Leading Inclusively
H
aving only been in my role for a
relatively short period of time I’m
obviously learning about the provision
for disabled cricketers in my local
sub-region and nationally.
In this short time, I have learnt that
there are various “disability specific”
provisions that occur on a regular basis
and there is no doubt that these kinds
of provisions are extremely beneficial
for the groups and individuals that
attend and participate in them.
However, having recently attended
an English Federation of Disability
Sport (EFDS) conference it became
apparent that although these
“disability specific” provisions are
essential, there is now also a drive
from EFDS to improve inclusivity
within what we would class as
mainstream sports teams and sessions.
In 2014, we as a country experienced
the biggest Special Educational Needs
(SEN) reforms for many years. This has
meant that more children with
Education, Health and Care Plans
(previously statements of SEN) are
being placed within mainstream
educational settings. From a cricketing
point of view, this has meant that
coaches who go into schools to
provide cricket sessions are now
providing inclusive cricket sessions
whether they are aware of it or not.
These coaches are likely to now come
across disabilities on a day-to-day
basis due to the 2014 reforms and one
could argue that these coaches have
been learning to coach individuals with
various disabilities as they work. Yet
when you look at club level provision it
is not necessarily these coaches who
provide the coaching. The coaching
in this context is often down to
volunteers and club members who
do not necessarily have much
experience of coaching and interacting
with people with disabilities. At least,
they may not think they have sufficient
experience of this.
In my opinion, many coaches may have
experience of working with some
disabilities and they may not actually
be aware of this. Quite often, certain
disabilities may well go under the
radar. These are what we would call
the more “invisible” disabilities such as
autism, attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) and the whole
learning disability spectrum. These
often go undisclosed to clubs and
coaches as there has historically been
a stigma surrounding these conditions
and the perception that a coach would
need to be specially trained to ‘cope’
with these conditions.
I would argue that the coaches actually
need to take a step back and recognise
that they are highly likely to be already
providing an inclusive environment and
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