About Disability Sports Australia
Our Story
Disability Sports Australia (DSA) is a national non-profit organisation and registered charity dedicated to empowering people with disability through the transformative power of sport.
Our mission is to break down barriers, ensuring that all Australians with disability can enjoy meaningful participation in sport, tailored to their own abilities and interests.
With a rich history that dates back to the late 1950s, DSA has evolved into a leading voice for inclusive sport in Australia, creating opportunities for individuals, advocating for systemic change, and building stronger communities.
Why We Exist
In Australia, 4.4 million people, or 1 in 6 individuals, live with a disability.
However, many face significant barriers when it comes to participating in sport.
High costs, inaccessible facilities, and a lack of inclusive programs have left only 25% of adults with disability participating in sport weekly, compared to much higher rates for those without a disability.
These barriers deny millions of Australians the chance to enjoy the physical, social, and mental benefits of sport.
At Disability Sports Australia, we’re committed to changing this by creating pathways and awareness to ensure no one is left behind.
Sport should be for everyone, and together, we can make that a reality.
Our History
As pioneers in disability sport, we’ve led countless initiatives that have shaped the sporting landscape in Australia and beyond.
Our story begins in the late 1950s with the establishment of the Australian Paraplegic and Quadriplegic Sports Federation (APQSF), which played a pivotal role in shaping the global disability sports movement.
As a member of the International Wheelchair Sports Federation, APQSF was instrumental in advocating for the inclusion of athletes with disability in the Olympic Games, leading to the first Paralympic Games held in Rome in 1960.
Over the decades, we’ve grown and evolved under various names, including the Australian Wheelchair Sports Federation Wheelchair Sports Australia, and Australian Athletes with a Disabilty.
Some of our key milestones include:
- Supporting Australian Paralympic teams from 1960 to 1984.
- Hosting national competitions like the National Wheelchair Games and Junior Games, which provided crucial opportunities for athletes with disability to compete and connect.
- Developing groundbreaking sports like Wheelchair Aussie Rules, now widely known as Wheelchair AFL, in partnership with our member Para-Quad Tasmania and the Australian Defence Force.
In 2013, we evolved from our roots as a leading organisation in wheelchair sports to become Disability Sports Australia, the peak body for physical disability sport in the country.
Today, we take a disability-agnostic approach, supporting Australians of all abilities, advocating for equity across all levels of sport, and focusing on increasing grassroot participation and access while raising the profile of disability sport nationwide.
Our Purpose, Mission, and Vision
Our Purpose: To build the capability of sport to enable the meaningful participation of people with disability.
Our vision: Lives and communities transformed through the power of sport.
Our mission is: To improve opportunities for people with disability to be involved in sport in the way they choose.
Disability Sports Australia is also recognised by the Australian Sports Commission as a National Sporting Organisation for People with Disability.
We are proud founding members of Paralympics Australia and the Australian Sporting Alliance for People with Disability, working together to ensure sport has place for everybody.
Join Us
Sport has the power to inspire, connect, and transform lives.
At Disability Sports Australia, we’re committed to making sport accessible to all Australians with disability, ensuring everyone has the chance to thrive.
Whether you’re looking to participate, collaborate, or contribute, you can play a key role in this mission.
Together, we can break barriers, create opportunities, and change lives through the power of sport.
Support. Participate. Transform Lives.
History
2003
Australian Athletes with a Disability Limited was formed in 2003 to represent the interests of its member disability sporting organisations, through the creation of an “umbrella” body established to coordinate relations with the Australian Sports Commission (ASC). During 2013 the organisation changed its name to Disability Sports Australia to better reflect the organisation and its role within the Australian community as the peak national body.
The “umbrella” body including merging the following organisations:
Australian Sports Organisation for the Disabled (ASOD) founded 1981
Cerebral Palsy Australian Sports and Recreation Federation (CPASRF) founded 1989
Wheelchair Sports Australia (WSA) founded 1950s
2011
During 2011 / 2012, Australian Sports Organisation for the Disabled (ASOD) dissolved, and management agreements were executed between Wheelchair Sports Australia (WSA) and AAWD, and Cerebral Palsy Australian Sport and Recreation Federation (CPASRF) and AAWD, resulting in AAWD undertaking the administrative responsibilities of its national members, significantly reducing the administration load of the group.
2012
Following a vote of members on 31 January 2012 DSA expanded its membership base to include the state members of its founding national member organisations.
The objective of this change was to enable DSA to better support its member organisations to develop, promote and deliver participation opportunities for people with a disability.
This included sporting pathways and participation opportunities for people with a variety of physical disabilities including cerebral palsy, amputees and people who are wheelchair users.
2013
In 2013 Australian Athletes with a Disability changed its name to Disability Sports Australia to better reflect their role within the Australian community.