Good News – February, 2024
Hello and welcome back to Disability Sports Australia’s (DSA) Good News roundup. Our first one of 2024!
At DSA, we love discovering the wonderful things people are doing for the active disability space. This series aims to put a spotlight on these stories. We hope it leads to more good things to come in the sector.
Do you have a story you want us to tell?
Please send the story and your contact details to marketing@sports.org.au
Keilor Basketball – Abilities Unleashed Success Story
[Image ID - White text on a green background reads ‘Abilities Unleashed Success Story in Keilor’. To the left is an excited participant at the disability basketball clinic. He is celebrating with two fists and jumping in the air.]
Image credit: Disability Sports Australia
In December 2023, Keilor Basketball Association delivered at DSA’s Brimbank Abilities Unleashed event. Before this day, the club had not offered any disability programs. After their successful Abilities Unleashed involvement, they have now organised a series of disability clinics with Brimbank City Council.
The pilot launch on February 21 was a roaring success reaching a maximum capacity of 40 participants.
“This is a perfect example of what an Abilities Unleashed program can do,” said Ayden Shaw, General Manager of Disability Sports Australia.
“We are all at different stages of our accessibility journey. If you’re an existing local deliverer or are wanting support to create a welcoming program, we are here to help.”
Disability Sports Australia was at the Keilor Basketball Netball Stadium to shoot the launch. Here is a collection of our favourites.
To get involved with Keilor Basketball Association’s programs, please contact: marketing@keilorbasketball.com.au
To learn about the upcoming Abilities Unleashed dates, please visit: abilitiesunleashed.com.au
New study finds improved quality of life linked to physical activity for disability population
SBS recently covered a story of a new study that found improved quality of life linked to physical activity for disability population.
It is the first systematic review by Australian researchers that reviews the benefits physical activity has for people with disabilities. The 74 randomised control trials involving 2,954 people with disabilities found positive correlations between physical activity and participation, mobility, and quality of life.
Find the full SBS News story, with contributions from Disability Sports Australia, Wheelchair Sports NSW/ACT, University of Technology Sydney, and University of Sydney, here.
Blind Tennis on The Project
The Project shared the stories of blind tennis coaches Rob Fletcher and Adam Fayad. The video piece takes a deep dive into both their lives from when they started playing blind tennis to coaching the sport today.
The video gives a small insight into playing the adaptive sport and shares the coaches’ ambitions of having blind tennis become an official grand slam event.
Find the full story on The Project here.
To learn more about Blind Tennis, please head to blindsportsaustralia.com.au
Wheelchair Ballkid program
[Image ID - White text on a green background reads ‘Wheelchair Ballkid Program’. To the left is wheelchair user in a ballkid uniform on a clay tennis court. He is performing ballkid signals holding a tennis ball in one hand.]
Image credit: Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
Summer and the Australian Open are a perfect match. The annual two-week tennis festival cycled through last month.
The Australian Open is a benchmark tournament on the global sporting calendar. The All Abilities Day unveils new progressions in diversity and inclusion. 11-year-old Sonny Rennison was the centre of the latest initiative.
The junior singles wheelchair tennis player is undergoing a pilot program to be a ballkid. Sonny is being supported by a professional ballkid assessor. A ball collector and ball holder were developed by Mastercard, Streaker, and Get Skilled Access to aid Sonny in completing ballkid tasks.
Find the full SBS story here.
‘The Power of Sport’
DSA Community Partner, What Ability, has released a docu-series called ‘The Power of Inclusion’.
The disability support service has collaborated with Optus in this four-part series to share their story. Featured are their support workers, participants and their families.
Episode three, ‘The Power of Sport’, shares the powerful role sport has on inclusion.
“To me, the power of sport is its ability to bring people together,” said Lauren Cheatle, What Ability Support Worker.
“It’s a universal language and it’s one that is really key to making an inclusive world.”
You can find the full video below:
Disability Sports Australia is excited to be a part of the upcoming What Ability Day at AAMI Park on Sunday March 17.
That is our first Good News for 2024 wrapped up!
We are sure to have missed something. If you have a story that you want us to share, let us know!
You can send the news to: marketing@sports.org.au
