To celebrate the International Day of People with a Disability, an inclusive multi-sports event and expo will take place at Mount Warren Park Sports and Fitness Centre on Thursday, 4 December from 10am to 1pm.
The event, hosted by Reclink Australia, a non-profit community organisation that delivers health services to marginalised communities, will provide the opportunity for people with a disability to try out several sports, including basketball, rugby, yoga and more, and get involved in team activities.
Senior sports coordinator at Reclink, Stacey Cooper, said it was important to provide sporting opportunities to people with disabilities.
“Sport is about connecting with people,” Ms Cooper said. “It’s about having fun, and it’s about making sure that everyone has the opportunity to participate.
“We believe that sport is for everybody, and we are really big on creating opportunities for everyone to be involved in sport.”
A combination of inadequate infrastructure and lack of awareness about the types of programs available to people with disabilities are just some of the barriers people with disabilities face when trying to participate in sports, Ms Cooper said.
“There’s a lot of work being done so that people with a disability can go and watch sport, but not as much in the participation space,” Ms Cooper said.
“I think many of the barriers are a result of organisations not knowing how to provide accessible programs, and also people not knowing these programs are available.
“We’re trying to close that gap in particular, to let people know these programs are available.”
Physical activity and connection through sport can improve mental health outcomes and reduce feelings of loneliness, Ms Cooper said, which are factors Reclink programs aim to address.
“We provide free sporting programs, sport and recreation programs for disadvantaged people across Australia,” she said.
“We’re all about participation and making sure that everybody has that opportunity to be able to participate in physical activity.”
