Disability

There are 12.2 million disabled people in England, with 14.3% of the Hertfordshire population reporting that a disability or long-term illness limits their day-to-day activities. This filters into physical activity participation, as disabled adults are almost twice as likely to be physically inactive compared to non-disabled people (42.4% vs 22.6%). Yet, four in five disabled people want to be more active. The Herts Sport & Physical Activity Partnership (HSP) endeavours to address this discrepancy in Hertfordshire, working with partners to make activities in Hertfordshire more inclusive to those with a disability.

HSP employ Ros Cramp as an associate to undertake the role of the County Disability Sport Officer for Hertfordshire. Within this role, Ros works to develop the inclusivity of the physical activity opportunities within the County and aims to increase disabled people’s participation within them. This involves:

• Supporting the development of a training package to upskill the workforce to work with varying disabilities
• Supporting the development of new activities and new sports clubs offering provision for disabled people
• Working with leisure operators to ensure their facilities have suitable access for disabled people – including conducting audits of leisure centres
• Responding to enquiries and signposting those with a disability to appropriate activities
• Mapping current activities taking place in the County and working with partners to address any identified gaps

Getting active with a disability

We know it can be difficult getting active with a disability. Whether you feel anxious about your abilities or need additional support, resources are available to help.

Being active can be easier if you choose an activity you enjoy, and that fits into your daily life. The HSP Moving More activity finder has thousands of activities across Hertfordshire. The Activity Finder includes an accessibility filter within the search function, making finding activities that meet your needs easier. 

ParaSport also runs a disability-specific activity finder to help you.