Disability Sports Australia’s Post

Typical Fitnes marketing error 101. In it for the money!! Vanda,If You believe every child deserves the opportunity to “participate” then make your classes free. You’re not giving them an opportunity you’re giving them a chance. Moreover your chance is only attached to financial commitment from their parents. So who’s of benefit here? Give the opportunity regardless of ability FOR FREE! Or change your advertising to give PARENTS A CHANCE to participate and enjoy sports regardless of their child’s ability. I hate this S**T.

While Eurostar has reached out to apologize to Mandip Sehmi PLY and help his family sit together on the way home, this is a lesson for event professionals to understand their guests’ needs to successfully get to and access their events. 🚎 How will everyone get to the venue? 🚍 Are the transportation options you’re using accessible for all your guests? 👩🏻🦯➡️ Once transported to the venue, does everyone use the same path or do some have to go the long way around to get there? 🦽 Have you walked/wheeled yourself to the venue? Are there any obstacles making to hard to get there? 🪵🪨 👩🦼➡️ Is there space for guests to wheel their chairs to the tables to eat ? Are there highboy tables and cocktail tables for guests to choose the best option for them? 🍽️ If serving food and beverage, can everyone reach items on the buffet? Are servers there to assist with accessing the buffet? 🏷️ Is the food labeled if it contains the top allergens — in France 14, in Canada 11, US 9 — so your guests can easily choose what they can and cannot eat? These are just a few of the questions we need to ask ourselves and our partners when planning events? I ask many more when planning to help my clients create inclusive and equitable experiences. What questions do you ask? #AccessibleEvents #EventTransportation #Paralympics #AccessibleTransportation #InclusiveEvents Derrick Salisbury Joan Eisenstodt Elisa Hays, CSP Andy Barrow Alison Barrow

🧑🦽➡️ Redefining Inspiration: The Evolving Narrative Of Paralympic Athletes 🧑🦽 The narrative surrounding Paralympic athletes has long been dominated by the idea of overcoming adversity and being inspirational — a notion that many within the disability community, including athletes themselves, are now challenging. This article, written by student journalist Harry Smith, delves into the evolving conversation around the portrayal of disabled athletes, highlighting the tension between being seen as "inspirational" and the desire for a more nuanced representation. As the 2024 Paralympic Games unfold, this debate is more relevant than ever, raising critical questions about how we view disability, achievement, and the true meaning of success in sports. Read the full article here - https://lnkd.in/ecnhdVfA #Inspirational #InspirationalPorn #RedefiningInspiration #ImNotYouInspiration #Paralympians #ParalympicAthletes #DisabledAthletes #DisabilitySports

🏅 #throwback In December 2023, the Croatian Paralympic Committee launched the "Train the End users" initiative. Many disabled people were introduced to parasports, but the event was also about building self-confidence and overcoming obstacles. 🤗 The goal is to create a more inclusive society and enrich the lives of people with disabilities, which this education brought us closer to. 🙌 📍Read the full article at the link below: https://lnkd.in/d9PUriKm #csrforparasport Institut za društveno odgovorno poslovanje - The Croatian Institute for CSR Magyar Paralimpiai Csapat Paraolimpijac Šport invalidov Slovenský paralympijský výbor #csr #csr4parasport #parasport #inclusivity #inclusive #equality #integrity *Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessary reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

What’s is Snowball??…so far it is… ⭐️Winner Best Digital and Tech Award 2023 ⭐️Top 10 Most Influential People 2023 ⭐️Winner Santander X National Award 2023 ⭐️Winner Santander Global Award 2024 ⭐️Winner Leicestershire Innovation Award 2024 ⭐️Finalist British Diversity Award 2024 ⭐️Nominated Business Success Awards 2024 ⭐️Nominated Entrepreneur of Excellence Award, National Diversity Awards 2024. It’s been a cracking 6 months for Snowball. What is Snowball? Snowball Community (known as Snowball) a revolutionary accessibility national and global ward winning app just over a year old and is now the biggest, most used disability app in the world, the app asks disabled people to rate services and businesses by how disability-friendly they are. Users of the app can find a restaurant, tourist attraction, supermarket or coffee shop that is accessible by selecting their location, wherever they are in the world. User can also add place that are not on the Snowball app and leave a review and they have done so by adding tens of thousands of places including changing places and accessible toilet. The best part of the app is that it is supported by Google Maps and if you need to find a place your phone will use Google Maps to guide you there. There is nothing like Snowball on the market. Disabled travelers and locals can add venues they have found welcoming and accessible for people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and sensory issues. The more people that add suggestions the bigger the app grows - like a snowball. Snowball is the brainchild of wheelchair-user and founder Simon Sansome. He says: “The app will give people the confidence to socialise with ease as they will be able to see what facilities and venues are available in their immediate location. They will also be able to plan days out, giving people more freedom to access their communities, explore and travel with confidence.” Simon, 42, a former council worker and rugby player, from Leicester, became paralysed from the waist down following a sudden injury in 2014. After a year of recovery, he took his wife to their favourite local restaurant only to realise there was no wheelchair access. Simon set up the Facebook page Snowball Community to highlight good and bad examples of accessibility. It quickly gained 100,000 followers. Team GB Paralympic gold medalists Hannah Cockroft OBE and Aaron Phipps MBE have welcomed Snowball and are the Brand Ambassadors. It is also producing data that now other business can collect and advise local authorities and governments where infrastructure is needed. Uer of the app can find blue badge bays in different cities, toilets, places to eat and much more. On top of all this Snowball is launching a National disability membership scheme where Snowball Assessors will visit businesses and rate them from 1 to 5 system similar to a food health hygiene certificate but for access. All details can be found here https://lnkd.in/enstw4GC

