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 are much lower than for people without disability.
This gap isn’t about ability or interest — it comes from inaccessible facilities, limited programs, and low awareness of local opportunities. As a result, people with disability miss out on the confidence, connection, and joy 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 peak body for wheelchair sport and physical disability. Over time, our focus expanded. Today, we are disability-agnostic, working nationally to remove barriers that prevent all Australians with disability from participating.
Our Strategic Plan
Change begins at the grassroots. Local clubs are where participation starts, and this is where the gap is most urgent. By engaging clubs, we 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 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 need to 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 it is meaningful to the individual. That’s why we are committed to giving people choice and flexibility in how they participate.
In addition, we advocate for greater access to both disability-specific and inclusive mainstream opportunities. This ensures every person can take part in sport in ways that reflect their needs, interests, and goals.
By listening to and elevating the voices of people with lived experience, we make sure our programs and partnerships are inclusive, practical, and shaped by community need.
All our programs are free for participants, ensuring cost is never a barrier
What This Looks Like in Practice
We Provide Positive First Experiences
Through programs like Abilities Unleashed and Try Para Sport, people can try sport in their local communities. These welcoming first experiences often spark lifelong participation and connection
We Provide Free Education Resources
We share simple and actionable tools that give coaches and volunteers the confidence to include everyone.
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 hands-on help. As a result, clubs can create more accessible and welcoming 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.
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.
