Accessibility at the heart of Beat the Street thanks to collaboration
Activity Alliance and Intelligent Health have worked to improve accessibility for disabled people and people with long-term health conditions in Beat the Street.
Beat the Street turns towns into giant games. It is a transformational tool to help keep people healthy, created to enable users to embed daily movement in their lives.
Activity Alliance has worked alongside Intelligent Health to ensure inclusion continues to be at the heart of the programme. Since 2022 a series of enhancements have been added to make taking part in daily movement more accessible for disabled people and people with long-term health conditions.
Data from more than 17,000 participants has shown that disabled children and adults have seen the biggest decrease in physical inactivity levels, since changes were brought in.
These findings highlight the importance of designing inclusive strategies in community programmes. They also showcase the positive outcomes of how collaborative efforts make physical activity accessible, inclusive, and more importantly enjoyable for everyone.
Intelligent Health designed Beat the Street with inclusion in mind from the start. This included the design of Beat Boxes to beep and flash as an aid for those with sight and hearing impairments. Beat Boxes were also placed in accessible locations and game material was designed to assist people to get the most out of the programme.
Since 2022, changes were made including the introduction of an accessibility icon on the map, closer and more visible Beat Boxes, and the provision for Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools to have Beat Boxes within their school grounds. Additionally, the Beat the Street website has been redeveloped with greater accessibility, with a conscious effort to ensure greater representation in imagery, branding, and photo shoots, and enhancement to enable better connection with local events and support networks.
Jenny Cottrell, Head of Programmes at Intelligent Health, emphasised the significance of these collaborations:
"For us, Beat the Street has been about inclusion from the start – helping people get active where they are. However, we are not experts and know there is always more to do. Working with Activity Alliance and directly with disabled people has been invaluable in improving our approach. For example, we are building on the success of SEN schools like Perseid Primary in Merton and Jack Tizard School in Hammersmith & Fulham, who have been winners of Beat the Street, to specifically encourage more SEN schools to participate.
"Our research is focused on the link between people's resilience and the prevalence of disabilities, long-term conditions, and outcomes from Beat the Street. We aim to investigate and understand the factors that can enhance the impact of Beat the Street for people with disabilities, to further enrich their experience. We now have anecdotal evidence that neurodiverse individuals in particular, enjoy Beat the Street, and we are keen to explore this further."
Francesca Smith, Headteacher at Jack Tizard school (SEN) said:
"The pupils, families and staff have joined in Beat the Street with great enthusiasm. It brings such benefits to the curriculum including travel training, gross motor skill development and staying safe in the community. We are all very excited to see the leaderboard each week and discuss it in assembly. A great initiative!"
Catherine Slater, Head of Partnerships at Activity Alliance, echoed these sentiments:
"The collaborative efforts between Activity Alliance and Beat the Street have led to meaningful changes that support better and more inclusive experiences. We are proud to see the positive impact on disabled people and people with long-term health conditions, encouraging them to be active in different ways and have a great time."
The impact is evident in the combined behaviour change data from Beat the Street participants in 2022 and 2023. Analysing a sample size of 10,314 adults, the data reveals a significant decrease in adult inactivity rates across various groups, with the "Disability" and "Long-Term Condition" groups showing the greatest improvements.
Similar was found in data from 7,744 children with a significant decrease in less active children. Disabled children have shown the greatest drop in the rate of less active children.
Jenny Cottrell Head of Programmes said:
"We often hear stories of the impact of the programme on disabled people but the data has really brought to life the scale of the impact. It’s heartening to see that our efforts have translated into tangible change and we will continue to work to tackle inequalities."
Catherine Slater also commented on the broader implications of these findings:
"This data not only validates the importance of embedding inclusive practices but also encourages us to keep pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved. By making physical activities and sports more accessible, we are fostering a more inclusive community where everyone has the opportunity to engage in can reap the benefits from a healthier lifestyle."
Find out more information on the Beat the Street website.
