Our October Partner Forum addressed the inequalities in physical activity levels among disabled people in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.

Activity Alliance is the national charity and leading voice for disabled people in sport and activity. Nicola File, Strategic Partnership Advisor (South East), set the scene for the morning highlighting that disabled people are twice as likely to be inactive as non disabled people.

Almost four out of five disabled people would like to be more active and Nicola included these sixNicola File in a white sweatshirt and dark trousers speaking with a microphone in front of Leap banner principles for engaging people in activity:

  • Me, not my impairment: See me as an individual.
  • Reassure me I’m going to fit in.
  • Include me: Make me feel I can do it.
  • Listen to me: Make it easy for me to tell you my
    needs.
  • Welcome me: Ensure my first experience is good.
  • Show me: Encourage me through other people.

If you’d like to know more, look at the Activity Alliance Training Hub to ensure you and your organisation are more inclusive for disabled people in sport and physical activity.

Two fascinating panels followed. In the first, Chris Walthew of Climbquest and Matt Ogle of S4A and Entire. Chris shared their ‘can do’ approach: by collaborating with other organisations they could say ‘Matt Ogle, Chris Walthew and David Taggart sitting on stools with Leap banner background. Chris is holding a microphone and addressing audience.yes’ to more people wishing to attend their climbing experience. S4A also say ‘yes’ to very child by ensuring all activities are fully inclusive so everyone can be accommodated. To see S4As inclusive recruitment process, see the slides below. They cultivate, recruit and retain both disabled and non disabled people with a radically different recruitment roadmap.

Dylan Bingham, Buckinghamshire Council Early Years Service and Callula Ashby, Chiltern Comets, spoke after a movement break. Dylan explained children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities  (SEND) make up a quarter of the children attending Buckinghamshire Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) program (a government-funded program that provides free holiday clubs for children from low-income families). He highlighted the importance of talking to parents and schools in understand what adaptions can be put in place.

Callula Ashby is leading the Chiltern Comets: a new Pan-disability football team for 5 to 11-year-olds. Five local clubs have got together to provide this opportunity for neurodiverse and physically disabled children to play football. The clubs are Flackwell Heath Minors, Haddenham Youth, Naphill Youth, Risborough Rangers Juniors and Wendover Juniors.

Before finishing for lunch and networking, we committed to the changes we could and would do to improve accessibility for disable people in our organisations.

Leap Partner Forum Slides October 2024

Thank you to everyone who attended and listened to our speakers and engaged in the enlightening discussions.

Don’t forget to put the dates of our 2025 Partner Forums in your diary or sign up for our newsletter for reminders:

26th February 2025: Book here 

18th June 2025

15th October 2025

Questions about our forums? Contact Chris Gregory