Among the 4.4 million Australians living with disability, three-quarters (75%) want to participate in sports. However, due to limited opportunities, only one in four (25%) people with disabilities actually engage in sports, highlighting significant underrepresentation.

The health benefits of sport for people with disabilities are substantial, as adults with a disability are nine times more likely to report both cardiovascular diseases and diabetes than adults not living with disability, making their need to engage in physical activity even greater.

Despite this, barriers such as cost, transportation, funding, and lack of understanding on how to include people with a disability make access to sports challenging. 

Dane Cross, COO of Sporting Wheelies says sporting landscape isn’t as far reaching for Aussies living with disability, adding the health benefits of engaging in sport is significant for the participant for their physical and mental health.

Additionally, ahead of the end of the financial year, Dane has spoken to how Sporting Wheelies are seeking to secure additional funding to expand their ability to continue to provide ongoing grass roots sport participation to people living with disabilities.