Who we work with

Sport England have funded the Get Yourself Active programme since it began in 2015. We also work together in several key strategic areas, including as partners in the Moving Social Work programme.

We work closely with the Durham Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences and our partner, Brett Smith. Brett is a Professor of Disability and Physical Activity. He is a big advocate for improving opportunities for Disabled people to be active and co-production. 

Brett supports different areas of our work, such as offering guidance on various projects and sitting on our Together Fund panel. We have worked together on multiple projects over the years, such as developing the Chief Medical Officers guidelines for Disabled adults and Disabled children, and currently working together on the delivery of the Moving Social Work project.

Traverse believes that an inclusive society that works for everyone must be based on the voices of people and good evidence. They support organisations and people to make better decisions together – ensuring that people have a say in decisions that affect their lives.

They are therefore a perfect fit for us and have been our learning partners on the Get Yourself Active programme since its inception. We benefit from their experience and expertise when it comes to evaluating and adapting our Get Yourself Active projects and the impacts of the programme more widely.

Community Catalysts are a small collective of highly skilled professionals with unrivalled experience in people-led social care and health. They see the world differently, celebrating the strength of people and community. They were pivotal in helping us find smaller grassroots organisations across the country, at the start of the pandemic, so that we could offer them support via the Tackling Inequalities Fund (now the Together Fund).

We work closely with the Sense Active team due to our aligned interests in breaking down barriers for Disabled people to be active. This includes sharing updates, guidance and collaborating on projects. 

For example, we have connected around our similar workstreams to support the social care sector to support Disabled people to be more active. This included Sense contributing to our social care activity pack. We also collaborated with them as part of our Active at Home work. Together we developed videos and content for Disabled people to keep active at home during the pandemic. 

We are connected to Sport for Confidence (SfC) strategically. We share values and goals in our work around improving opportunities for Disabled people to be active and reducing barriers. 

We support each other’s organisations and work. For example, we have sat on the Sport for Confidence steering group, where we can share collaborative thinking about evaluating the success of SfC’s work. They also support our work by sitting on advisory boards and offering feedback and comments on the direction of our projects. 

We are working with Sported to help promote and improve better inclusion amongst community sports groups across the country to help Disabled people be more active.

They have shared our Together Fund funding with various organisations and clubs that they work with. We are also working with Sported as part of our co-production project. This has included delivering co-production training to the organisation and its members. 

Inclusion Gloucestershire has been instrumental in our work to deliver co-production training to the sport and physical activity sector. This has included working to deliver training at a local level in the Gloucestershire area and delivering training to national organisations. 

The organisation are big advocates for co-production and have helped us spread this message to the sport sector. 

Asian People’s Disability Alliance (APDA) is a member organisation of the DR UK Our Voices group, helping to shape our policy and campaign work at Disability Rights UK. We have supported APDA via the Tackling Inequalities Fund (TIF). They have contributed to our learning and evaluation on the TIF project and on physical activity.

They were one of the Disabled People’s User Led Organisations (DPULOs) that contributed to Sport England’s consultation on the Uniting the Movement Strategy. They have delivered a presentation to Disability Rights UK staff members on the valuable role they play in the Asian Disability community in northwest London.

Living Options Devon is a member organisation of the DR UK Our Voices group, helping to shape our policy and campaign work at Disability Rights UK. We have supported Living Options Devon via the Tackling Inequalities Fund (TIF).

They have contributed to a lot of our learning and evaluation on the TIF project and given us a deeper insight into the barriers that the Deaf community faces in getting active. They were also one of the Disabled People’s User Led Organisations (DPULOs) that contributed to Sport England’s consultation on the Uniting the Movement Strategy.

Disability North is a member organisation of the DR UK Our Voices group, helping to shape our policy and campaign work at Disability Rights UK. We have supported Disability North via the Tackling Inequalities Fund (TIF), and they have shared learning and insight with us.

