Jamie Morgan, National Programme Lead, Mencap Sport
At Mencap Sport, we are committed to making sure that people with learning disabilities are physically active, happy, and healthy. It’s an especially exciting time for us as we’re in the early stages of a new initiative that aims to expand access to sport of all kinds to people with learning disabilities all over the country.
We will be partnering with Sport England over the next four years to transform 10 communities into areas in which people with a learning disability can access sport and physical activities in their local community, embedding a lifelong love and passion to stay fit and healthy. Alongside this, we will also develop a nationwide sports network in England. This network will bring together partners from all sectors involved in supporting people with a learning disability, including the care sector, the NHS, local authorities, employers, educators and other charities – and provide them with training, a space to share and communicate, and guidance on how to utilise local assets more effectively. We’ve already identified the 10 areas who will be taking part. Hopefully, they will be confirmed by September 2023.
So, why are we so passionate about this? Well, sport is incredibly important for two reasons. Firstly, the obvious one- it’s tremendously beneficial for people’s physical health. It’s the same for people with learning disabilities: the more avenues for physical activity you have, the healthier you are. In fact, it can be even more important for people with learning disabilities, as a lack of access to opportunities and prejudices about what they can and cannot do often lead them to being more sedentary, which can cause a whole lot of other health problems in the long run.
Secondly, getting out there and moving is vital because it can help people with learning disabilities feel like a part of the wider community. It also helps them build confidence, as well as providing emotional benefits. As we all discovered during the pandemic, if you don’t have the chance to do some physical activity outside, you’ll often start feeling depressed and isolated.
Related to this, providing more opportunities to people with learning disabilities can give them venues to show what they can achieve, breaking down barriers and challenging assumptions.
Our new partnership with Sport England will have two main aims. To start with, we want to have a direct impact on local communities, changing the way people with a learning disability access physical activity We also want them to have opportunities that suit their needs first, working with the local community and partners to make this a lasting change. Our secondary aim is to build a nationwide network of organisations to create real and lasting systemic change for people with a learning disability across England.
This is a very recent change that has been led by moving away from a prescribed model to one that is person-led. We did this after an extensive period of consultation with participants and organisations where we asked how we could improve our approach to supporting people with learning disabilities to get more active, so it’s very much based on what the participants want.
For example, you might have a group where four people want to play football, two want to play basketball, and one person is interested in running. We want to make sure they all have the chance to do the activity that’s right for them. This makes them more motivated, and more likely to keep up with it.
Though it’s still in its early days, we’re really excited about this new partnership. We hope that it can offer everyone with a learning disability the chance to get out there and do what inspires, excites, and interests them with the full support of their local community.
