Equal opportunity to access disability sport and recreation

It's about equal opportunity

“First and foremost, it's about equal opportunity, not sports. You don't need to know who won the grand final, I don't even know who won the grand final,” says Akii Ngo, former Impact and Sustainability Manager at DSR who also created its advisory committee. 

“It's about disabled people being able to do the things they want. [This idea] can be applied to any aspect of our community that requires equal access, really.”

What is Disability Sport and Recreation (DSR)?

DSR’s roots lie in the Victorian Paralympic movement, having formed in 1962 under the name ParaVic. Nowadays, it’s less about international competition and more about Australians living happy, active lives through disability sport and recreation suited to them. 

“We just want everyday humans that have disability to do any sport or recreation activity that makes them happy. It doesn't have to be about going to the Paralympics. It doesn't have to be about any of that. It’s about doing something physical that brings you joy and connects you with other people,” says Akii. 

DSR works with individuals, schools, organisations, and governments to provide and promote positive health outcomes for people with disability, through engagement in a variety of disability sport and recreation opportunities. Including its programs AFL wheelchair, DSR kids, Wheelchair Rugby and more. 

“We're a peak body for disability sport and recreation. We support a lot of other organisations and state sporting associations to facilitate the involvement of people in disability sport and recreation. Wheelchair Rugby Victoria is a state sporting association operated out of DSR.”

“We also have a partnership with Proud2Play, which is an organisation within the LBGTIQA+ space for sport and recreation, to make sport and recreation and community sport safer for LGBTQIA+ folks,” says Akii. 

Its vision is to create a Victoria where all people with disability can choose and access any disability sport and recreation they want to participate in. 

DSR aims to provide accessible disability sport

“I am very passionate about ensuring that people know that disability is not a monolith,” says Akii. “That a person with the exact same disability as another person, doesn't have the exact same experiences and doesn't live life in the exact same way. That may mean that someone has different interests, needs, requirements, and so on. DSR [aims] to facilitate that to the best of our ability.” 

“It's incredibly important for people with disability to have equal opportunity and access to disability sport and recreation that they choose to because it shouldn't be seen as a luxury. If you want to do something, you should be able to, and we at DSR should be able to help you do that and facilitate it to the best of our ability.”

“But also because, like any other Australian that doesn't have a disability, sport is what brings communities together. Sport is what connects individuals.”