Facilities and Access
People with a Disability

Despite significant efforts across the sports industry to increase participation in sport, people with disability are still under-represented in participation statistics. A key barrier that sport organisations can change is accessibility. This includes the accessibility of both facilities and programs.

As outline by the Australian Sport Commission (Persons with a disability in sport, 2018) research into the barriers to participation in sport by people with disability indicates that cost and location are common barriers. This puts the onus on sport organisations to develop affordable and accessible programs.

A great guide for the design of both facilities and programs is Universal Design. Universal Design is a design philosophy that ensures that products, buildings, environments and experiences are innately accessible to as many people as possible, regardless of their age, level of ability, cultural background, or any other differentiating factors that contribute to the diversity of our communities. Universal Design principles provide a useful framework; however, facilities and programs should also be tailored via direct consultation with people with disability to ensure that key decisions are made in partnership with your participants.

Click here to view a Universal Design infographic developed by Vicsport and the State Government of Victoria.