Disability Rights UK are looking for new members for their Get Yourself Active (GYA) Sounding Board group! The Sounding Board are a group of Disabled individuals who meet every two months with the GYA team to discuss present barriers that Disabled people are facing in the sport and physical activity sector.
The aim of the group is to gain further insight into some of the issues Disabled people are facing at a local level, which can often be overlooked by sports sector organisations that operate at a national scale. This includes barriers surrounding access to physical activity, such as benefits and transport. The group is invaluable to the GYA team, working in partnership to steer the direction of the programme to ensure we are making informed decisions, as well as influencing change across the sector including Sport England. We would like to ensure we are representative of different groups of Disabled people from different backgrounds, especially those with perspectives that are marginalised within disability spaces.
“It is so uplifting and helpful to discuss such an important part of my mental health management in such an open, safe and non-judgmental way. I learn so much from you all. I feel heard, valued and respected instead of shamed and unrealistic. My time spent in these sessions, as in all the ones we have shared over the last two years, thanks to Elliot, Laura and Lydia at Disability Rights UK, has been such a positive in my life. I honestly feel most privileged and grateful to know you all, have this voice and feel somewhat normal and valued again. I cannot thank all involved in this enough and leave you all this evening with a smile and a positive attitude that we are facilitating positive change.”- Rachel, a member of the group.
We are hosting an information session on Monday 14th October at 11am, that will be taking place online, on Zoom. This will be an informal session to find out more about the group, with a chance to meet some of our current members and find out what they’ve been involved in. Please email Lydia.bone@disabilityrightsuk.org for more information and to express your interest in joining the group and/or attending our information session.
NB. We will not be providing payment for attending the information session. However, if you join the group we do provide payment in vouchers for your time and lived experience expertise.