To engage and encourage participation from disabled students the University of Nottingham appointed a disability sport officer. After appointment they undertook a consultation exercise with a number of disabled students to identify the barriers to participation.
These were:
- the competitive attitude to sport at the university
- coaches/teachers who do not have experience of working with disabled people
- the timings and choice of activities
- other people’s perceptions
- the membership cost
Following the consultation, the university developed a tailored programme of sport and activities to address these issues and increase the participation of disabled people including:
- any-body month
- any-body club (fortnightly inclusive social sports club)
- any-buddy scheme (sports buddy scheme)
- goalball club (sport for people with visual impairments)
The annual any-body month offers students, staff and the local community the opportunity to try a variety of inclusive sports and activities. The initiative has been a great success with a 73% increase in participation from 2010, with 12% of those people declaring a disability (significantly higher than the national higher education average).