My Active Future: Including Every Child

Research conducted by Activity Alliance, with support from Sport England, explores the different experiences and perceptions of sport and physical activity among disabled and non-disabled children. 

The study involved a sample of 760 children aged between 5 and 16 years as well as their parents and guardians. Findings further reinforced the awareness of an activity gap between disabled and non-disabled children. Disabled children are less active than their peers and experience more barriers. 

Explored in this report were children’s attitudes, enjoyment and participation, as well as their barriers and motivations. A selection of key findings state that, during term time, 30% of disabled children are ‘less active’ compared to 21% of non-disabled children. Furthermore, results highlighted that as disabled children get older, the gap begins to widen. However, 38% of disabled children claim they want to do more physical activity, compared to 28% of non-disabled children.