Sports Active Wexford Participation
Sports Active Wexford is one of 29 nationwide Local Sports Partnerships. One of the aims of Sports Active Wexford is to work towards increasing the rates of participation among people with disabilities in sport, recreational and physical activities and their inclusion in mainstream sport and recreation.
We hope that it will broaden the knowledge of volunteers and staff while breaking down some of the existing and perceived barriers in relation to participation of persons with a disability in sport, recreational and physical activities.
Sports Active Wexford as part of a Sport Ireland (Irish Sports Council) Initiative and also in partnership with the CARA Centre are, as a part of a National Programme for The Inclusion of People with Disability, involved in many projects.
Please contact: Triona Shalloe 0539196367 . Sports Inclusion Disability Officer.
CARA Centre 
Active and Healthy Lifestyles for People with Disabilities by enhancing community provision in sport and physical activity for people with disabilities.
Access to sports should be diverse, fulfilling and inclusive for every member of the community. The CARA Centre encourages a “me-too” culture that broadens the range and quality of sport and physical activity opportunities for people with disabilities so that they have equal awareness, access, choice and engagement with sports and physical activity within their community.
CARA Centre’s Sports Inclusion Process
- Broaden the base: encourage the growth in the range of sports and places which actively engage with and provide for people with disabilities. This will be achieved by increasing the awareness and the engagement of the providers, participants and public.
- Collaborate: with individuals and organisations at a national and local level to identify a shared vision and work in partnership to realise the objectives of this vision.
- Increase and promote varied participation pathways in sports such that the potential of each individual can be realised either in recreation or competition through a broader variety of sports,a greater volume of sports participation provision and a more self-directed participation through accessible facilities.
For more information about the CARA Centre contact:
Liam Mc Donough
National Training and Education Officer, CARA Adapted Physical Activity Centre Ltd
C/O Institute of Technology, South Campus, Tralee, Co Kerry
Tel: 0667145672
Website: www.caraapacentre.ie
For more information about Disability Inclusion Training,
Go to: www.caraapacentre.ie/training-and-education/
Objectives of Disability Programmes
- To promote Ability Awareness enabling active participation of people with disabilities using sport as a vehicle to enhance their opportunities within their own communities.
- To promote the Ability of the Individual and working towards the inclusion within the mainstream sports and physical activities.
- To promote The inclusion of People with a disability through Ability Awareness Workshops for Clubs and TY Students.
- Organise events such as;
- Come and Try Days,
- Tag Rugby,
- Go For Life Games,
- Orienteering,
- Disability Inclusion Training Days (For Multi sports and swimming),
- National Bike week events with adapted bicycles.
Delivery of Programmes
Disability Inclusion Training (DIT)
DIT is a theory and practical course that covers terminology, barriers to participation, legislation and guidance and an introduction to disability sports and ways of adapting activities to make them inclusive.
This course is aimed at Gym, Pool and Fitness professionals, Area and Centre Managers, Duty Managers, front of house staff and Part and Full time Leisure staff.
Course Certification
On completion of the course all participants will receive a CARA Centre Certificate of Attendance and a range of course material.
Course Resources
The training will provide access to resources that will increase the knowledge of those working in the Fitness Sector to create inclusive environments and programmes for people with disabilities.
This course has been designed for a range of audiences including;
- National Governing Bodies,
- Coaches,
- Volunteers,
- Teachers/SNA,
- Administrative staff,
- Leisure Personal and
- Sports Development Officers
For more information and to learn more about Disability Inclusion Training,
Go to: www.caraapacentre.ie/training-and-education/
or contact us at;
Email: sports.active@wexfordcoco.ie
Telephone: 053 9196557
ActiveNable
This programme builds the personnel and social capacity of both service users and service providers, which empowers them to develop physical activity programmes within their own environment.
These are supported with additional specific sports equipment, empowering the individuals to deliver activity programmes in the residential care units.
Project Focus
The project is focused on people with intellectual disabilities and mental health issues in residential care settings in a bid to increase resident’s engagement in physical activities. As it can be difficult to find exercises that could benefit these clients with their current motivation and activity levels the program provides the skills to health care providers so that they can adapt activities in accordance to these residents needs and therefore increase participation in physical activity of the residents.
Aim of Project
The goal of ActiveNable is to enhance the health of people with intellectual disabilities and mental health issues in residential care settings in County Wexford. This is achieved by enabling staff in the care settings to plan and lead appropriate health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) routines, sessions and programmes.
Project Development
Project was developed in response to a perceived need to increase the activity levels of people with intellectual disabilities and mental health issues in residential care settings in County Wexford. It was created for a more diverse and active treatment plan for patients.
Project Strategy
Through recruitment of at least two staff from each appropriate care setting a 2-day leader training workshop provides so that it:
- Introduces staff to the key guidelines relating to health-enhancing physical activity for adults.
- Shows how staff relate to people with intellectual disability and/or mental health issues.
- Explores a range of activities which enhance the key functional fitness components of mobility, aerobic fitness, strength, and balance.
- Demonstrates a range of activity ideas which can be performed indoors (seated and/or standing) and out-of-doors.
- Increases competence of staff in care settings to plan and lead physical activity routines, sessions and programmes.
- Delivers at least one HEPA routine or session per week in the centres.
- Increases the physical activity levels of end-users.
With the course and packs the health service staff take part in activities with their clients on a weekly basis.
Successful candidates receive their equipment bags from Sports Active Wexford and the HSE Health Promotion Unit.
Key Success Factors of the ActiveNable Programme
With the ActiveNable programme several key factors and benefits present themselves, such as:
- Residents benefit from engaging in structured physical activity sessions.
- Residents benefit from repeating some activities on a regular basis to allow them to advance their skills and build their confidence and participation.
- Residents benefit from the production of a resource pack outlining some of the activities which they enjoyed and participated in.
- Increases the individuals’ skills and thereby increases their capacity to interact within their local communities in a positive and proactive manner.
- Nursing involvement has been key to the sustainability of this project.
- Increased competence of staff in care settings to plan and lead physical activity routines, sessions and programmes.
Disability Beach Wheelchair Programme
Sports Active Wexford worked alongside and supported the access officer in Wexford County Council in the development of the Disability Beach Wheelchair programme for beaches in County Wexford. As part of the Wexford County Council assessibility programme, 6 Beach Wheelchairs have so far been purchased to enable all people with a disability the opportunity to access the beach and the sea.
The Access Office and Environment Section in conjunction with the Surf Shack Curracloe and Rosslare Community and Sports Centre launched the first ever Beach Wheelchairs for the South East. The beach wheelchairs provided a life-line for 25 adults and 6 children whereby wheelchair users gained access to Curracloe and Rosslare beaches over the previous summer. Local organisations are taking responsibility to administer the use of the wheelchairs and with the promising results we hope to see this initiative fully used for many summer seasons to come.
For more information and learn how you can participate in these programmes:
Contact Us
- Email: sports.active@wexfordcoco.ie
- Telephone: 053 919 6557