Disability Legacy Project

Access Sport launched its Disability Legacy Project in September 2011, as part of its wider Legacy Programme which is helping to ensure that there is a lasting positive effect from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The aim of the project after two years is to have equipped five mainstream sports clubs with the skills and resources to be inclusive of more disabled young people.

What Is The Disability Legacy Project?

The Disability Legacy Project at Access Sport is part-funded by the Peter Harrison Foundation with the goal of increasing the access to sport that young disabled people have in the five host boroughs of the Olympics (Newham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Greenwich and Waltham Forest), and in particular helping to use the medium of sport to encourage the personal development of the young people at the clubs.

As part of the project we have selected five clubs as partners and work with their leaders to develop the clubs over two years, focusing thoughts on our three key pillars of growth, sustainability and youth development. We offer:

Development advice built up from our extensive experience working with community clubs in Bristol and London
Financial support in the form of a £4,000 development grant and advice on raising additional money through grants and fundraising
Help in raising the profile of the club in the local community through outreach projects

Why Are We Running This Project?

The main reason we are running this project is to get more disabled people into sport so that they can realise the benefits that participation brings at an early age, and hope that this participation becomes a habit that is continued in later life. East London has a much lower rate of disabled people participating in sport and active recreation (8.8%) compared to non-disabled people (20%). Disabled people in East London are also less likely to have received tuition or coaching in sport (11.2%) compared to non-disabled people in East London (16.4%) and less likely than disabled people in other parts of London (13.5%). This project will attempt to combat both of these statistics by targeted promotion of the sporting opportunities that we will provide and also training coaches so that they can confidently and competently deliver sessions to those of all abilities.

We have targeted deprived areas of the five host boroughs for this project to coincide with our ethos of improving the life prospects of young people in disadvantaged areas. Research from Warwick University in 2010 found that the highest prevalence of childhood disability was found in the poorest areas of the UK. It is these areas that will benefit the most from community sports clubs delivering our project.

Which Clubs Are We Partnering With?

The Malaika Youth Project is a non-contact boxing club based in Hackney. The club has been running non-contact boxing sessions for children since 2006 and is very passionate about making sessions inclusive to all.
Waltham Forest Hockey Club has established Forest Flyerz, the only pan-disability hockey group in London, as a result of this project. As a result of the success of this project, the club has been shortlisted for awards in the Pro Active London Awards and came runners up in the Mayor's Team London awards for their commitment to improving youth opportunities
Tower Hamlets Judo Club was established in 2006 and is based at Mile End Leisure Centre. The leaders are hoping to introduce weekly disability sessions to compliment the inclusive youth sessions that the club already runs. The British Judo Association have recently signed up to Interactive's Inclusive and Active 2 strategy and we are working with them to establish this hub for disability judo in East London.
Newham and Essex Beagles Athletic Club is based at the track behind Newham Leisure Centre and has a long history of success in Athletics. Having signed up to Interactive’s Inclusive and Active 2 strategy, the club joined forces with Access Sport to provide more opportunities for disabled young people in their club. A youth disability session was established at Brampton Manor school and we are planning on creating adult sessions too.
Hackney Hurricanes is a brand new disability athletics club based in Hackney. There is no athletics track in Hackney, despite it being one of the five host boroughs of the Olymypics, so sessions are held at Stoke Newington School. Once the club has been fully established we will be creating links with local mainstream athletics clubs which can act as an exit route for participants of Hackney Hurricanes who want to access mainstream athletics. We will also be offering those mainstream athletics clubs support with becoming more inclusive, including access to training opportunities. If you would like to volunteer to help with this project or any other project at Access Sport then please get in touch.