Edinburgh, 2 May 2024 – Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) and the Motability Scheme have teamed up to make sport more accessible and fun for everyone in Scotland, especially for people with disabilities.
The partnership will help showcase the range of disability sports available across the country, providing opportunities for disabled people to access them alongside their family members. It will also raise awareness and increase understanding among the hundreds of eligible Scots who are not yet using the Motability Scheme and benefitting from the independent mobility it provides.
The Motability Scheme, delivered by Motability Operations, helps more than 72,000 disabled people across Scotland to access independent mobility through leasing a car, scooter or powered wheelchair. It includes a worry-free package of insurance, servicing and breakdown cover.
Gavin Thomson, managing director Scotland at Motability Operations said: “The Motability Scheme breaks down barriers to mobility across Scottish society and we are thrilled to be working with Scottish Disability Sport to support, encourage and improve participation in sport.
“Sport has a unique capacity to bring groups together in an inclusive way and SDS’s values of inclusion, respect, integrity, and ambition align perfectly with ours. We are both purpose-led organisations that exist to improve the everyday lives of disabled people.”
SDS, the governing and coordinating body for disability sport in Scotland, aims to deliver inclusion through sport, supporting individuals with disabilities to participate, perform and achieve at all levels.
As part of the agreement, the Motability Scheme will become title sponsor of SDS’s 2024 national events calendar, which engages more than 2,500 disabled participants across Scotland. Offering disability-specific national championships and competition across seven sports including athletics, swimming, football, basketball, archery, bowls, and the Paralympic sport of boccia.
The Motability Scheme will also become the title sponsor of SDS’s flagship education and training programmes, facilitating their work with primary and secondary teachers in eight local authorities, with a specific provision for educators on vision impairment, and a series of workshops for the SDS branch network, covering every region in Scotland.
Gavin MacLeod, CEO of Scottish Disability Sport said: “This partnership with the Motability Scheme represents an exciting opportunity to further our mission of promoting inclusion through sport. Together, we will work towards removing barriers that prevent disabled Scots from participating in sports and ensure that sporting opportunities are accessible to all.”
SDS and their 14 member branches, work closely with 32 local authorities and 37 sport governing bodies across Scotland. They govern and coordinate sports for people of all ages and abilities with physical, sensory, and learning disabilities.
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