There are almost 46,500 disabled people living in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. 40% of these people are inactive compared to 18.9% of non-disabled people (active for less than 30 minutes a week, Active Lives Survey November 2022-2023).
However, inclusion is everyone’s responsibility because disabled people often want to be active alongside non-disabled friends, family members and their peers.
Being inclusive doesn’t always mean putting on specific sessions or activities for disabled people. You don’t have to create sessions for people with specific impairment types. Often it doesn’t mean wholesale changes to your organisation, operations or building. Simple things can make a big difference such as:
- Ensuring that accessibility and inclusivity is embedded into your values and culture.
- Having an equal opportunities and inclusion policy in place. Everyone at your organisation is aware of the policy and keeps to it.
- Providing equality and diversity training and guidance for leaders to ensure they understand the principles and be comfortable in responding to queries or issues.
- Treating people fairly, not identically. You could think about how you can include people, rather than focusing on potential barriers.
- Consulting with any new people to discuss additional needs as part of an induction so that adjustments can be implemented as early as possible.
Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes are home to a host of brilliant organisations and groups that help disabled residents be more active:
- Talkback and MK Snap support adults towards employment and have full programmes of activities for their members including dodgeball, football, tennis and dance.
- Horizons Sports, Chalfont Saints FC and Chiltern Comets FC offer recreational and competitive multisport and football sessions for disabled children.
- Thomley and Caldecotte XPerience and Accessible Boating Thames have specialist facilities, equipment and instructors for disabled people.
At our Partner Forum on 16th October 2024, you’ll get the chance to hear from organisations like yours that have made simple changes to the way they work. These changes have had a big impact for disabled residents, and a positive impact for the organisation in terms of:
- Membership
- Staff recruitment and retention
- Customer-base
- Providers through which they commission services
It will also be an opportunity to ask them questions about their journey and share your experiences. Find out more and book your place on the forum
Would you like to partner with us to help improve the opportunities for disabled people to be more active? Please contact david.haggart@leapwithus.org.uk
