Our Approach
The Disability Sports Australia approach sets out the principles that guide how we support people with disability to take part in sport in the way that works best for them.
Sport Is for Everyone — But Too Many Are Left Behind
Australians with disability face unnecessary barriers to sport. Participation rates remain significantly lower than for people without disability.
This gap is not about ability or interest. It is driven by inaccessible facilities, limited programs and low awareness of local opportunities.
As a result, many people with disability miss out on the confidence, connection and wellbeing that sport can bring.
Our History
For more than 60 years, Disability Sports Australia has worked to make sport more inclusive.
We began as the national body for wheelchair sport and physical disability. Over time our role expanded. Today we are disability-agnostic, working nationally to remove barriers that prevent Australians with disability from participating in sport.
Our Strategic Plan
Change begins at the grassroots. Local clubs are where participation starts, and where the gap in opportunity is most visible.
By working with clubs and communities, we help create environments where people with disability can try sport, build confidence and feel a sense of belonging.
How We Create Change
Elevate
Promote the value of sport and its positive social impact for people with disability and the community.
Enable
Create opportunities for people with disability to participate meaningfully in grassroots sport.
Equip
Provide sporting organisations with the knowledge, skills and tools to be confident in engaging people with disability.
Engage
Engage with all levels of sport to build, healthy active and welcoming communities where every body belongs.
Guided by Our Philosophy
We take a disability-agnostic approach, focusing on the barriers that affect anyone with disability. Inclusion is about removing obstacles, not dividing people into categories.
Our work is guided by the Social Model of Disability, which recognises that environments and systems must change — not people. We are also aligned with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
We believe sport has the greatest impact when participation is meaningful to the individual. That is why we are committed to giving people choice and flexibility in how they take part.
We advocate for both disability-specific sport and inclusive mainstream opportunities, ensuring every person can participate in ways that reflect their needs, interests and goals.
By listening to people with lived experience, we ensure our programs and partnerships are practical, inclusive and shaped by community need.
All our programs are free for participants so that cost is never a barrier.
What This Looks Like in Practice
We Provide Positive First Experiences
Programs such as Abilities Unleashed and Try Para Sport give people welcoming opportunities to try sport in their local community.
We Provide Free Education Resources
We share simple and practical tools that help coaches and volunteers feel confident including people with disability.
We Share Stories to Shift Culture
We highlight real stories that change perceptions, build understanding and bring communities together.
We Build Capability
We support organisations with training, resources and practical guidance to create more accessible environments.
We Provide Clear Pathways
We help people understand their options for getting involved in sport, so they can participate in the way that suits them best.
The Impact We're Creating
Through our programs and partnerships, thousands of people with disability are finding their place in sport and helping build healthier and more connected communities.
3,338
People with disability experienced the joy of sport through Abilities Unleashed.
Local events connected people with disability to sport in their own communities across the country.
Hours of physical activity experienced by people with disability through our programs.
Partnerships That Grow Disability Sport
Our approach is only possible through strong partnerships.
By working with Disability Sports Australia, your organisation helps more people with disability take part in sport and build confidence, connection, and wellbeing. Partnerships give us the resources to expand programs, support volunteers, and make local sport more accessible.
Together, we can strengthen communities and ensure sport works for every body across Australia.
