Our Mission
The mission of Waterford Sports Partnership is that, together, we make Waterford a place that has a positive culture of people playing sport and being active. We want people to enjoy participating in sport and the many benefits it brings to their health, happiness and our community.
At Waterford Sports Partnership we will achieve disability inclusion by continually reviewing and adapting the way we operate and the programmes we run to ensure they are as inclusive as possible. In order to achieve disability inclusion we will work in partnership with clubs, disability services and in consultation with people with disabilities and their families.
Our Commitment
Our organisation welcomes all members of the community, regardless of their abilities. We will include people with disabilities in our organisation to the greatest extent that we can. We will endeavor to make our organisation as inclusive and accessible as possible.
We are committed to fulfilling the requirement of the Sports Ireland Policy on Participation in Sport by People with Disabilities and to signing and engaging with the Sport Inclusion Disability Charter.
Accessibility
We aim to have all facilities used by Waterford Sports Partnership accessible to people with disabilities, as far as reasonably possible. We are ready to consider all reasonable adjustments that would, over time, help us to achieve this aim more fully and effectively.
In our efforts to deliver this we will:
• Audit all the facilities we use to assess their accessibility for people with disabilities. If any facilities are not inclusive, we will aim to work together with the venue to improve the accessibility or find alternative venues if necessary.
• Ensure all staff and board members are trained in disability awareness and inclusion to ensure it is an organisational priority. • Adjust how we deliver and promote our programmes to people with disabilities to improve the level of inclusion across the organisation. • Ensure that all resources are produced in accessible formats.
• Review all areas in line with health and safety requirements.
Participation
By developing our capacity and capabilities within our organisation, we will strive to deliver inclusive programmes, promote and advocate for disability inclusion and increase the number of people with disabilities participating in sport in our organisation.
In our efforts to deliver this we will:
• Adopt an inclusive approach across all aspects of the organisation.
• Consider the accessibility and opportunity for inclusion for people with disabilities in all programme development.
• Work in partnership with other organisations and individuals who are advocates for the inclusion of people with disabilities.
• Acknowledge and support the contributions, achievements and successes of people with disabilities in our organisation.
• Commit to and adopt the Sport Inclusion Disability Charter.
Support
In the development of a Disability Inclusion Policy we understand that it requires support across all areas of our organisation. We will endeavor to provide support where it is needed and where financially and strategically possible.
In our efforts to deliver this we will:
• Increase the capabilities of our management, staff and board members so that they have a better understanding of what is required to deliver an inclusive environment. We will do this by providing disability awareness/inclusion training to all our board members and staff.
• Appoint a Disability Inclusion Officer to monitor, support and assist in our work to be more inclusive of people with disabilities.
• Educate and support management, staff and members to be accepting of people with disabilities throughout our organisation.
• To ensure that all future policies, strategies and plans are inclusive of people with disabilities.
• Develop our coaching/training pathway to include disability awareness training.
• Collaborate with external organisations that work in the area of disability and consult with them and their members in the development of our programmes.
Reporting
We will endeavour to review and update the organisations Disability Inclusion Policy biennially and to review any recommendations and developments that arise as a result of the development of the policy.
In our efforts to deliver this we will:
• Consult with people with disabilities, members and staff on their views and achievements in relation to the policy.
• Update the policy where necessary.
• Request approval of any updates to the policy by the board. Measureable Outcomes It is important to set a list of measureable outcomes so that the organisation can monitor and track that the Disability Inclusion Policy is being implemented. In our efforts to deliver on this we will: • Ensure that the Disability Inclusion Policy has being approved by the board members.
• Ensure that the board members and staff understand and commit to the policy and adopt the Sport Inclusion Disability Charter. • Ensure that the policy is included in the organisations handbook and is part of induction training of all new staff.
• Ask for feedback from people with disabilities and act on any weaknesses identified within our organisation.
• Conduct an inclusion audit of the organisation and all the environments and facilities used for programmes and events.
Article Modified: February 04, 2025 3:01 pm