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The national charity and leading voice for disabled people in sport and activity

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Blog: "I want everyone to see the person and not the disability"

Our CIMSPA accredited Inclusive Activity Programme (IAP) equips people with the skills to engage disabled people and people with long-term health conditions more effectively in physical activity. It supports sport and leisure organisations, community groups, disability organisations, volunteers, and individual practitioners to provide inclusive opportunities.

Pete Edwards coaching Boccia to two young boys.

Every course is delivered by specialist IAP tutors who make sure each session focusses on how to make activities fun and inclusive for everyone. 

Pete Edwards has been an IAP tutor since 2019 and is a passionate advocate for inclusive delivery. Here he outlines his experience as an IAP tutor.

Pete’s story

Hi, my name is Pete Edwards. I am a tutor for the Inclusive Activity Programme (IAP). I was born with Bilateral Perthes Disease in both hips, I am a single leg amputee, I have spinal damage from T11 downwards, I use a manual wheelchair, I'm a diabetic, and have Diverticular Disease.

During my career, I’ve organised courses such as How to Coach Disabled People in Sport. I also ran a project called Sport Direct. This was a coach education programme to help and support disabled people to gain qualifications, gain employment, go into further education or volunteer. 

As a Sport Development Officer in Nottingham, part of my role was to organise the Sainsbury's Active Kids for All programme. Then in 2019, I did the IAP course and tutor orientation training. My drive for this was that as a child I was excluded from doing sport at school. My ambition is that everyone is able to play sport if they wish to. 

I want everyone to see the person and not the disability. My passion is to educate and raise awareness about having disabled people involved in physical activity. And I find that IAP is perfect for that, perfect for teaching people to be open minded and more inclusive.

IAP gives the fundamentals of inclusion and adds to the knowledge of those attending, whatever their role, to have inclusion training in their toolbox. It opens the door for many to access physical activity and sport, no matter who they are. At the end of the day, it’s their course we’re just adding tools to their toolkit.

I get a buzz from sharing my knowledge and experience, not just as a tutor, but also a coach in inclusive sports. I am helping to develop leaders and coaches to be more inclusive in their sports. I also learn from the learners about their sports, pathways, and opportunities they have. 

I love to see the confidence curve at the end of the session, and how being on the course has increased the learner’s confidence.

I would recommend IAP to all activity leaders, coaches, university students studying sport. The benefits they and their sports would gain would increase membership, who knows a future Olympian or Paralympian.

For all courses booked and delivered between 1st August and 31st October Activity Alliance is offering a special summer discount. It means you could save up to £80 on the full Activity Programme (IAP) learning package.

To find out more about the programme please visit the Inclusive Activity Programme page on our website. Or please get in touch at programmes@activityalliance.org.uk or call 07946069516.