They were also one of the Disabled People’s User Led Organisations (DPULOs) that contributed to Sport England’s consultation on the Uniting the Movement Strategy.

Always Bee You CIC is a small community-based group that has widely contributed to our learning on the TIF project and GYA. They enable adults with learning disabilities to gain valuable social and work experience opportunities in their local community.

They have presented their project, what their organisation does, and the impact of the pandemic on their services, to Sport England colleagues at a “Lunch and Learn” session.

Speakup Self Advocacy is one of the organisations we have supported via the Tackling Inequalities Fund (TIF). They have contributed to our learning and evaluation on the TIF project and physical activity. They provided the perspective of people with a Learning Disability and/or Autism within the design and delivery of some of our surveys.

They were one of the Disabled People’s User Led Organisations (DPULOs) that contributed to Sport England’s consultation on the Uniting the Movement Strategy and have written a page on self-advocacy for our website.

Disability Sheffield is a member organisation of the DR UK Our Voices group, helping to shape our policy and campaigns work at Disability Rights UK. We have supported Disability Sheffield’s “Sheffield Cycling 4 All”  group via the Tackling Inequalities Fund (TIF) and they have contributed to a lot of our learning and evaluation on the TIF project and on physical activity more widely.

They were one of the Disabled People’s User Led Organisations (DPULOs) that contributed to Sport England’s consultation on the Uniting the Movement Strategy. They have also supported us with our work for the National Outdoors for All Working Group connecting us with several individuals who were able to share their stories of inaccessible green spaces and how they have fought to break down the barriers.

Living It Up Events is a charity based in Bedford. They are one of the small community-based groups we have supported via the Tackling Inequalities Fund.

Their Director, Fizz Heseltine has been instrumental in setting up our online Small Community-Based Groups forum with the GYA team, which all our smaller TIF/Together Fund organisations are welcome and encouraged to join.

Timebanking UK is one of the organisations that we have supported via the Tackling Inequalities Fund (TIF). They have contributed to our learning and evaluation on the project and physical activity, including the design and delivery of some of our surveys.

They were one of the organisations that contributed to Sport England’s consultation on the Uniting the Movement Strategy and have presented the Timebanking model to TIF partners.

DanceSyndrome is a Disabled user-led organisation that we have supported via the Tackling Inequalities Fund.

They have supported us with blogs for our website and have presented to our “TIF Panel”, to support with panel members’ learning.

Disability Resource Centre (DRC) Birmingham is one of the organisations we have supported via the Tackling Inequalities Fund (TIF). They have contributed to our learning and evaluation on the TIF project and physical activity.

They were one of the Disabled People’s User Led Organisations (DPULOs) that contributed to Sport England’s consultation on the Uniting the Movement Strategy. Their Fit 4 Life Co-ordinator, Roy Kimberley has written a blog for our Get Yourself Active website, sharing his thoughts on the enduring legacy of the 2012 Paralympic games, and his hopes for the 2021 games.

Disability Peterborough is a member organisation of the DR UK Our Voices group, helping to shape our policy and campaign work at Disability Rights UK. We have previously supported Disability Peterborough via a Tackling Inequalities Fund (TIF) project. They have contributed to a lot of our learning and evaluation on the TIF project and physical activity more widely,  including designing and delivering some of our surveys.

They were one of the Disabled People’s User Led Organisations (DPULOs) that contributed to Sport England’s consultation on the Uniting the Movement Strategy. They have also supported us with our work for the National Outdoors for All Working Group providing a model example of co-producing accessible green spaces.

WECIL (West of England Centre for Inclusive Living) is a member organisation of the DR UK Our Voices group, helping to shape our policy and campaign work at Disability Rights UK. 

We have supported WECIL via the Tackling Inequalities Fund (TIF). They were one of the Disabled People’s User Led Organisations (DPULOs) that contributed to Sport England’s consultation on the Uniting the Movement Strategy.

