Advocacy
Disability Sports Australia works to improve the systems, policies and infrastructure that enable people with disability to take part in sport.
Our advocacy is informed by lived experience, grounded in evidence and focused on increasing participation. We work with governments, sporting organisations, communities and partners to remove barriers and improve how sport works for people with disability.
Participation requires systems, not just programs.
Participation does not happen by chance. It depends on capability, coordination, infrastructure, partnerships and investment. Funding the system is funding the participation it produces.
Reasonable adjustments are a right.
People with disability should not be excluded from sport because reasonable adjustments are unavailable or denied. The legislative framework should recognise this clearly.
People with disability must shape decisions.
People with disability should be involved in the design, delivery and governance of the systems that affect them. Lived experience strengthens policy, programs and outcomes.
Universal design creates lasting impact.
Infrastructure designed for accessibility from the outset creates better outcomes for everyone and reduces barriers to participation across the community.
Disability Advisory Committee
People with lived experience of disability help shape our programs, strategy and advocacy. Their perspectives directly inform our submissions, policy positions and engagement with government and the sport sector.
Government Engagement
We work with federal, state, territory and local governments to improve access to sport for people with disability through formal submissions, policy engagement and ongoing collaboration.
Recent submissions have addressed disability discrimination, accessible infrastructure and participation in sport.
Review of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992
October 2025
DSA’s submission argued that current protections in sport are too narrow and do not adequately address the discrimination experienced by people with disability.
Key recommendations:
- Expand Section 28 to address exclusion and failure to provide reasonable adjustments.
- Recognise denial of reasonable accommodation as discrimination.
- Introduce a positive duty to eliminate disability discrimination.
- Strengthen the powers of the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Additional issues raised
- Modernising the definition of disability.
- Recognition of intersectional discrimination.
- Stronger protections for participation in school sport and physical education.
Brisbane 2032 100-Day Infrastructure Review
January 2025
DSA’s submission to the Brisbane 2032 Infrastructure Review argued that accessibility and participation must be embedded across Games planning, infrastructure and legacy outcomes.
Key recommendations
- Establish a Disability Advisory Panel.
- Create ongoing opportunities for people with disability to provide feedback.
- Commit to Universal Design principles across Games infrastructure.
- Ensure long-term disability sport activation of Games venues.
The submission highlighted the Blacktown Disability Sports Centre as a practical example of accessible sporting infrastructure and a model for future investment.
Disability Advisory Committee
People with lived experience of disability help shape our programs, strategy and advocacy. Their perspectives directly inform our submissions, policy positions and engagement with government and the sport sector.
Sector Collaboration
We work with sporting organisations, disability organisations and sector partners to improve participation opportunities and influence systems change across Australian sport.
The Diversity and Inclusion in Sport Alliance (DISA) is a national coalition of organisations working to reduce barriers and create more equitable sporting environments across Australia.
Disability Sports Australia contributes to shared advocacy, knowledge and resources through its involvement in DISA.
International Engagement
We engage internationally to share Australian experience, learn from global practice and bring new ideas, evidence and practice back to Australia.
International engagement strengthens our understanding of accessibility and participation, and informs our advocacy on infrastructure, universal design and disability sport participation.
Blacktown Disability Sports Centre
Disability Sports Australia secured a $15 million NSW Government grant to deliver the Centre, in partnership with Blacktown City Council, as part of a $30.5 million project. Australia’s first purpose-built indoor facility for disability sport, it now stands as a working example of how accessible infrastructure increases participation opportunities for people with disability, and has informed DSA’s advocacy on Brisbane 2032.
Abilities Unleashed and Sporting Schools
In 2026, DSA’s engagement with the Australian Sports Commission, backed by evidence from schools and educators, saw Abilities Unleashed admitted as a Sporting Schools program. Embedding disability sport in a national school framework creates earlier, more consistent opportunities for children with disability to take part in sport.
NDIS Reform and Grassroots Sport
When the Federal Government announced changes to the NDIS, DSA called for sustained investment in grassroots sport through the Inclusive Communities Fund, arguing that participation depends on capable clubs, coaches and local opportunities, and that people moving from the NDIS into community settings need long-term support to keep taking part.
Disability Discrimination Act Review
DSA’s 2025 submission to the review called for stronger protections for people with disability in sport, including reasonable adjustments, a positive duty to eliminate discrimination and improved enforcement mechanisms.