Disability

In England, almost one in five people have a disability or long term, limiting condition. Disabled adults are twice as likely as non-disabled adults to be physically inactive (42 per cent vs 21 per cent) but one in five disabled people would like to be more active. When thinking about how to include disabled people it's important to understand the variations in people's needs and preferences.

The image is taken from Sport England's Mapping Disability: The Facts report which gives an overview of disability within the population.

Read the full report

Often, when people think about disability they think about wheelchair users and physical access requirements, however, that's only 5 - 7% of the population. That's not to say we shouldn't be proactive creating accessible opportunities and including wheelchair users, but we should also be aware that there are many more types of disability or impairment present within the population.

The likelihood of having a disability or long term impairment increases with age.

Sport England have looked into the barriers those with disabilities face when wanting to participate in sport, have a read of their findings here.

Mixed Ability Squash

Mixed Ability squash is an approach that helps breakdown barriers to make squash more accessible to all and creating a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. It's about getting participants from a range of backgrounds and abilities on court together and sharing the same experience.

For clubs delivering Mixed Ability Squash, they can utilise the resources in the Mixed Ability Squash Toolkit to advertise sessions and get tips on how to introduce and deliver mixed ability sessions.

Case study: Hallamshire Squash Club and Talbot special school

For the pupils at Talbot Specialist School the opportunity to play Squash 57 at Hallamshire Squash Club not only see's them having lots of fun, but also develops important life skills in an environment which they likely wouldn't have accessed without this fantastic partnership being in place.

Case Study: Bowdon Squash Club and Brentwood School

Pupils from Brentwood School attend sessions at Bowdon Squash Club with support from Access Sport. The sessions are a safe space for the students to get on court with extra support. The fun the students have had on court has inspired the club to support their local community more.