Fighting for fairness on International Day for Disabled People
“It’s more than just a few words in the year. It’s about living through your values.” That is what our vision - fairness for disabled people in sport and activity - means to Jayant Mistry, a member of the team at Activity Alliance.
Saturday 3 December is the 30th International Day for Disabled People (IDDP), the United Nation’s annual celebration of disabled peoples’ rights and well-being in all areas of society. Activity Alliance supports this global campaign as we work together to achieve our vision. To recognise the day, this year we are asking our partners and supporters, what does fairness in sport and activity mean to you?
Introduced in 1992, IDDP recognises the rights and well-being of disabled people in society and aims to gain support for critical issues relating to the inclusion of disabled people. The annual event adopts a theme each year and this year it is: “Transformative solutions for inclusive development: The role of Innovation in fuelling an accessible and fair world”.
Jayant, Impact and Learning Advisor, told us a story to capture what fairness in sport and activity means to him:
“Ten years ago, I was working on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, running the wheelchair tennis event at Trafalgar Square as part of International Paralympic Day. We knew that the then Prime Minister, David Cameron, and London Lord Mayor, Boris Johnson, were keen tennis fans and that they both wanted to join in with the wheelchair tennis players. There were conversations in the background amongst the organising committee debating whether we should ask them both to play in wheelchairs to make it ‘fair’. I insisted that it wasn’t about the wheelchairs, but that sport could be played by all four players (two wheelchair, two on their feet) at the same time, thus making it inclusive.
“This was a visual representation of what fairness in sport and activity means to me. That is, everybody playing a sport on the same court without having to adapt or change the rules of the game or sport.”
There are 14 million disabled people in the UK - that’s one in five of us and a large proportion of everyone’s community. Yet disabled people are the least active in our society, take part far less and are twice as likely to be inactive as non-disabled people. It is not right or fair that every day disabled people miss out on the benefits sport and activity bring.
We are so proud of our work regionally, nationally and in some cases, sharing our expertise globally. Our latest impact report highlights just a slice of impact in 2021-22.
Our insight continues to highlight people’s experiences and the barriers preventing disabled people from accessing the same opportunities.
Disabled people’s views and experiences are crucial to our planning. It helps us to shape our thinking and put real life experience at the heart of what we do. That matters across our diverse staff and board team too.
Here is what fairness in sport and activity means for more of our colleagues across Activity Alliance:
Sarah Brown-Fraser, External Affairs Manager, said:
“Fairness to me means we see more leaders across all sectors embracing the importance of inclusive and accessible communications. We can let so many people down in the ways we communicate, and the words we use matter in how we engage disabled people. I genuinely feel more people would be active if we gave more thought to our messages, channels and formats.
“This connects to my personal desire to see more disabled leaders in sport. If you can’t see me, you can’t be me, and it shouldn’t be the case in 2022.”
Jess Cook, Strategic Partnership Advisor:
“Fairness means that my decisions to be active - how, when, and where - are respected. It also means that I can find out when these opportunities are taking place in a way that suits me. And that I have the confidence and opportunities to achieve in my career and not be held back due to others.
“Professionally it means genuinely embedding co-production, so we understand more about supporting disabled people to be active. We create positive change to policy and strategy, ensuring disabled people are always considered and we can access anything we wish to.”
Molly O’Brien, Senior Research and Insight Advisor, said:
“To me, fairness in sport and activity means having equal access and opportunities to participate in a chosen sport or activity. And having the opportunities to develop and progress.
“It is about having equal access and opportunities to be able to try different sports and activities, to participate as much as I'd like to, and then develop and progress if I'd like to. I aim to try as many sports and activities that are accessible to me and that interest me. I previously disliked many sports as they weren't accessible to me.
“Having access and opportunities makes a huge positive difference. I have participated in and practiced yoga for years. It’s an activity that is accessible to me and made accessible to me by fantastic teachers and environments. I've been supported and enabled to develop my interest and practice and also qualified as a yoga teacher.”
Alex Giles, Project Administrator, said:
“Fairness in sport and activity to me is an open environment where everybody feels included and can enjoy it how they wish. That may be for enjoyment, health, recreation, or competitive sport.
“It is about following good practice principles like seen through the successful Get Out Get Active programme. The programme can give us the perfect blueprint for designing sport and activity in the future”
Andrew Whitaker, Strategic Partnerships Advisor, said:
“Fairness means activity aligns with my values. I should have the option to be active within my local community and enjoy being active with my family and friends. Activity providers, infrastructure designers and policy makers should embrace and listen to my lived experience.
“At Activity Alliance we all have the responsibility to ensure that disabled people’s voices are being heard and used to influence change. Fairness also means diversifying the workforce and embracing disabled peoples’ lived experience within key strategic roles.”
More information
Activity Alliance is a national charity and leading voice for disabled people in sport and activity. We know that we cannot achieve our vision alone. We work closely with our members, partners and supporters across various sectors to support and influence disabled people's activity. Disabled people's lived experiences are essential to ensuring fairer opportunities in sport and activity.
We will not settle until every disabled person can reap the same physical and mental health and social benefits as non-disabled people.
Read Achieving Fairness - our 2021-2024 Strategy here.
Join the conversation
Get involved through our social media on Twitter and Linkedin. Tell us what fairness means to you. Use #IDDP2022 and #IDPWD2022 to join the conversation.
Our advocates tell us what fairness in sport and activity means to them.
