| Specific Population
Groups - People with a Disability
People with a disability are under-represented
in physical activity, recreation and sport within Australia.
There are, however, many programs, services and organisations
dedicated to providing opportunities for people with a disability
to be physically active and to participate within the broader
community.
Partnerships between community disability
organisations and recreation and sport providers
Opportunities for people with a disability to be involved
in physical activity have been provided through a number of
disability recreation and sport focussed organisations for
many years. Some of these community organisations have received
funding from the Office for Recreation and Sport (ORS) to
assist with their services. Such organisations include Wheelchair
Sports SA, the
South Australian Sport and Recreation Association for People
with an Integration Difficulty (SASRAPID), Special
Olympics and Riding
for the Disabled.
Following the development of partnerships with
community disability organisations such as those listed there
is now a growing number of mainstream physical activity, recreation
and sport providers modifying their services to be more inclusive
of people with varying abilities. Guides
SA for instance has been following a plan for the
implementation of inclusive facilities and programs, while
SASRAPID follows a comprehensive process for developing new
programs with other organisations.
Activities provided by recreation and sport
organisations include athletics, basketball, canoeing, cricket,
cycling, darts, gymnastics, lawn bowls, netball, swimming,
table tennis, ten pin bowling, and yachting.
The Disability Physical Activity, Recreation
and Sport Forum and Network
To assist the formation of these partnerships the Office for
Recreation and Sport and the Disability Services Office jointly
facilitated a Forum on the physical activity, recreation and
sport needs of people with a disability. The Forum was attended
by representatives from both community disability organisations
and recreation and sport providers. The presentation of inclusive
models by Basketball SA, Canoe SA and Yachting SA proved to
be so successful that a some sports have since developed new
inclusive programs from those plans.
Following the Forum a Network was established
for people working in the area of physical activity, recreation
and sport program or service provision for people with a disability.
The Network aims to be a venue for actively debating some
of the issues around the development of inclusive physical
activity, recreation and sport programs in mainstream organisations,
as well as providing opportunities and suggestions for partnerships
between the community sector and the recreation and sport
sector.
Related Projects and Programs
To assist people with a disability find information about
physical activity, recreation and sport there are services
such as the Barossa
Leisure Options, based at the Barossa Council,
or Recreation
Link Up, hosted by the YMCA.
These services provide information and referral advice or
directly link people with a disability with organisations
and activities which provide physical activity, recreation
and sport services for people with a disability.
For people who may have access to a computer
the Enablenet data-base, hosted by the Disability
Information Resource Centre is an excellent resource
for researching recreation, sport and physical activity programs
for people with a disability in South Australia.
The Disability Education Program
The Australian
Sports Commission, in partnership with ORS, provides
a number of education and training course for providers of
physical activity, recreation and sport under the Disability
Education Program. The program consists of a number
of training modules aimed at specific target groups and covering
a range of topics related to the inclusion of people with
disabilities in physical activity.
Resources
A joint survey by the ORS and Sport SA, the Report on Disability
Inclusive Practices by State Sport Organisations, identified
some of the sports providing physical activity, recreation
and sport services for people with a disability. The survey
also identified challenges faced by sports wanting to provide
inclusive services, pathways from participation to competition
for people with a disability, and key factors for providing
successful inclusive programs.
The Office has produced ‘Developing Disability
Discrimination Act Action Plans: A Guide for Sporting and
Recreation Organisations’. The guide aims to help the
recreation and sport community develop action plans for the
delivery of inclusive programs. The guide can be ordered through
the ORS by emailing particpation@saugov.sa.gov.au.
The Office for Recreation and Sport has also
provided an example of key aspects of a Disability Discrimination
Act Action Plan (link to DDA example.pdf). This document is
an example only and not intended as an exhaustive document.
Recreation and sport organisations wanting to develop a DDA
Action Plan are encouraged to visit the Equal Opportunity
SA web-site for further information and examples of plans.
For further information
Senior Project Officer, Social Inclusion
Phone: +61 8 8416-6792
Email: participation@saugov.sa.gov.au
Project Connect
The ORS supports the Australian Sports Commission’s
Project
CONNECT. This is a transition program for sports
designed specifically to prepare for the inclusion of people
with a disability at all levels. CONNECT is an acronym for
Creating Opportunities Nationally through Networks in Education,
Classification and Training.
Project CONNECT is a joint venture between the
Australian Sports Commission and the Australian Paralympic
Committee. The aims of Project CONNECT are to create sport
pathways for athletes with a disability by breaking down the
barriers to participation within disability and non-disability
specific sport.
Further information about Project CONNECT:
Disability Sports Unit
Australian Sports Commission
Phone: (02) 6214 1792
Email: CONNECT@ausport.gov.au
Paralympics
Australia has been represented in all Paralympic Games since
their start in Rome 1960 which had 400 athletes from 23 countries.
In 1990 the Australian Paralympic Federation
was established. This represented a range of sporting organisations
for athletes with a disability. The Federation changed its
name to the Australian
Paralympic Committee in 1998, consistent with the
International
Paralympic Committee.
The growth of the Paralympic Games saw 136 nations
sending teams to Athens in 2004. Australia sent a team of
143 athletes and 84 coaches. 15 athletes and 8 coaches/officials
were from South Australia. Australia finished in 5th position
behind China, Great Britain, Canada and USA, with a final
tally of 100 medals, including 26 gold.
Successful athletes from South Australia were:
Athletics: Paul Benz, 1 x gold medal; Neil Fuller, 2 x silver
medals, 1 bronze medal; Benjamin Hall, 1 x gold medal; Katrina
Webb, 1 x gold medal and a Paralympic record.
Cycling: Kieren Modra, 2 x gold, 1 x bronze medal; Andrew
Panazzolo, 1 x silver, 1 x bronze medal.
Swimming: Matthew Cowdrey, 3 x gold, 2 x silver, 2 x bronze
medals, 2 world records.
Wheelchair Basketball: Daryl Taylor, 1 x silver
The Office for Recreation and Sport supports
athletes with a disability through its South
Australian Sports Institute scholarship program.
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