Disability

People with disabilities encounter a range of barriers to participating in sports, from facility accessibility issues to systemic challenges such as poverty. Attitudes and stereotypes, along with financial barriers and a lack of inclusive options, further discourage involvement. Misconceptions around specialised equipment, lack of clear participation pathways, and limited resources all hinder access.

Key recommendations:

Ensure training sessions are inclusive, co-develop goals with participants, and involve individuals with disabilities in decision-making about facilities. Such efforts will contribute to a sustainable culture change, ensuring accessibility and meaningful participation across all areas of sport.
Increase visibility using social media and links with disability networks to reach individuals with disabilities and increase awareness of the Active Inclusion Model.
Provide comprehensive disability-focused training for coaches and staff, covering inclusive techniques and how to address discriminatory attitudes in the workplace.
Ensure strategic coordination with teachers in schools and higher education institutions to support pathways to sports participation.
Coaches should establish effective communication with individuals with disabilities to understand their support needs and how to offer bespoke communication support.
Highlight local or national disabled athletes to inspire participants and raise awareness of inclusion in sport.

Practical improvements:

Provide training sessions that cater to diverse needs through a person-centered approach, guided by the principles of the Activity Inclusion Model.
Offer a range of integrated and adaptive options, ensuring that inclusion is not limited to integration alone or disability-specific activities, but rather tailored to what is most appropriate for each individual and situation. Scottish Disability Sport has a range of training resources available for coaching and those working in education.
Create environments that are welcoming, inclusive and offer spaces that are accessible and adaptive - be that through the availability of personal equipment or where required, additional support to participate (for example, alongside a personal carer).
Promote inclusive activities widely and ensure marketing materials feature people with disabilities participating in sports to challenge stereotypes.

Tailor to individual needs:

Work with individuals with disabilities to establish planned approaches to meet individual needs in planning sessions and facilities.
Offer guidance to help participants consider their ability and personal choice then consider flexible options that meet their needs.
Regularly collect input to understand participant needs and preferences, shaping programmes to better serve those with disabilities.

Research findings

What did our research with the sector conclude?

The research highlighted numerous barriers faced by people with disabilities, such as lack of accessibility, limited availability of adaptive equipment, and perceptions of sport as being for those without disabilities. Respondents emphasised the need for inclusive practices, accessible facilities, and awareness to make sports welcoming for all abilities. Participants also highlighted the significant barriers that people with hearing loss face in accessing sports, such as communication challenges, lack of accessibility, and limited awareness among coaches and teammates. There was a strong emphasis on the need for inclusive coaching practices, awareness raising and adaptive communication methods to support participation.

The following comments, gathered as part of the 2024 research study, reflect the range of perspectives expressed by participants.

"People with disabilities often don't feel that sports spaces are designed for them - from lack of ramps to limited options for adapted equipment, it's clear there's a long way to go."
"The strong emphasis on competition and physical perfection in sport can make those with disabilities feel inadequate or out of place. Changing this perception is crucial to making sport inclusive."
"When we separate people with disabilities, it sends a message that they don't belong in regular sports spaces. Integrated sessions show that sport is for everyone."
"Seeing people with disabilities on the field or in leadership roles in sports helps break down stereotypes and encourages others to get involved."
"Many clubs don't have the funding to make the necessary adjustments, and for individuals with disabilities, the cost of accessible transport and equipment is often prohibitive."
On promoting an inclusive culture within sports organisations: "It's not just about the physical space - staff need training, and sports organisations need to build a culture where everyone feels they truly belong."
"Communication can be a real challenge for deaf participants. Coaches need to use visual aids, gestures, or notepads to make sure everyone is included and understands what's happening."
"For deaf athletes, it's crucial that the whole team is on board with inclusive practices. It's about creating a culture where everyone is aware of each other's needs and supports one another."
"Having deaf role models in sports inspires others to get involved. Showcasing deaf athletes helps break down stereotypes and encourages more inclusive attitudes across the board."
"It's important for coaches and teammates to understand basic strategies for supporting deaf participants, from using hand signals to reducing verbal-only cues. This awareness is key for making sports genuinely inclusive."

Barriers (these will also vary depending on the nature of the disability):

Accessibility of facilities: Inaccessible facilities, such as a lack of individual disability-friendly changing rooms or access ramps, present significant barriers to individuals with disabilities. Accessibility needs vary depending on a person's disability, and can also be met in different ways. Some clubs believe they need specialised equipment to allow individuals with disabilities to participate in their sport, when in reality, adaptations to the equipment could be enough in many cases.

