Address inequalities through collaboration
Here's how we address inequalities through collaboration, improving engagement and delivery with and for disabled people.
We collaborate with disabled people and organisations to encourage inclusive practice and continuous improvement so more disabled people can be active.
Some examples of our impact in this area include:
- Building partnerships to drive inclusion at local and national level.
- Working with Sport England and National Governing Bodies of sport, reviewing course content and feeding back on guidance.
- Delivering workshops for sports and leisure providers across the country.
- Tackling inequalities across leisure.
- Delivering programmes and initiatives including Inclusive Education Hub, Inclusive Activity and Get Out Get Active that drive change for disabled people in sport, education and the community.
- Supporting and delivering high quality events that involve disabled people and working with partners to ensure more events are inclusive.
- Forming collaborations and supporting projects and campaigns with many organisations and people from various sectors.
Building strategic partnerships
Our strategic partnerships team is the driving force behind much of our work with the sport and leisure sector. We deliver a significant number of partner workshops, regional meetings, and county level forums to build partnerships, create networks and share our inclusion expertise.
Our workshops cover several topics, including how to engage disabled people, inclusive communications, our insight, and disability awareness.
The team’s impact ensures we build relationships within sport and wider. It includes work with National Governing Bodies of sport, reviewing course content and feeding back on guidance. We support other organisations to raise funds to deliver their programmes and opportunities, such as Your Leisure Kent leading the GOGA legacy project in Dover.
Working with Sport England’s club team, we refreshed the new Disability Inclusion Club Hub, now known as Buddle, for clubs and others.
Our Leading to inclusion offer adds value to the new Equality Standard, and supports equality, diversity and inclusion work across the sector. We are in testing mode to roll it out between 2023-24.
Regional impact
Our team works across England to embed better practices and share our insight. Here are some examples:
- In Birmingham we supported the 2022 Commonwealth Games to ensure it was an inclusive event.
- We worked with Sport Structures and Active Partnerships across the East Midlands to explore disabled people’s representation on Boards and inclusive Board culture. The project provided recruitment support and guidance on creating a culture that actively looks to recruit disabled people to Board positions.
- In Greater Manchester, we are building a strong relationship with Greater Manchester (GM) Moving through their Commitment to Inclusion work and active travel agenda.
Tackling inequalities across leisure
- In June 2022, we announced the release of a new Tackling Inequalities in Leisure Standard in partnership with Quest to replace the Inclusive Fitness Initiative. It aims to help leisure operators provide more inclusive and accessible physical activity opportunities for disabled people.
- In August 2022, we released ten new factsheets to support leaders in the leisure sector strengthen their inclusion work and engage more disabled people.
Delivering programmes
Activity Alliance has a successful track record in delivering programmes and initiatives that drive change for disabled people in sport, education and the community.
Embedding inclusion in schools and communities
In May 2022, we created a new online platform for the education sector in partnership with Youth Sport Trust and the Department of Education. Part of Youth Sport Trust’s Inclusion 2024 programme, the Inclusion 2024 Inclusive Education Hub is designed to support more teachers responsible for PE and school sport to engage more disabled students.
The Hub allows teachers to self-assess their current approach to inclusion and then access a personalised report with advice and resources to improve their practice. With lots of relevant resources gathered from across the country and globe this Hub is an inclusion one-stop- shop for teachers.
Inclusive Activity Programme
In October 2022, we relaunched a new version of the Inclusive Activity Programme complete with accreditation from CIMSPA and continual professional development points for learners. Since the re-launch we have seen increased interest from organisations such as National Governing Bodies of sport for their coaching and development workforces.
Get Out Get Active (GOGA)
In October 2023 we celebrated the success of our Get Out Get Active (GOGA) programme as it draws to a close. Since starting in 2016, Get Out Get Active (GOGA) has reached over 160,000 people. It has become much more than a participation programme at Activity Alliance. For us, our funders, and delivery partners it is an approach. It is a way of strengthening community spirit, increasing people’s confidence, and improving their mental health through inclusive activities. The legacy of GOGA will live on through GOGA in action.
In March 2023, we worked with Haringey Council on a two-part project about developing inclusive activity leaders and how to support disabled people in the physical activity workforce. Take a look at the new resource to help organisations and activity deliverers embed inclusive workforce practices. The resource highlights 10 ways to create an inclusive and supportive environment for activity leaders and encourage more disabled people to become part of the workforce.
Get Out Get Active Celebration
Our GOGA celebration event took place in Birmingham in October 2023. We experienced the story of GOGA told by the people who have helped to shape, influence and benefit from the programme. The event brought people together from across the UK to recognise the importance of their work.
Inclusive events
Our expert events team supports and delivers high quality events that involve disabled people. They also work with partners to ensure more events are inclusive.
Every year, Activity Alliance and Swim England host the National Junior Para-Swimming Championships. In 2024, more than 100 young swimmers competed in this well-established pathway event.
In 2023 our National Junior Athletics Championships was supported by the People’s Partnership.
For more than 30 years, Activity Alliance has provided inclusion and accessibility expertise for the London Marathon wheelchair race. Our events team and group of experienced volunteers assist more than 50 wheelchair racers over the weekend to ensure they has a seamless race experience.
Our Impact
“My son has really appreciated being part of the national junior championships. It has really helped his self-confidence.”
The parent of a participant
“British Junior Para Swimming Championships is a brilliant event. Great atmosphere for the kids. Huge well done. These events are so important."
The parent of a participant
New opportunities through partnerships
We continue to build and form collaborations with many organisations and people, from various sectors.
In August 2022, BBC Bitesize approached us to help with their campaign project after seeing our inclusive PE activity cards. We helped them to create support and guidance on embedding inclusive practice and activities into their Summer of Adventure campaign for children and parents. It was great to see the campaign go live on BBC bitesize channels over the summer.
Oxford University Press asked us for support to improve their essential phonic reader books for young children. They wanted to ensure all children could see themselves in the books they read. We reviewed the book content to make sure that the disabled characters are accurately represented and portrayed. These were then distributed to more than 1,000 schools.
Impact Stories
Read more about how we champion disabled people's voices and maximise the charity's visibility.
