The LGA Culture, Tourism and Sport Committee is taking an in-depth look at a range of inequalities in activity levels, with the aim of sharing effective practice within the sector. We are seeking your examples of what councils, and their partners are doing to get people with a disability and long term health condition physically active so they can reap the full benefits.
One in five people in England have a long-standing limiting disability or illness. Being physically active does not have to be complicated – it simply means moving our bodies more in any way we are able to. However, disabled people in England face significant barriers to engaging in physical activity, despite a strong desire to be more active. There’s no single answer but understanding barriers to participation and addressing these challenges presents an opportunity to improve health, wellbeing, and social inclusion.
Key challenges
High Inactivity Rates: Sport England’s Active Lives Adult Survey data shows people with a disability or long term health condition are almost twice as likely to be physically inactive (43 per cent), compared with those without a disability (23 per cent).
- Structural barriers: These include inaccessible facilities and equipment , limited inclusive programming , transport constraints. Activity Alliance data shows 43 per cent of disabled people feel they have the chance to be as active as they desire, compared to 69 per cent of non-disabled people.
- Personal barriers: Such as lack of confidence and awareness, health-related limitations, cost/limited resources and time. Only five in ten disabled people agree that they have the opportunity to be active. Those living with mental health problems, are even less likely to feel they have access to sport and physical activity.
- Social Inequality: Poverty, unemployment, and isolation compound access issues. An Activity Alliance survey found six in ten say they rely on their benefits or financial assistance to be active. Around 38 per cent of disabled people say that a fear of their benefits or financial assistance being taken away prevents them from trying to be more active.
- Underrepresentation: Disabled people are less than half as likely to ‘see people like them’ playing, working, and volunteering in sport and physical activity.
- Demographic Disparities: Access varies by impairment type, age, gender, and ethnicity. Inequality increases sharply as the number of impairments a person has increases, with 51 per cent of people with three or more impairments inactive. Disabled women are more likely feel the disparity in perceived opportunity compared to disabled men (39 per cent vs 48 per cent).
Opportunities
- Strong Desire to Be Active: Analysis by the Activity Alliance shows a large majority (80 per cent) of disabled people want to be more active, showing clear demand for inclusive opportunities.
- Social, Mental, and Physical Benefits: Physical activity improves sleep, coordination, mental health, and reduces loneliness and the risk of developing long term conditions and helps to maintain a healthy weight. It also contributes to a sense of fun, creates a sense of community and strengthens social connections and independence. It reduces stress, anxiety and the risk of depression. (Disability Rights UK)
- Opportunity to embed inclusive practices, campaigns and digital options: to improve accessibility and increase visibility of accessible activities and disabled people in sport. Online resources and home-based activities like seated yoga or inclusive dance offer flexible ways to get active, especially for those with mobility or transport challenges.
How to get involved - Respond to our call for case studies
We want to understand more about what local government and their partners are already doing to get people with disabilities and long term health conditions active so they can reap the full benefits from participating and moving more. - We want to hear about hyper local interventions to whole system approaches and everything in between.
We are also keen to demonstrate the value of sport and physical activity and its wider impact and to receive case studies that demonstrates how sport and physical activity interventions for people with disabilities and long term health conditions are helping to ease demand and the burden on adult social care to feed into the Casey Commission: An Independent Review on adult social care. In addition to examples which demonstrate how councils are transforming traditional public sport and leisure provision by integrating them with health and care services to focus on reducing inequalities and improving outcomes for people with a disability and long term health condition.
We also welcome examples on specific groups (see drop down “specific areas of interest” below for more information).
We will use your examples to share effective practice with the sector and to illustrate our lobbying asks of Government and wider system partners.