Changing the game

At Sport England, we want to make physical activity and sport a normal part of life for everyone, as movement is not only great for everybody's mental and physical health, but because it also brings communities together, develops skills and confidence, and even contributes to boosting our economy.

However, we know that when it comes to being active, it’s not a level playing field across the country and some groups in our communities face additional barriers due to their background, gender, postcode, culture and/or disability (amongst others).

That’s why our focus on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) runs through everything we do and aims to tackle some of these systemic challenges, because for us it’s not about ticking boxes, but about making the world better for everyone.

As part of our long-term organisational strategy, Uniting the Movement, and our ED&I ambition to tackle inequalities, we have a specific focus on disability.

Our latest Active Lives data shows that one in five people in England have a long-standing limiting disability or illness, and that disabled people are almost twice as likely to be physically inactive.

We also know that an estimated 15% of the UK population are neurodivergent and that the more barriers people face, the less likely they are to be active.

On the other hand, we believe in the social model of disability – which means that people are disabled by society, not by their impairment – so we want to change the systemic and practical barriers they have to face as these, and not the person, are the real problem. 

Historically, societal systems and sporting traditions have (often invisibly) excluded neurodivergent people and that's why at Sport England we're so excited to be working with Neurodiverse Sport and Autism Action. Together we want to begin to address these issues and drive more inclusive practice.

We are all included

Everyone is neurodiverse because everyone’s brains are different, but 'neurodivergence' refers to the cases when cognitive profiles differ further from the statistical norm, as happens with autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyslexia or dyspraxia.

As with everything, neurodivergence is different for each individual and some experience greater challenges than others.

A person’s experience depends on how their unique strengths and challenges interact with their environment – so designing better environments is key to better outcomes.

Not everyone sees neurodivergence as a disability and this often links to whether they align with the social or medical model of disability, which sees the disability as the problem.

But as a disabled person, this makes sense to me – I don’t see myself as disabled if I use the medical model, yet I do under the social model.

Being disabled doesn’t stop anyone from having significant strengths, experiences or ambitions. 

In fact, it definitely doesn’t stop those wanting to be involved in sport and activity, from grassroots through to elite (Paralympics, anyone?).

So what we want to see, and what our partnership with Neurodiverse Sport and Autism Action will help us progress with, is a more inclusive and skilled sector for neurodivergent people.

The investment will focus on increasing awareness, upskilling the workforce, creating health and wellbeing partnerships, and building best practice and innovation for change.

Additionally, it will develop a 'Blueprint to Inclusion' to develop, pilot and replicate neuroinclusive practices across the sport and physical activity sector that will equip it with tools and resources to change understanding and practice.

The document will be co-produced with people with lived experience and it'll focused on people's strengths, promoting practical and reasonable adjustments as standard, and considering both performance and wellbeing.

More information about how this work is developing will be shared in the new year.

Bringing barriers down 

In spite of our best efforts and Uniting the Movement, it’s clear that there are deep-rooted inequalities in sport and physical activity that mean many people feel excluded.

We want to reduce this for neurodivergent people by working together to understand the barriers some are facing, finding solutions and supporting the sector to take this forward.

But we can’t do this alone – not even with the extensive networks of our partners. So if you want to be involved and are curious and ambitious in how we can collectively make the world better, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.