By Disability Sports Australia Media Team
Disability Sports Australia (DSA) has announced that Abilities Unleashed is now an admitted program within Sporting Schools, expanding accessible sport opportunities for children with disability in school settings across Australia.
Abilities Unleashed is a national, multi-sport participation program designed to support children with disability to try a range of sports in safe, inclusive and supportive environments.
Through its inclusion in Sporting Schools, the program will be available to more schools nationwide, supporting early, positive experiences of sport at school.
Over the past 12 months, Abilities Unleashed has delivered strong participation outcomes across Australia, including:
• 50 events delivered
• 3,309 participants engaged
• 137 schools involved
• 181 local sporting organisations engaged
• 552 coaches and program deliverers involved
• 261 volunteers activated
The program works closely with schools, teachers, local sporting clubs and delivery partners to adapt activities so children can participate in ways that work best for them, with a strong focus on grassroots participation and local pathways.
Disability Sports Australia acknowledges the Australian Sports Commission for its ongoing engagement and constructive conversations that supported this outcome.
The inclusion of Abilities Unleashed within Sporting Schools has been informed by DSA’s work with educators, including insights from its Barriers to Entry Survey, which has been shared with teachers over the past year to better understand and respond to access challenges faced by children with disability.
Through Sporting Schools, funding provides schools with flexibility to support program delivery, including consideration of costs that may assist in addressing practical access barriers for children with disability.,
Ayden Shaw Chief Executive Officer of Disability Sports Australia said
“ For many children with disability, school is the first place they encounter organised sport, and access at this point matters.
“Inclusion in Sporting Schools is significant because it embeds Abilities Unleashed within the education system, allowing children to participate earlier and more consistently, while giving schools greater capacity to respond to tangible, practical barriers that can affect attendance.”
Sporting Schools is delivered by the Australian Sports Commission and supports schools to provide quality sport and physical activity opportunities for students across Australia.
More information on how schools can access Abilities Unleashed through Sporting Schools will be shared ahead of the Term 2 2025 launch.
For information about Sporting Schools and the Abilities Unleashed program, visit:
https://www.ausport.gov.au/schools
https://sports.org.au/abilities-unleashed/
ENDS
Media contact:
Ayden Shaw
CEO
M: 0411 788 315
About Disability Sports Australia:
Disability Sports Australia (DSA) is a national non-profit, registered charity, and National Sporting Organisation for people with disability, dedicated to increasing participation in grassroots sport.
For over 60 years, DSA has been at the forefront of disability sport in Australia, starting with wheelchair sports and seeking to expand opportunities for people with disability across the country. Today, DSA is disability-agnostic, focusing on building the capability of sports organisations to ensure inclusive and accessible opportunities for people with disability.
Its goal is to raise awareness of the positive impact sport can have, remove barriers to participation, and build a future where sport is inclusive for all Australians.
