Disability Equality

The Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 (UK) states a person is disabled if they have a mental or physical impairment which has an adverse effect on a persons ability to carry out normal day to day activities, this effect is substantial and the effect is long term (lasted more than 12 months and likely to last for a further 12 months or the rest of that persons life).

For many people it is not difficult to identify with the word ‘disability’, for all of us there are things we can’t do (but wish we could) or things that hold us back from reaching our full potential at different stages of our lives. For some individuals a disability may restrict them from participation in a variety of environments for a considerable length of time, possibly for the entirety of their lives. As a result for these people they may be given some form of assistance to encourage and support them in a particular situation. In our present society there are a number of ways that assistance can be given in order for people with a disability to participate in daily life; modifications to buildings, development of specialist equipment and the training of individuals to assist them. Potential players who may have disabilities are less likely to take part in football and physical activity for a variety of reasons without clubs creating barriers which make the task even more difficult.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that negative attitudes towards people with a disability still exist. Much of this negative attitude may stem from not understanding the disability and an embarrassment surrounding not being informed enough to deal with both their feelings or their uneasiness. People often regard people with disabilities with various feelings which can range from pity to discrimination and distrust. When people are not sure of their feelings they erect barriers either unintentionally or, more worryingly, intentionally.

When discussing disability many people will automatically think of wheelchair access, guide dogs and perhaps learning difficulties. In other words a condition that is fixed by birth or accident and changing little over time. This could not be further from the truth because ‘disabled people’ cannot be regarded as a discrete and clearly identifiable group because of the vast sphere that is disability. The Disability Rights Commission has estimated that there are 10,000,000 (10 million) people with a disability in Britain. The definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) may include lone parents developing serious depression, young men with learning or behavioural difficulties ending up within the prison system, people diagnosed with diabetes in middle age, older people with respiratory problems and people with HIV. You may know people that fall into these categories and you may not regard them as being a ‘disabled person’ and certainly many of these people won’t think of themselves or be considered by others as ‘disabled people’. Just because these people have long term illnesses which don’t significantly effect their daily lives does that mean they are not disabled?

The nature of impairments and long term health conditions changes over time, an example being polio where there are 30,000 people who have been affected by polio in Britain, but now since vaccination was introduced this has been greatly reduced. However, autism (or the numbers of children being diagnosed on the autistic spectrum) has risen over the last 20 years. We are also seeing a steep rise in obesity, which can lead to impairments and long term health conditions. How does disability impact on football especially those who have a disability that is not obvious to the naked eye?

The people living with long term health conditions – diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, cancer, depression, come in all shapes all sizes and all ages. As children they make up large numbers of possible footballers who want to play but are not playing. Why would this be? Sometimes because teams will not sign them, sometimes coaches and managers feel unsure of or make assumptions of how the team would react if they were to bring in a Downs Syndrome player or how they would handle a child with epilepsy etc. What few coaches realise is that these children want to play, and can-and-do play successfully if given a chance and the right support. Football Centres of Excellence for disabled players, Ability Counts clubs, as well as centres and competitions for deaf teams, amputees, blind / partially sighted, Cerebral Palsy and learning disabilities etc are all part of new initiatives aimed at making football accessible for all.

However, football clubs can do a lot more to assist individuals, some of which
might take little effort but result in greatly increased participation and improved quality of experience for individuals in football.

What should our club be doing?

• Recognising that disabilities are diverse and that you respect the dignity of a disabled person when dealing with them in your club.
• Ensure your club is accessible for disabled players or visitors.
• Don’t make assumptions about disabled people based on speculation
  or stereotypes.
• Challenge your players or parents if there are any inappropriate behaviours or poor practices towards players with disabilities.
• If in doubt, ask the disabled people themselves how the situation could be improved. Listen and respond to what they really want. If required the club could also consult with local authority disability organisations.
• Does your club make every effort to acknowledge the Disability Discrimination Act?
  Are you Aware that since 1996 it is unlawful for clubs to treat disabled people less favourably for any reason that is related to their disability.

Structure your training sessions so that you include all members of your squad fully. Make sure that any coach education training includes knowledge of your disabled players.

Disability as an issue of equality and social justice