A program that teaches school children about Paralympic sport and disability inclusion will be supercharged by a powerful new partnership between Sport4All and Paralympics Australia, launched today.
The Paralympic Education Program, established in 2007 by Paralympics Australia, will nearly double its scope under the agreement, taking the number of engaged schools in 2024 from 60 to 100 nationwide. The Program will impact thousands more students, including in remote areas, accelerating the movement towards genuine inclusion and fairness in Australian society for people with a disability.
The collaboration will leverage Sport4All’s extensive national network, which is set to encompass 80 Inclusion Coaches over the next four years, alongside Paralympics Australia’s elite athletes and vast sport-related knowhow.
Four-time Paralympian Mitch Gourley, Sport4All’s National Program Manager, said the program would educate through storytelling, immersive Para-sport experiences and opening opportunities for people with a disability to participate in sport however they choose.
“We’re super excited to be partnering with Paralympics Australia to help dramatically boost the scale of the Paralympic Education Program and Sport4All Schools Program,” Gourley said.
“They’ve got the Para-athletes, the Para-sport experience and the buzz around Paris; we’ve got the teacher resources and the Inclusion Coaches that can deliver to schools across the country – so it was really a no-brainer.
“This collaboration will be awesome at driving curiosity in schools and supporting students and teachers to learn more about disability and the Paralympic movement. Through the partnership, nearly double the number of Australian schools will build the foundational skills and confidence to include people with a disability in the classroom, in sport and out in the playground – which would have been life-changing for me at school.”
Paralympics Australia’s Education Program Manager, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic representative Ella Sabljak, said the relationship with Sport4All would help spread knowledge and break down barriers.
“It’s such a joy to take our elite athletes into schools to present to students and teachers about the Paralympic movement, the Games and what it takes to reach the pinnacle of sport for people with a disability,” Sabljak said.
“But, ultimately, we want to teach people about the values of the Paralympic movement, about diversity and inclusion, and provide students a better understanding of how they can play a part in making Australia a better place for the 20 percent of us who live with a disability.”
The partnership was launched with the first co-delivered Paralympic Education Program school visit, to St Pauls Lutheran College in Caboolture, Queensland. It featured a presentation during the morning assembly, followed by a practical session of goalball, a sport played by athletes with a vision impairment. The program was led by Paralympians Monique Murphy, Sabljak and Sport4All’s QLD/NT State Manager and four-time Paralympic swimmer Blake Cochrane, as well as Sport4All Inclusion Coach Kim Abbott.
The engaging session showcased the power of sport as a tool for inclusivity and left a lasting impression on the students, challenging their perceptions and inspiring them to embrace diversity.
Read about the Paralympic Education Program.
By: David Sygall (Paralympics Australia) and Ankit Singh (Sport4All)
Published: 7 March 2024
