The latest statitic from Sport England show that just 17.2% of adults with long-term limiting illness or disability  participate in weekly sport.

 

 A poll of more than 2,000 people by Parallel London - "the world’s first fully inclusive mass-participation run" - found that 83% of people with disabilities would like to take part in more physical activity.

 

We take a look at what some of the barriers are for disabled people and what’s being done to remove them.

 

Simon Stevens, a keen swimmer who has cerebral palsy, has had problems accessing sports and leisure facilities in the past.

 

"What has discouraged me has been poor changing facilities, especially if you need privacy or have an personal assistant that is not the same gender as yourself," he tells The Beacon.

 

"I was a member of a ‘posh’ gym where I had to change in a massage room and walk in my swim kit through the reception area to the pool."

 

Ian Martin, from Disabled Access Day, says it’s important all people feel welcome at their local gym so they can feel "part of their own community".

 

"If the places that you want to go and sometimes need to go aren’t accessible then you can feel 'left out'. The more we can do to encourage accessibility the better, as it impacts not only on disabled people but also on their friends, families and carers," he says.

 

The English Federation Of Disability Sport (EFDS) helps gyms to make these changes through their Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) accreditation scheme.

 

Under the scheme gyms and fitness products are tested by people with disabilities, then rated for suitability.

 

For gyms to become IFI accredited, the EFDS looks for features including removable seats so that wheelchair users can access equipment and a good use of colour contrast and large clear print to aid visually-impaired users, and low starting speeds on machines and a wide range of weights to enable those new to exercise to build up their fitness levels will also help a gym achieve accreditation.

 

The good news is accessibility is improving slowly but surely. Since the EFDS launched the accreditation scheme 10 years ago, 400 gyms across the UK have been awarded the IFI mark.