Pathways: A key barrier for individuals with disabilities participating in sport is a lack of support for different pathways, for example from the school to the community and onto other competitive sports. This requires more local support from teachers, coaches and other support staff to ensure smooth transitions.

Attitudes: Perceptions, stereotypes and attitudes can prevent people with disabilities from wanting to participate in sport. This could be attitudes towards people with disabilities themselves and attitudes towards those planning and delivering sports. The strong and, in many ways, ingrained attitude to strive for perfection in sport can make those without confidence feel inadequate, which is not unique to people with disabilities but can create additional barriers.[1]

Poverty and costs: There is a well-recognised relationship between sport participation and poverty, and between poverty and disability.[2] This means that people with disabilities face significant cost barriers to accessing physical activities, including memberships, training and equipment.

Gender: The UN has found that women with disabilities experience double the level of discrimination on the basis of their gender and disability. They found 93% of women with disabilities are not involved in sport and women comprise only one-third of athletes with disabilities in international competitions.[3] For example, a recent report highlighted how deaf teenage girls felt sidelined in sports, facing an increased risk of dropping out due to the intersectional nature of being both a girl, and having a hearing loss.[4]

Personal barriers: These often include the disability itself, poor health including fatigue and pain, as well as a lack of time. Sometimes the inactivity of friends and family around can also add to this.

Sporting organisations: Sporting organisations themselves can also represent a barrier to people with disabilities participating in sports. Issues include a lack of funding and investment in accessibility, lack of coordination and collaboration with schools and disability groups, stigma and pre-existing attitudes towards those with a disability, and a lack of qualified staff.

Fear of losing benefits: Disability benefits are an important source of income support for many people. They are critical in helping people stay active, with over two thirds of people from a study conducted by Activity Alliance saying they rely on their benefits to remain active.[5] However, in the same study, almost half of people were concerned about losing their benefits if they were seen to be more active, and suggested they were more likely to be active if they knew they weren't at risk of having benefits removed. This fear of benefit removal is being driven by both perceptions of government agencies and personal experiences.

What we can do about it:

Co-production:

Strategy development: Involve people with disabilities and disability organisations in the development of strategic inclusion plans to ensure that all needs are met effectively, and that people with disabilities are empowered to lead.
Facilities: Actively engage individuals with disabilities in decision-making processes about accessibility and inclusivity. Set up inclusive processes to evaluate whether spaces are fully accessible, and to make investment decisions.
Training Goals: For particular training sessions and courses, make sure that staff and volunteers collaboratively establish an understanding with participants with disabilities, ensuring that training, facilities, and coaching are inclusive and aligned with the goals and preferences of individuals with disabilities.

Build an inclusive culture

Sessions offer: Evaluate your existing sessions to consider what type of training sessions you run, and whether they are fully inclusive for all members. Consider running bespoke sessions just for those with disabilities too. Where possible, ensure people have options to choose from so you're catering to all needs.
Cost: Offer low-cost and free activities to lower access barriers, and offer support for equipment rental or purchasing for people with disabilities.
Marketing: Improve your disability friendly marketing by considering how you can reach out more effectively online and in local spaces to individuals with disabilities. Engage with social media as much as possible, joining disability networks and forums online, as well as local social networks that support those with disabilities.
Raise awareness: Raise awareness about the barriers people with disabilities face in accessing sports through collaborating with local media organisations, and in your own marketing. Address specific fears such as fear of benefit loss, and advocate for better collaboration between public health agencies, the NHS, DCMS, DWP, local government and sports organisations. Highlight inspiring role models in your communication, as well as in class and training.

Training:

Coach training: While several sports have optional coaching and educational training modules on inclusive practice, there is still room for growth in this area. Consider whether your facility offers staff and coaches sufficient training on disability and sport, and seek out additional training.
Accessible coaching: Coaching people with disabilities relies heavily on the coach's ability to communicate well. Coaches need to learn how to make necessary adjustments, such as speaking to those with hearing loss before coaching begins, to ensure you are establishing a mutually acceptable way of communicating.
Zero Tolerance for Discrimination: Develop policies for tackling discriminatory attitudes against people with disabilities in your workplace, including transparent reporting procedures.

Collaboration

Schools and other education institutions: Collaborate with local schools to ensure that teachers support pathways for young people with disabilities into local sporting organisations and activities.
Local disability and health organisations: Collaborate with local disability rights and health organisations to identify local needs, improve marketing and make programs more accessible.
Intersectional approach: Collaborate with organisations that support other marginalised groups, such as local ethnic minority groups or women's groups, to connect with people with disabilities and are marginalised in other ways too, who might have more complex needs and might otherwise be left out.