The ukactive Research Institute has established a three-year research project with national disability charity, Sense, to better understand the activity needs of parents and families of disabled children.
The remit
The project will explore the barriers and motivations of the families, and also look at access to provision, the challenges of families being active together, the impact on siblings with no disability, and if there are differences between community and education provision.
Following the initial research, Sense will establish a national activity programme for disabled children and evaluate the impact of it on the child and the wider family.
In 2015, Sense launched a public inquiry into the provision of play opportunities for children with complex disabilities. It found that 92 per cent of parents felt their child did not have the same opportunities to play as their non-disabled peers, while 81 per cent of parents reported difficulties in accessing local play opportunities.
A two phased research project
It will begin with a consultation to understand the complex needs of families with disabled children in order to inform the development and delivery of sport & physical activity sessions, family days and other initiatives.
In the second phase ukactive’s Research Institute will measure and evaluate interventions that Sense provides for families with children who have complex disabilities and non-disabled siblings.
