Impairment Report highlights specific barriers to sport and activity

971 disabled people and people with long-term health conditions took part in an online survey between October and November 2023. The report explores participation and experiences, cost of living, mental health and loneliness and representation and belonging.

It outlines key data for people with seven types of impairment compared to the overall sample of disabled people, non-disabled people, and to previous years. The seven impairment types analysed were mobility, long-term health condition, mental health, hearing, visual, social or behavioural, and learning, understanding or concentrating.

Annabel Storer-Carter,  Activity Alliance Research and Insight Manager, said:

"The Annual Disability and Activity Survey provides an in-depth look at how disabled people engage with sport and physical activity. Producing our Impairment Report ensures that organisations are given as much information as possible as they aim to provide inclusive sport and physical activity. 

"This new report ensures people can be confident in offering a person-centred approach in their work. With clear and up-to-date research we provide the evidence for change.

"Our findings are necessary to create a fairer society for everyone, a place where everyone can be active however and wherever they want to be."

This new data report complements our main Annual Disability and Activity Survey report and Sport England’s Active Lives Adult Survey. It helps to provide a deeper level of understanding of disabled people’s perceptions and experience of sport and physical activity.

Here are some of the key findings for each impairment type:

People with mobility impairments

• 80% of people with a mobility impairment want to be more active (compared to 76% of disabled people overall).
• People with mobility impairments were more likely to say their impairment or condition stops them being as active as they would like (89% vs 79% of all disabled people)

People with learning impairments

• 48% of people with a learning impairment say they are not given the opportunity to be as active as they want to be (compared to 36% of disabled people and 20% of non-disabled people)
• Websites (30%) are the most common source of information about opportunities, followed by family and friends (28%), and social media (23%). This group also relies more on school, college, or university for information

People with long-term health conditions

• They were more likely than disabled people overall to say a lack of suitable transport (10% vs 6%), fear of losing benefits (6% vs 3%), and a lack of available equipment (5% vs 3%) stop them from being active
• People with long-term health conditions usually take part in sport and physical activity in outdoor green spaces (35% vs 41%).

People with a mental health condition or impairment

• Six in 10 (61%) people with a mental health condition enjoyed the last time they took part in sport or physical activity.
• People with a mental health condition were more likely to say most forms of support would help them to be more active. The most common forms of support selected were ‘support to improve mental health’ (49% vs 22% of all disabled people), and ‘support to improve physical health’ (43% vs 39%)

People with hearing impairments (D/deaf people)

• D/deaf people were more likely to be motivated to be active to meet new friends (17% compared to 10% of disabled people overall)
• Less than a third of people with a hearing impairment see ‘people like me’ playing (27%), working (17%), and volunteering (17%) in sport and physical activity

People with visual impairments

• Seven in 10 (69%) people with a visual impairment want to be more active. This is higher than findings from last year where 59% wanted to be more active
• 47% of people with a visual impairment consider sport and activity to be a luxury rather than a necessity

People with social or behavioural impairments

• People with a social or behavioural impairment were more likely to agree the cost of living has reduced how active they are (59% compared to 39% of disabled people overall) and how much they socialise (70% vs 59%).

Download the full Activity Alliance Impairment Report.

Visit our Annual Survey webpage to view our full Annual Disability and Activity Survey report for 2023-24, executive summary, and accessible formats.