🏎️ Share Your Experiences Of Accessing Motorsport Venues 🏎️ Motorsport UK is working with Nimbus Disability and the Motorsport UK Disability and Accessibility Committee to understand the experiences of disabled people at motorsport venues, with the ultimate aim of removing as many barriers to participation as possible. As part of this work, Motorsport UK and Nimbus Disability are launching a survey and running a series of focus groups to understand the challenges disabled people face when at motorsport venues, in their capacity as competitors, volunteers or spectators. Focusing on the experiences of those with physical disabilities and the neurodiverse motorsport community, the information gathered will be used to work with motorsport venues and offer advice and guidance to support access requirements. Have your say here - https://lnkd.in/ewsiqY8X #AD #NimbusDisability #AccessCard #MotorsportUK #MotorsportVenues #Accessibility #Survey #HaveYourSay #Neurodiverse #Disability #DisabilityAwareness #DisabilityCommunity

We’re thrilled to partner with Disability Sports Australia to help deliver its Try-Para Sport program, designed to connect budding Para-athletes with local groups across amateur and elite levels.   Research shows 75% of people living with a disability want to play a sport but feel there are limited opportunities.   DSA chief executive officer Ayden Shaw says these events are a fun, and help get people, at any age, involved in para-sports.   “Sport has the power to change people’s lives. Our mission is to enable more Australians with a disability to be more active more often. Bupa’s support at the grassroots level is vital to achieving our ambitions,” Mr Shaw says.   Paralympic Gold Medallist Matthew Haanappel OAM PLY says partnerships such as these help foster a lifelong love of sport or even the next generation of champion Paralympians.   “All sporting careers and healthy active lifestyles start at a grassroots level which is why developing and supporting community-based programs such as this are so important,” Matthew says.   Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ge9QXphP

Where are all the not-so-good kid athletes?? Anyone who is familiar with youth sports knows that the lines of demarcation between athletic kids and nonathletic kids are drawn early on. Where do the “ordinary” (or worse) players go to learn a new game? What if we champion the idea that enjoying an activity is more important that being good at it? #youthsports #sportsmanship #competition

Are you watching the Paralympic Games? Are you inspired? We should all be inspired by the extraordinary athleticism of our Para-athletes. However we need to also be mindful that we aren't using images or footage of disabled people to make ourselves feel better about our own lives. When we look at images of disabled people and objectify them, it is known as "Inspiration Porn", a term coined by remarkable disability advocate, Stella Young. It happens when non disabled people look at disabled people and think or say 'well at least my life isn't that bad' or 'if they can do it with no legs then I can definitely do it'. These ideas and statements signify the comparison between disabled and non disabled people and reiterate this idea that disability is a bad thing, and disabled people lead mediocre lives. I'm here to tell you that my disability is not bad. It is a beatiful part of my existence. When you look at me, by all means be inspired by my achievements, but don't be inspired by the fact I can achieve day to day tasks like mopping my floors. That is not inspiring. Simply living with disability is not inspiring or remarkable. Living with disability is part of the human existence. So let's get back to marveling at the elite athletes currently competing at the Paralympic Games! International Paralympic Committee #inspirationporn #disabilityawareness #disabledisnotbad #imnotyourinspiration In this video I was interviewed by Lauren Orrell for Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Australia, this is an edited version of the full episode also featuring Madeleine Stewart, comedian and producer & fellow Australian Paralympian Carlie Beattie

Paralympics ‘Thought of the Day’ - Day 6 It’s amazing to see plenty of ‘first time’ and accessibility best practices, but the reality is, the everyday infrastructure is still not built with accessibility in mind… - when Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson had difficulty getting off the train when the schedule changed slightly… - not all traffic lights have sound system to help those with visual impairment - lack of closed captioning or BSL provided for broadcasting of all, if not key, live events (such as the recent Leader debate during the election…) And many more… We need Inclusive design in everyday practices! Because when you ‘Solve for one, Extend to many’. For example, Closed captioning / subtles are being used far more than helping people with hearing impairments watch TV or follow a presentation. This also helps those whose are not a native speaker of that language, audiences to understand someone with a heavy accent, following along on TVs placed in loud environments like airports and public places or allowing someone to watch TV while their partner sleeps… Michael Vermeersch we need your expertise!!! https://lnkd.in/gCew2SEk https://lnkd.in/gAkqcgC2