On 18th September, we brought together Disabled people, workers from the physical activity sphere and health and social care professionals, all with a shared passion for tearing down the barriers that prevent Disabled people from enjoying physical activity. It was a day full of energy, excitement, and passion for improving every sphere of this work. Throughout the day, there were workshops and discussions on topics ranging from co-production and intersectionality to the lived experience of Disabled people and the formation of inclusive research and messaging projects surrounding physical activity.
We wanted to write this piece to reflect some of the behind the scenes organising of the event, as well as provide some reflections from speakers and attendees on how we can move forward!
Amarjit Randhawa, Moving Social Work (MSW)’s Programme Manager, who organised the event alongside Laura Horton, Get Yourself Active (GYA)’s Programme Manager, had this to say:
The Get Yourself Active (GYA) and Moving Social Work (MSW) Programmes focus on the value and importance of Disabled people being able to access physical activity within their everyday lives. There is similar work being undertaken by other organisations within this space, however the change in services and access has been slow. During conversations about this, we considered how we could address this, which led to us putting together the ‘Let’s Unite to Re-energise the Movement Landscape’ event.
The purpose and vision for this event was to share the collaborative work that Disability Rights UK is undertaking with Durham University in driving forward the GYA and MSW programmes. Its aim was to highlight how other organisations within this space could grow on this collaborative approach to strengthen the message and unite in making a greater, impactful change to the physical activity landscape for Disabled people.
We felt it was important to highlight that silo working is not an effective approach, and wanted to give delegates the chance to consider how we could have those wider conversations to enable a greater systemic change. This is where the afternoon table discussions were vital in sharing connections, ideas and considering how and with whom collaboration could be effective in achieving this. During the planning stages it was vital that we were able to present a cohesive message throughout, that aimed to keep delegates engaged and considering their own place within this change throughout. We also wanted to ensure that the value and importance of co-production was weaved into the day.
Overall, it was a day to share learning, knowledge and meet others with a shared vision for change for Disabled people in accessing physical activity.
Patrick Jachyra, Assistant Professor at Durham University, who spoke on the importance of messaging around physical activity, said:
“It was amazing to see and feel the energy of the room, so many people in the same place with one objective, to better support the lives and physical activity of Disabled people. This event re-affirms the need for this work and to really mobilize knowledge and commitment to action, to make change that is reflective of Disabled people’s lives. While there remains much work to do, it was great to energize and unite the movement one more time.”
Stephen Bunbury, Reader (Associate Professor) in Law, University of Westminster and Co-Production participant, had these reflections:
“I was honoured to be invited by the Lead Researcher, Dr Toni Williams, for the Activity Trap and Moving Social Work Co-Production to this GYA Event. This gave me the opportunity to present on behalf of the Activity Trap co-production group, as a co-production participant. The experience was both intellectually stimulating and incredibly rewarding. Presenting our project to a larger audience of like-minded participants gave me the opportunity to share our collaborative journey and provide insight into our shared decision-making, as well as reflecting on the importance of including diverse voices on issues around physical activity for Disabled individuals. This has fostered an inclusive environment, which in turn, has produced richer outcomes for our co-production group to date.
Listening to a colleague from our Moving Social Work co-production group was inspiring. The way they explained the not so simple phrase ‘intersectionality’ to the audience using Kimberlé Crenshaw’s work as a basis for discussion was informative. I admired the explanation of intersectionality using how we refer to colours as an example but do not explain which colours make that colour (for example red and yellow creates orange), and this is exactly what it means to take an intersectional approach when dealing different types on intersects, whether it be race gender, sexuality, age or disability to name a few. The series of presentations and interactive activities made me reflect and appreciate how privileged I am to be working on such an important aspect of cutting-edge research which harnesses the power of lived experience using co-production principles articulated by Brett Smith et al (2022).
A key moment during the event for me was the inspiring talks from those with lived experience and the social worker’s perspective on the challenges they encounter when trying to meet the needs of Disabled service users during the assessment process to enable them to participate in physical activity. I liked the example the presenter gave of participating in Park Run which is free. The presenter explained that there are various ways Disabled people can participate in this activity whether it be walking or attending the event to socialise and volunteer. This made me reflect and think of other creative ways Disabled people could interpret physical activity and participate in outdoor activities. The act of just attending the event is physical activity for some Disabled people.
I left the conference feeling uplifted and inspired by the feedback and engagement from other participants during the interactive activities which were designed to engage us using co-production as a method to undertake the research. These projects to date have given me invaluable experience and tangible ideas in moving forward with the current co-production projects I am involved in. In sum, co-production is a worthwhile method to engage with to draw on diverse lived experiences which has the benefit of producing meaningful practical findings; this ultimately has an impact on daily lives in a social work setting and society generally.”
Chloe Fielding is a Psychology PhD Student and Research Assistant for a study into the importance of messaging relating to Disability and physical activity. She co-presented the Messaging Matters study on the day and had these reflections:
“The Let’s Unite event hosted by DR UK was a great opportunity to meet other people, from lots of different professional backgrounds, who are interested in improving access to and physical activity for Disabled people. I enjoyed being able to present our own work, which explores how Disabled adults feel about different physical activity messages, and hearing about all the other amazing work that is happening within the Moving Social Work project and beyond. It was great to be able to speak to people who are working to challenge some of the commonly held views about disability and physical activity.”
Thank you to everyone who attended and brought such an exciting, refreshing energy to this topic. We can’t wait to host more events and work with you all in a collaborative effort to make the physical activity sphere more inclusive and enjoyable for all!
