Disability Inclusion in the Australian Sports Outreach

Program

Rob Regent, Consultant, Sport for DevelopmentAustralian Sports Commission

What is the Australian Sports Outreach Program?

A partnership between AusAID and the Australian Sports Commission that aims to:

increase the capacity of partners (local authorities, development partners, agencies and communities)

to plan and conduct quality, sports-based activities

which contribute to addressing locally identified development priorities.

What do we do now and where?

Country/regional programs

Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu

Caribbean

India

Pacific Sports Partnerships

Sport Partnerships with 5 Australian/Regional sports

Rugby league Football/soccer

Cricket

Netball

Rugby

Sport for Development Grants

Pacific and targeted (non-Pacific) grants

ASC/AusAID/DFAT

• Predominately Commonwealth countries• Do not receive ASOP assistance• Do not receive strong support/funding from other sources• High priority for public diplomacy• Australian diplomacy representation in country• High development priority

How we’ve included people with disabilities in the past

Pacific Sport Ability (2004-5)

Boccia, goalball, sitting volleyball and other activities

Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, South Africa

Pacific Junior Sport Program (2006-8)

Games based activities for children 6-12

Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland

How we include people with disabilities now

1. Vanuatu – Paralympic Committee and Sanma Frangipani Association 2. Fiji – Fiji Paralympic Committee (funding and technical assistance)3. India – Special Olympics (funding support)4. Caribbean – Education departments/special schools (funding support)

Country/regional programs

Pacific Sport PartnershipsFocus on including people with disabilities in Football and Cricket

Sport for Development Grants Small grants to community based organisations (eg wheelchair basketball in East Timor, sitting volleyball in Zimbabwe, community clubs in Malawi)

What we’ve achievedIncreased understanding of how to include people with disabilities in sport

Increased opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in sport (in both communities and schools)

Increased inclusion of people with disabilities in mainstream sport

Improved quality of life for many people with disabilities through their participation

Increased awareness of disability in countries where we work

Increased awareness of the possible use of sport as a tool for inclusive development

What we’ve learnt

Sport alone can have tangible non-sport benefits for people with disabilities

Sport is a valuable tool to help promote positive community attitudes towards people with disabilities

There are limitations to the value of sport for people with disabilities

Sport for people with disabilities can be delivered in a variety of settings and by a variety of groups

Mainstreaming disability into other S4D initiatives is a challenge

Questions?