* Plan welcomed by
International Paralympic Committee
* Sport England announces £3.5m of investment in sport for
disabled people
The first ever Olympic and Paralympic legacy plan to bring
about lasting changes to the life experiences of disabled people
has been published today by the Government.
Endorsed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), London
2012: A Legacy for Disabled People, aims to improve the lives of
10 million disabled people in the UK by increasing participation
in sport and physical activity; improving business, transport and
employment opportunities; and changing attitudes and perceptions
of disabled people in society.
Sport England has given sport for disabled people a further boost
by announcing that it is investing £1.5 million of Exchequer
funding in the English Federation of Disability Sport to help them
deliver a new strategy to increase participation and opportunities
for disabled people.
They have also announced that they will be making £2 million of
targeted National Lottery funding available, by application, to
nine disability sports organisations including: British Blind
Sport, Mencap Sport, Wheelpower and the Special Olympics.
A further £8 million of National Lottery funding has also been
ring-fenced by Sport England for investment in sport for disabled
people over the next two years.
Other initiatives included in the legacy plan are:
* the development of a National Equality Framework so that
businesses can assess their equality performance and improve their
working conditions for disabled employees;
* specialist events targeted at diverse businesses, including
those owned by disabled people, encouraging them to register on
‘CompeteFor’ so that they can apply for contracts opportunities
from the Games. So far 1,327 businesses owned by disabled people
have registered on CompeteFor;
* a government campaign to encourage businesses to improve
accessibility for disabled customers;
* work with the Accessible Tourism Stakeholder Forum to
improve access to tourism services and provide businesses with
training to help improve facilities, accessibility and information
for disabled people;
* better access and information across the London transport
system to enable disabled people to travel confidently and
independently and further the development of London 2012’s
transport legacy; and
* work with Channel 4, the official London 2012 Paralympic
Games broadcaster, to ensure coverage is appropriate, accessible
and extends beyond Games time. Over 150 hours of coverage will be
delivered including documentaries following athletes and their
journey to the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Subtitling and audio
description will form part of the programming to ensure the widest
possible audience can enjoy the Games.
London 2012 and Arts Council England have also officially
announced today that £400,000 of funding has been awarded to ten
commissions by disabled artists as part of the Unlimited
programme. The scheme which celebrates the arts, culture and sport
by disabled and deaf people aims to help transform the disability
arts movement in the UK and celebrate the inspiration of the
Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Tessa Jowell, Minister for the Olympics and Paralympics, said:
“We want the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to showcase a
Britain without barriers. By working to increase sports
participation, improve employment opportunities amongst disabled
people and develop a greater appreciation of disability issues in
society, our legacy plan for disabled people aims to make a real
difference to the way disabled people live their lives every day.
“The backing of the International Paralympic Committee is
recognition of the scale of our ambition and our determination to
ensure the benefits of London 2012 live long beyond the Games.
With this strategy we have developed a blueprint for other host
nations looking to deliver a lasting legacy for disabled people
from the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Jonathan Shaw,
Minister for Disabled People, said:
"It is vital that disabled people benefit from the
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented by the Games.
It's the opportunity to make a real and lasting change,
to showcase disabled people’s talents, not just in the sporting
field but through employment, through positive role models and
through the 2012 disability arts programme. Such a legacy will
live past 2012 and take us towards our vision of disability
equality by 2025."
Xavier Gonzalez, CEO of the International Paralympic Committee,
said:
“The ‘Disability Legacy Plan’ of the UK Government is the perfect
fit for the IPC’s strategy in the field, and we are extremely
happy to see this plan. With such a plan, the Paralympic Games can
become the ‘springboard’ to push the agenda forward. It is also
great to see that the plan is targeting really long term, far
beyond the London 2012 Games.”
Gerry Sutcliffe, Minister for Sport, said:
“We want to use the Games in 2012 to inspire people across the UK
to get more active. We want more opportunities for disabled people
to play sport and this targeted investment over the next two years
will help do just that.”
Ian Lucas, Business Minister, said:
“I am asking all businesses, especially small businesses, to
engage better with the 20 per cent of disabled customers, not just
because it is the fair thing to do but because if they do not they
will lose customers and money - something no one can afford to do
in this economic climate.”
Research published by the Department for Culture, Media and
Sport, (DCMS) and the Office for Disability Issues, (ODI), in
December showed that 90 per cent of disabled people felt that it
is important the Games yield long-term benefits for disabled
people. Of the 665 disabled people questioned, nine out of 10
believed that it is important that spin-off benefits for them from
2012 should be:
* more access to sport and physical activity;
* good access
to Games-time facilities; and
* initiatives to promote
positive attitudes towards disabled people.
Notes to Editors
1. Copies of London 2012: A Legacy for Disabled People can be
obtained from the DCMS website www.culture.gov.uk/
2. £2m of National Lottery investment is available for
applications from EFDS and its eight member organisations:
* British Amputee and Les Autre Sports Association
* British
Blind Sport
* CP Sport
* Mencap Sport
* UK Deaf
Sport
* Wheelpower
* Dwarf Athletic Association
*
Special Olympics
3. More details on the winning Unlimited commissions,
and how deaf and disabled artists can apply for the second round
of commissions, can be found at www.london2012.com/unlimited.
Contacts:
DCMS Press Enquiries and Out of hours telephone pager
Phone:
020 7211 6263
Mobile: 07699 751153
NDS.DCMS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Julia Smith.
Phone: 020 72116215
julia.smith@culture.gsi.gov.uk