Why am I here?

Is everyone welcome? Barriers to people with disabilities accessing outdoor activities.

What is disability?

We provide ‘the same quality of provision for people with disabilities as for anyone else’ 82% Agree 22% of Group Leaders Agree

What is quality outdoor activity provision for people with disabilities ?

How do we define quality? Satisfaction depends on social acceptance Many programmes reinforce a socially constructed notion of disability

Do we provide quality provision?

How do potential customers know?

There is no consensus amongst centre staff as to whether barriers exist or not

Group leaders perceive them to exist

Barriers Staffing barriers Accessibility Equipment

Suggested Improvements Centre Staff Equipment Accessibility Group Leaders Staff Training

What is stopping us? Financial concerns

“Real costs unlikely to be borne by participating groups. All groups seem reluctant to pay the real price of provision and so seek to secure bargain price... real prices act as disincentive.”

“Everyone agrees that there is an inclusiveness agenda but there is some argument about who pays for what. Do the schools subsidise the groups or do we( the centre) subsidise them?”

“Funding – not the number of participants to warrant the cost.”

Responsibility

Legal and Moral

Inclusive Provision

“The centre is not set up at all for providing outdoor activities to people with more profound disabilities, whatever they may be. It is not the market we work in.”

“I feel with social inclusion and a child with a disability being in an otherwise able group everyone receives lower levels of achievements throughout the week. It's not always fair on the able bodied kids or for the differently abled kid.”

“Given the small numbers of wheel chair users we get, it is difficult to justify buying expensive hoists etc. Students with greater needs would be better going to Bendrigg or Calvert Trust who specialise in this type of client.”

What now?