A number of studies were conducted after the Paralympics and they all showed that the London 2012 Olympic Games played a pivotal role in raising awareness of disabled people and their interest in being more active.

While this initial insight indicates disabled people’s potential interest in opportunities, the reality is that seven in ten disabled people are currently inactive and less than half the number of disabled people take part in sport or physical activity once a week when compared with non-disabled people – 18.2 per cent vs 38.76 per cent – with 71.4 per cent of disabled people reporting that they did not take part in any sport or physical activity in the last month (Active People 7, 2012-2013). 

The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) works with a number of providers across various sectors to be more inclusive, as well as to encourage disabled people to be active. Programmes like the Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI), disability sport events and the new Sainsbury’s Active Kids for All training, which is delivered in partnership with other agencies, support EFDS’s vision that disabled people become active for life.

The low participation rates contrast with the demand shown by disabled people for more opportunities to be active and we believe this means there’s a need to examine more fully whether providers are meeting disabled people’s expectations, fulfilling their desires and supporting their motivations to take part with the types of opportunities they offer: the facilities, the people they include, as well as the way they market the opportunities, will all play a part in the success of future delivery.

Missed opportunities
Based on the need for more insight, EFDS embarked on a research project to better understand the needs and desires of disabled people. It took a novel approach, looking at their lifestyles and trying to understand what they enjoy doing with their spare time and what they find important in their lives. EFDS used the data to try and gain an understanding of the extent to which sport and physical activity play a role in disabled people’s lives.

The purpose of this approach was to create the first phase of an on-going research project to encourage the sport and leisure sectors to think about things in a different way. EFDS wanted to help create sport and physical activity opportunities, which reflect what disabled people enjoy doing or would choose to take part in. The long term aim is to provide more robust guidance, based on strong evidence, of what they want and how to provide it.

To attract more disabled customers, as well as their family and friends, it’s important to understand what opportunities are better suited and more appealing.

Disabled people are not contained in one homogenous group. Instead, it may be better to identify the main drivers and motivations for them to take part, and use those to guide opportunity ideas.

Research
Conducted by EFDS, the research took place between November 2012 and January 2013 and included a total of 476 people aged 14 or over from across England. Disabled people and their representatives (for those unable to complete the survey without support) completed the survey online, over the phone and face to face. An easy-read version of the survey, containing fewer questions and more images, was created to ensure that people with a learning disability could also take part.

The report showed a significant latent demand for sport and physical activity among disabled people, with seven in 10 wanting to do more. However, a lack of awareness of the opportunities prevents three in ten from taking part.

Barry Horne, CEO of EFDS, said: “This report highlights that there’s still a big gap between ambition and reality when it comes to disabled people’s participation in physical activity. There’s been a huge focus on elite level participation and the Paralympics produced fantastic role models, but the real change is required at grassroots level. The fact that disabled people’s participation levels are much lower than non-disabled is a serious concern, especially as the benefits of physical activity to wellbeing are widely known.”

The report provides an interesting baseline understanding of disabled people’s lives and what they want and need from sport and physical activity. It isn’t designed to offer all the answers, but to act as a starting point for how to improve things. EFDS wants to encourage the sport and leisure sectors to think about provision for disabled people from a different angle – taking into account their views and perceptions.

Lifelong enjoyment
Only half those surveyed said they’d enjoyed PE at school: a worrying statistic, given all children are exposed to PE as a mandatory subject. This negative experience could have a significant impact on their likelihood of continuing activity after leaving school.

Horne commented: “If people are being turned off participating in sport because of their experience at school, it’s a much bigger challenge to engage them later in life when their behaviours and attitudes towards sports participation are more deeply ingrained.”

However, seven in ten said that they enjoyed taking part in sport and physical activity outside of school. This means there is potential for the leisure sector to provide opportunities for those who enjoy taking part in other settings.

What more can be done?
The demand for fitness activities is clear. In the same EFDS report, exercise was cited as the most popular sport- and physical activity-related hobby, being chosen by 46 per cent of disabled people overall. It was also the most popular hobby for disabled men (57 per cent).

While the barriers to sport and exercise participation have been determined as psychological, physical and logistical, the barriers for providers seem to be centred in two areas: firstly, fear and discomfort around disability, a narrow understanding of access and confusion about what is meant by “reasonable adjustments”. Secondly, low awareness by operators of how to boost sales and profits by making their operation more attractive to disabled customers.

EFDS’s IFI programme aims to help eliminate these fears and insecurities. It leads the way in providing accessible physical activity and increasing participation amongst disabled people. EFDS has been delivering the IFI programme for more than 10 years and in this time has accredited more than 400 gyms. Those gyms realise how important accessibility and service provision is for disabled people.

The IFI Mark is an accreditation standard which addresses the physical access of the building, fitness equipment, customer service training, marketing and exercise programming for disabled people. Any gym can apply to be audited – whether publicly or privately owned.

“EFDS is confident the infrastructure is in place within IFI Mark gyms to support the demand for fitness training at a local level,” says Horne. “With support from programmes like the IFI, everyone can enjoy exercise at their own leisure – including disabled people. We look forward to welcoming more gyms as accredited sites, so provision is increased – both geographically and access wise”. 

To assist leisure providers and purchasers of fitness equipment, the IFI operates an endorsement scheme for commercial fitness equipment which recognises products which have been designed with accessibility in mind. All IFI Accredited fitness equipment must meet IFI Equipment Design Standards to be fully inclusive: this means it allows both disabled and non-disabled people to use it for a full body, cardiovascular and resistance-based workout.

The IFI works pro-actively alongside the fitness equipment industry to influence and support the development of accessible fitness equipment. 

More exercise, more opportunities
To attract more disabled customers and their family and friends, it’s important sport and fitness providers understand what opportunities are better suited and more appealing. Greater awareness, improved communications and wider connections, as well as local opportunities were noted in the report; a new toolkit is now available to IFI accredited sites to support them in embedding good marketing practices.

Eight out of 10 (78 per cent) of disabled people said they use the internet to find out about hobbies and interests, so it is worthwhile for fitness facilities to improve their presence online. Not only that, but thinking wider than the usual distribution lists helps to reach more disabled people. Although the internet is not suitable for all customers, when teamed with more distribution channels, it means there’s better access to the information.

Horne said: “For disabled people who are keen to be active and want to be included, the development, delivery and active promotion of appropriate opportunities is vital. Our research will help inform policy and practice that enables full participation at every level.”

Fitness providers are in a great position to deliver more opportunities which match one crucial finding in the EFDS report. More than six in ten (60 per cent) of disabled people said they would prefer to take part in sport and physical activity with a mix of disabled and non-disabled people.

As well as in the health club or gym environment, there are lots of examples of facilities delivering mixed classes which meet this need.

While it’s acknowledged that a mixed setting of disabled and non-disabled people is not suitable for all sport and physical activity situations, more can be done to increase the number of offers available. For example, the EFDS report showed that three in 10 disabled people currently use the gym. Gyms are usually within facilities that provide other facilities, such as swimming pools and sports halls. Combining activity offers and promotion placement can have many advantages and can help to extend facility usage and participation among disabled people who are already doing some exercise.

• The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) is the national body and charity dedicated to disabled people in sport and physical activity. For more details, go to http://www.efds.co.uk