This resource website is designed for volunteers and staff who are involved in facilitating sport and active recreation experiences to gain an understanding of working for people with disabilities. The website can also be used for training programs, and would have the added benefit of being an ongoing resource and reference guide for volunteers and staff.
The website is divided into a number of sections, the first of which provides an overview of the programming options and philosophies that drive the delivery of sport and active recreation programs for people with disabilities in Victoria. The second section explains the skills required to work and volunteer in this field and the various responsibilities leaders will experience in providing sport and active recreation programs for people with disabilities.
The third section provides a summary of the major disabilities that leaders may encounter when working or volunteering in this area. For each disability there is a brief explanation of the causes and issues associated with having the disability and some information on programming constraints and other issues. The fourth section covers generic volunteer and staff management issues related to sport and active recreation programs. The fifth section provides a list of activities and resources available to volunteers to use. The final section outlines volunteer management for staff followed by further information sources and reference information.
A number of sport and recreation organisations provided advice and assistance in developing this resource – in particular Gosia Barcikowska, Andrew Beveridge, Shari Cohen, David Connolly, Em Bould and Simon Rodder. Thanks for their amazing feedback and support throughout the process.
It was developed with the support of Sport and Recreation Victoria through NDIS ILC funding.