Approximately 1 in 5 Victorians have a physical or cognitive disability. Furthermore, any Victorian may acquire a disability at any point in their life.
Compared to 79 per cent of all Victorians, only 24 per cent of people with disability participate in sport and physical activity.
Within the Access for All Abilities program, state sporting associations, regional sports assemblies and other organisations work with clubs and associations to grow capacity, and increase participation and diversity in their programs and competition pathways.
In 2018 alone, 334 Access for All Abilities funded programs enabled over 43,000 participation opportunities for people with a disability to engage in a sport or recreation activity.
Changes to the program
From July 2013, the Victorian Government shifted the focus of the program from funding local councils to funding state sporting associations, regional sports assemblies and disability sports and community based organisations. This shift enabled the program to better build ongoing capacity in local sporting clubs and provide better sport and recreation outcomes for people with a disability.
State sporting associations are the peak state sporting organisations for individual sports. They lead the development of particular sporting codes in Victoria. State sporting associations have the organisational capacity and the specialist skills required to adapt and improve on existing sport and recreation opportunities provided to Victorians.
The funding provided to regional sports assemblies and disability sports and community based organisations enables the organisations to deliver targeted programs and services. These services complement and support the work done by the state sporting associations.
The Victorian Government’s commitment to increase participation opportunities for people with disability is maintained through the Together More Active program.
How you can get involved in an inclusive sport and recreation activity
Access for All Abilities Play (AAA Play), delivered by Reclink Australia, is funded by the Access for All Abilities program to act as a first point of contact for people with disabilities looking for sport and recreation opportunities.
AAA Play is a free information and referral service to assist Victorians of all ages with a disability to become involved in sport and active recreation. With assistance from AAA Play, you can discover a new sporting challenge now! Visit the AAA Play website or call today to discover the huge amount of sports and active recreation activities close to home and available for people of all abilities.
Contact Access for All Abilities Play
Phone: 1800 AAA VIC (1800 222 842)
Email: request@aaavic.org.au
Website: www.aaavic.org.au
Facebook: facebook.com/aaavic
Twitter: twitter.com/access4aa
How you can get involved in Rural and Regional Victoria
Regional sports assemblies will continue to support work by the community sport and recreation sector in rural and regional Victoria. For more information about inclusive sport and recreation opportunities in rural and regional Victoria, please contact your local regional sports assembly or view rural and regional opportunities promoted on AAA Play
How you can find out more information about the program
For more information about the program, please contact the Diversity and Inclusion team at Sport and Recreation Victoria.
Diversity and Inclusion Team
Sport and Recreation Victoria
GPO Box 4057
Melbourne VIC 3001
Phone: (03) 9096 8473