Representatives of the cross-sectoral Active Living: No Limits forum have joined to launch an exciting new online platform to help promote sport and active recreation opportunities for disabled people across Northern Ireland.
The Active Living: No Limits forum is made up of governmental departments and organisations within the disability and sports sectors including Department for Communities, Department of Education, Department of Health, Public Health Agency, Disability Sport NI, Sport NI, Special Olympics Ulster, NI Sports Forum, Disability Action, Blind Sports Network and Northern Ireland Deaf Sports.
Through collaboration, the forum has and continues to develop sustainable active recreation opportunities whilst also supporting activity providers to remove barriers to participation and create meaningful local experiences for disabled people.
By launching the website, activelivingnolimits.co.uk the forum aims to establish a platform to empower disabled people to explore opportunities that will allow them to become more active in a way that suits them best. It also aims to provide a central hub where health professionals, district councils, national governing bodies of sport, as well as local clubs and groups can promote their regular inclusive and disability specific sport and active recreation opportunities.
The online platform addresses growing concerns surrounding the decline in local community sport opportunities for disabled people in Northern Ireland, particularly exacerbated by the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Research indicates a notable reduction in disabled participation in sport over the past four years, making disabled individuals in Northern Ireland only half as likely to engage in sports compared to their non-disabled counterparts.
Speaking at the launch, Emer Morelli, Deputy Secretary for Engaged Communities Group, Department for Communities said:
“I am delighted to welcome the launch of the new Active Living No Limits website, a fantastic resource and online platform which will provide key information on events and opportunities for people with a disability to get involved in sport and physical activity.
“The Sport and Physical Activity Strategy for Northern Ireland ‘Active Living’ aims to get more people, more active, more of the time, with a specific focus on under-represented groups including those with a disability.
“A more active life can contribute to improved physical and mental health for individuals and increased social contact within communities. The Active Living No Limits website will empower people with a disability and help them access a range of suitable opportunities for them to get active.
“The Department continues to support the Active Living No Limits forum and Disability Sport NI as they work towards equality of opportunity for all to participate in sport and physical activity.”
Richard Archibald, Interim CEO Sport NI said:
“We are proud to be a partner in Active Living: No Limits, helping to ensure that everyone with a disability has an equal opportunity to access sport and active recreation. At Sport NI we believe in the power of sport to change lives and the many benefits it brings to our physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. Thanks to this new website more people with a disability will be able to find and participate in activities in their area and lead healthy and active lifestyles.”
Kevin O’Neill, Chief Executive Officer of Disability Sport NI said:
“Activelivingnolimits.co.uk is an exciting platform that will help promote meaningful opportunities for disabled people to access both mainstream and disability sports clubs, as well as inclusive active recreation opportunities.
“The 2021 census has shown that the percentage of people in Northern Ireland who have a disability or long-term health condition has grown to one in four of the population. It is therefore vital that we continue to address the underrepresentation of disabled people in sport and active recreation with initiatives like this.”
If you would like to learn more about opportunities in your local area visit www.activelivingnolimits.co.uk
If you would like to advertise an established opportunity for disabled people to be active contact Disability Sport NI on 028 9046 9925 or email@dsni.co.uk.
Photo Caption:
(L-R back row) Mark Kincaid (Lisburn Outlook Tandem Cycling Club), Emer Morelli (Department for Communities), Emmett McCann (Department of Education), Kevin O’Neill (Disability Sport NI), Richard Archibald (Sport NI), Orlagh Watters (Sport NI), Laura Walker (Department for Communities) and Shaun Cassidy (Special Olympics Ulster).
(L-R front row) David Mann (Lisburn Outlook Tandem Cycling Club), Aubrey Bingham (Disability Sport NI), Catherine Quinn (NI Wheelchair Basketball Academy) and Andrea Brown (Disability Action).