Michelle Carney, Special Olympics GB CEO, blog: Inclusion in Action
In Learning Disability Week (14-20 June), Activity Alliance recognises organisations working to encourage more people with a learning disability to take part in sport and activity. Last week, national charity and Activity Alliance member, Special Olympics GB launched their new strategy - Inclusion in Action. Here, CEO Michelle Carney writes about their ambitions for the future.
This week is Learning Disability Week. A national week of online activity to raise awareness of learning disabilities or intellectual disabilities across the UK. Sadly, not quite as popular as many other world days but far more important for the 1.5 million people currently living with an intellectual disability in Great Britain.
Advocating for and raising awareness of our athletes and people with intellectual disability is something we at Special Olympics GB try to do every day of the week, every week of the year.
Special Olympics GB is a non-profit charity which offers year-round sporting opportunities to people with intellectual disabilities of all ages and all abilities. We pride ourselves on making sure that our athletes and their voices are at the heart of every decision we make as an organisation. A commitment which lies at the centre of our new four-year strategy which we recently launched.
Called Inclusion in Action, our ambitious strategy, is based on growth, sustainability, advocacy and influence. From developing an effective network of programmes across Scotland, England, and Wales, to growing participation to record levels, raising awareness of our amazing athletes, and securing a sustainable and diverse stream of income for our organisation. These four objectives provide a roadmap which covers every aspect of our organisation. Our ultimate aim is to reach more people with intellectual disability, while demonstrating inclusion in action in everything we do.
And in terms of our athletes, our strategy also looks at developing our brilliant Athlete Leadership Team, launching an athlete-led social enterprise; employing more of our athletes within our organisation; and making all of our communications more accessible and inclusive.
Our strategy also paves the way for a potential bid for the UK to host a World Games in the future – motivated by the positive impact a Games would have for people with intellectual disability in GB. When Ireland hosted a Games back in 2003 the shift in attitudes towards people with intellectual disability was palpable – a shift we also saw here in Great Britain, similar to the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Almost 19 million adults in GB have a connection to or are aware of someone with an intellectual disability. Then coupled with the fact that younger generations have more of a connection to or are aware of people with intellectual disabilities than older generations, it feels like a real opportunity is there to be capitalised on.
Our current priority is to help our network recover from the impact of COVID-19 which has disproportionately negatively affected our athletes. Statistically speaking, people with intellectual disabilities are more likely to die from COVID-19, which highlights the true cost this pandemic has had on our community. Heighted anxiety, increased isolation, and loneliness are just a few of the knock-on effects. Life was challenging for our athletes before the pandemic, COVID-19 has made things even more difficult.
Since March 2020, almost all of Special Olympics GB’s athlete and volunteer opportunities have had to be delivered remotely via online platforms. While for some, this has created a lifeline to friends and community, many of our athletes are affected by data poverty meaning they’ve been unable to access technology which could facilitate their participation, increasing isolation and negatively impacting both their physical and mental health.
And while some of our clubs have been able to return to activities, the availability of volunteers and loss of facilities are two significant issues which clubs across our network are having to contend with. From COVID-19 restrictions in venues, session-times being given away or our clubs being priced out of facilities, it all widens an already huge gap for opportunity and inclusion of people with intellectual disability.
Financially, COVID-19 has also had a big impact on us with millions of pounds lost due to the loss of fundraising possibilities. Funded by individuals, trust and corporate donations we currently receive no central Government funding and financial support is crucial to enable us to continue our work.
As the UK starts to slowly get back to normal, we call upon UK business, Government and society as a whole to help us. Inclusion is currently high on people’s agendas and Special Olympics GB is perfectly positioned to help drive societal change, but we can’t do this alone. The question you need to ask yourself is, do you choose to include? Or do you choose to ignore?
