

Inclusive sitting volleyball session

A Citizens' Network is being developed by Include Me West Midlands (Include Me WM) - the initiative backed by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to support disabled people and people with long-term health conditions to be physically active. 

While most sports organisations actively encourage disabled people to participate, Include Me WM was developed with the aim of making access easier and gaining a better understanding of people’s needs. To date the work of Include Me WM has involved recruiting and engaging organisations to adopt an inclusive approach, but now organisers want to hear from more members of the public to include their opinions in future work.

The Citizens’ Network is being launched in National Inclusion Week (September 28-October 4) and comes as gyms and other activity facilities start to reopen following the lockdown.

Cllr Izzi Seccombe, WMCA portfolio lead for wellbeing and leader of Warwickshire County Council said:

"It is important that the views of disabled people and those with long term health conditions are heard. Covid-19 has put the spotlight on health and wellbeing and the Citizens’ Network will provide access to a wealth of views and opinions which can be used to guide decisions about physical activities."

The launch of the Citizen’s Network follows a WMCA commissioned report by Disability Rights UK (DR UK) to find out how disabled people in the West Midlands feel about access to physical activity. They gained feedback from 60 people about who told them:

  • Disabled people want to receive information about physical activity through trusted channels.
  • The sports sector workforce should build capacity to create inclusive opportunities for physical activity.
  • Disabled people want to see an improvement in access to physical activity.
  • WMCA utilises existing networks and build strong links with community organisations.

View Moving the West Midlands Forward report from Disability Rights UK.

The Citizens’ Network will be collecting the ideas, thoughts, views and solutions of disabled people across the region and then a panel including disabled people and people who have experience of disability such as having a relative with a disability can make recommendations based on the wider network. It is planned that this panel will influence organisations, local authorities and regional boards. 

Kashmire Hawker, 23, from Wolverhampton sits on the Young Combined Authority board. He is autistic and uses his experiences to help him campaign for young people and disabled people’s rights.

Watch video: inclusivity with Kashmire Walker 

Any groups, networks, forums and individuals who want to get involved and have a positive impact on access to physical activities are invited to get in touch with the Include Me West Midlands team.

Find out more and get involved in Include Me WM Citizens' Network.

Include Me WM logo