Wheels for Wellbeing is a member organisation of the DR UK Our Voices group, helping to shape our policy and campaign work at Disability Rights UK. We have supported Wheels for Wellbeing via the Tackling Inequalities Fund (TIF). They have contributed to our learning and evaluation on the TIF project and physical activity. This included designing and delivering some of our surveys.

They were one of the Disabled People’s User Led Organisations (DPULOs) that contributed to Sport England’s consultation on the Uniting the Movement Strategy. They have supported our work for the National Outdoors for All Working Group, providing us with some great case studies. They have collaborated with us on other pieces of work, such as a “design hack” event at the University of Loughborough.

Ian lives in the Wiltshire countryside. He is a professionally qualified buyer.

Years ago Ian was an absolute gym bunny, working out most days. He developed heart problems some years ago which ultimately led to a triple heart bypass in 2016. More recently he has developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (or ME as it was formally known). This has meant he has, frustratingly, had to slow down as any exercise means widespread fatigue that no rest seems to cure!

Ian’s disabilities are all invisible so there’s nothing to see that suggests he’s Disabled. Ian wishes there was more understanding and less judgement about invisible conditions, less stigma too.

This is the reason why he takes part in the Sounding Board, to highlight that although people can look “normal” there’s things that affect them that are not clear by looking at them. Then people won’t don’t judge a book by its cover!

Rachel is a Disabled, retired Modern Languages teacher from North Yorkshire.  She has 38 years of lived experience and despite numerous interventions from the NHS, has found no real help, relief or improvements.  Unfortunately, her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, with all the anxiety, depression and physical symptoms it encompasses, have worsened in the last 10 years.

Rachel prefers to be very active for the mental health benefits and enjoys walking outdoors , gym based classes and resistance training which all help alleviate her anxiety and can channel her restlessness. Pilates and yoga are beneficial to help her relax too.

A huge barrier to her accessing these activities now is the cost of classes, gym memberships and online  courses. Living rurally she cannot afford to travel long distances to council run facilities and local services are costly.

She would love to see more affordable options available in a live/face to face setting which also provides the all important social benefits, and is very keen and active in promoting the work of mental health charities to enable this, such as MIND, SCOPE and Disability Rights UK.  She campaigns in lobbying Government officials to realise this change and fights to secure affordable options for those people who cannot work due to poor mental health and are financially challenged.

Emma is based in London where she gives money and visa advice to students in a University. Emma has hypermobile-Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which is an inherited connective tissue disorder affecting collagen throughout the body, causing widespread pain and fatigue, among other symptoms. She is an ambulant wheelchair user, so most of the time her disability is invisible.

Emma likes to stay active by gently cycling, swimming, doing yoga and Pilates. Moving releases endorphins, which lift Emma’s mood when she’s having a tough day. She also loves the laughter with friends she’s made exercising around other people, it makes her look forward to returning to classes at the leisure centre.

Emma thinks that one of the big barriers preventing disabled people from exercising is a lack of understanding from the Department for Work and Pensions around the ways exercise can be accessible and beneficial for people with disabilities. She would love to see a greater understanding from assessors for financial benefits such as Personal Independence Payment, so that gentle exercise is encouraged and not a reason to refuse financial benefits. It would mean fewer people have to choose between the exercise that might benefit them so greatly and the financial benefits which they very much need and are eligible for.

Anita lives in a small village in Wiltshire near to the Longleat Estate. She was medically retired early from the Civil Service because of Fibromyalgia which causes widespread pain and fatigue. In addition, Anita has Degenerative Disc Disorder so her movement is also limited by her back. 

Having played bowls for her country she is now severely restricted on what exercise she is able to do and for how long. When able, which unfortunately is not often, Anita enjoys walking with her family and her dogs.

She would like the sector to be more accepting and understanding of people with disabilities, particularly hidden ones, like hers.