New Research Reveals the Social Value of Disabled People Being Active and the Cost of Inequality
On this International Day of Disabled People, Activity Alliance has released new research that highlights the importance of ensuring all disabled individuals feel included in sports and activities. The national charity, which is a leading voice for disability inclusion, is calling on policy and decision makers to make this a priority.
Working with the same experts who recently produced a report for the entire population, Sport England, the charity has conducted a specific assessment of disabled people’s activity. The findings show that if disabled people are supported to meet the official Chief Medical Officers’ (CMO) guidelines of 150 plus minutes of activity per week, there is a social value of £6,200 per person per year. This is three to four times the value of non-disabled individuals being active. To put this into perspective, this figure is almost equivalent to the social value of being employed rather than unemployed, which is £7,000.
When the figures for moderate and light activity are added for disabled people, it becomes evident that there is a societal cost of inequality amounting to at least a £10.9 billion “activity gap”. This highlights the importance of helping disabled people take part in even light activity, which has a social value of £4,400 per person per year. In contrast, light activity does not have the same impact for non-disabled individuals. The charity notes that this is particularly revealing when looking at disabled people’s activity habits, as light activity does not officially count towards the weekly active minutes in CMO guidelines.
Currently, disabled people or those with long-term health conditions are twice as likely to be physically “inactive” as non-disabled adults (41% compared to 21% of non-disabled adults, according to Sport England’s Active Lives Adult Survey 2022-23). Additionally, only 43% of disabled people feel they have the opportunity to be as active as they want to be, compared to 69% of non-disabled individuals (Activity Alliance Annual Disability and Activity Survey 2023/24).
On the same day that the charity releases its latest strategy, “We all belong”, its Honorary President Tanni, Baroness Grey-Thompson, stated: “We all belong in sports and activities. Yet, many disabled children and adults don’t feel that they do. At school, in the local park, or working out in a nearby gym, we all have the right to welcoming, inclusive, and accessible opportunities.”
Baroness Grey-Thompson went on to say: “The reality is that society remains an unfair and unjust place for many disabled people. Every single day, there are stories up and down our country of disabled children and adults missing out on the joy that being active can bring. We must not accept this. Disabled people must be included in conversations, listened to more, and their feedback acted upon. Policies and systems in our society need to work for and include everybody, not just the privileged few.”
The charity’s new strategy outlines a vision for a future where all disabled people feel they belong in sports and activities. It has three ambitions to drive change:
1. Sports and activities meet disabled people’s needs
2. Disabled people influence campaigning, policy, and decision making
3. Address inequalities by working with others
Adam Blaze, Chief Executive Officer at Activity Alliance, stated: “Today, we are making a rallying call for policy makers and allies to stand with us, take notice, and drive meaningful change as we launch our new strategy. These latest figures say it all – clearly highlighting the significant value of disabled people being active, even through small bouts of movement, compared to non-disabled individuals. More effort must be given to breaking down barriers so that disabled people feel that light activity, such as walking down the road or playing in local parks, is achievable.”
Blaze added: “For disabled people to be more active, it takes a wider movement to change systemic barriers that prevent it. Whether in health, transport, or education, policy makers play a vital role in ensuring that more disabled people feel they belong.”
Will Watt, founder of State of Life, the company that conducted the research, stated: “This research builds on our recent work for Sport England by specifically exploring the wellbeing impact of activity for disabled people. At a time of constrained resources, it is important to invest where you can make the biggest difference. This report makes it clear that even light activity has the potential to make a significant difference to the health and wellbeing of the UK.”
The report on the social value of disabled people being active and the charity’s strategy can be downloaded from their website, which will be live on 3 December.
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