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Sports
for People with Disabilities
Sport NI recognises that people
with disabilities are frequently under represented in terms of access to and/or
participation in sporting activities.
In addressing the needs of people with disability, Sport NI primarily provides funding to Disability Sports Northern
Ireland. Research undertaken by the
Policy, Planning and Research Unit in 1992 found that 17.4% or one-in-six of the
population in Northern Ireland experience some form of disability. More recent statistics from the Labour Force Survey
(Autumn 2001) indicate that there are approximately 200,000 disabled people of
working age in Northern Ireland, which accounts for just under one fifth of the
working age population.
Disability Sport is a unified disability sports organisation that ‘works to
achieve equality of opportunity for people with disabilities to take part in and
enjoy sport and physical activity at a level of their choice’.
For more information on Disability Sport, contact Kevin O'Neill on 028
9050 8255.
Sport NI
are represented on the UK Co-ordinating Forum on Sport for People with
Disabilities, which meets twice a year to exchange information, initiate,
develop and implement specific areas of work.
Sport NI’s Lottery Fund has stipulated that all
applications for new provision and extension/upgrading of buildings must provide
adequate access provision for people with disabilities in order for it to be
considered. The Lottery Fund also
states, where an application demonstrates a programme of activities, which
significantly increases participation for people with disabilities, the
application will be deemed of high priority.
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