Promoting sports among people with a visual impairment
We all know that sports are important. Important for the body, the mind and for social contacts. However, people with a visual impairment appear to participate in sports considerably less than average. This is largely due to the fact that sports clubs are not set up for people with a visual impairment. The complex is not safe for people who cannot see (well), there is a lack of good security and suitable materials.
Sports clubs think they are not suitable
The result is that many sports clubs more or less refuse people with a visual impairment, because they are not set up for this. This means that potential athletes feel even more excluded than they often already experience. A very undesirable situation, which can be reversed with a few adjustments.
Mission: everyone can play sports
Our mission is to support sports clubs and people with a visual impairment by offering resources, support and opportunities to make sports accessible and inclusive for everyone. We do this using a unique approach, in which we provide tools for both the sports club and the athletes themselves.
Sport is a right
Sport accessibility, as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, aims to ensure that everyone can participate in sport and recreational activities without unnecessary obstacles. We support this by providing information on inclusive facilities, appropriate guidance and equipment. In this way, we promote a culture of encouragement in which every individual feels valued.
Learning from each other
We collect practical experiences from people who have successfully overcome these challenges and translate these insights into best practices that we share with our affiliated partners. We do this at European level together with the Liaison Committee of the European Blind Union. We process the valuable data that we collect into an extensive library on the basis of which we:
- set up strategies and insights that help set up applied sports programmes
- get an overview of accessible sports clubs
- raise awareness within the entire sports community
Curious about what Sport Accessibility can do for you?