Here we have listed just a few little ways you can make the world more Inclusive!
Through Communication: There are a million ways to make the way you communicate with other people a lot more inclusive. -Learning some other form of communication other than verbal, such as Makaton! These ways of communication can help so many people, such as hard of hearing, non-verbal and those with speech impediments! If you would like to sign on to one of these courses, then please get in touch with the lovely Amy Charlton, who has done plenty of these courses with us, and has up-skilled some of the Inclusive Sports team herself! This is a combination of symbols, speech and signing that could be used either verbally or written. -Always be clear when you are communicating to another person. Avoid covering your mouth, as lip reading is a way that a lot of people communicate. Speak as clearly and audibly to your ability for those who are hard of hearing. This also simply just makes it easier to get your point across! -Make sure that you always use gender neutral pronouns in all situations. Try and avoid using ‘He’ and ‘She’, and always try to use ‘they’ unless you are told otherwise. This works both ways, ensuring others are aware of your pronouns is very important, and include them where you can, such as on email signatures and your social media bios! At your club or group: -Make sure that all your staff are inclusively trained in multiple sectors- not just for mainstream audiences. We hold several different courses with our partner business Inclusive Educate that can help you and your group with a multitude of different skills to cater to disability audiences. Just one of these courses is Inclusive activities, which demonstrates how you can transform your pre-existing activities and practices into something more accessible for individuals with disabilities. -Make sure that all the locations that you hold your activities at are all accessible for individuals who may struggle physically to get in, out and around your centre. This could be through ramps, or aids that you can manually set up for easier access. If you can, ensuring wider doors, stair lifts and having wooden instead of carpeting flooring is also all different ways that you can make a room more accessible! -Make sure that everything is signed clearly and correctly so there is a reduced chance of anyone having trouble finding them. So many people will benefit from this, including those who may struggle verbally or mentally to ask people for directions- or those who may get tired easily from overworking themselves unnecessarily trying to find something! Think about language -Although sometimes they may seem completely innocent, using certain words in your dialect could massively offend someone else. For example, when you are showing somebody something that they can’t seem to see, by asking ‘are you blind?’ can be extremely offensive to someone who is hard of sight. Similarly, to this, someone who likes things organised and in order should never be described as ‘OCD’ unless they have been diagnosed as so. These kinds of stereotypes, although usually not meant to necessarily offensive takes away the gravity from someone who is living with these conditions. By eradicating this type of language will help break down certain stereotypes that can be attached to individuals who are diagnosed with these conditions. -Ensure that you use ‘people first’ language. Instead of referring to someone as 'autistic person' or 'person with autism' first off- use their name when referring to them! Some may be particular about the way their disability is referred to, and some may not like it at all. Just like you would ask somebody what pronouns that they would prefer to be referred to as, similarly ensuring that you refer to their disability in language that they are comfortable with is also the most respectful and unassuming way to act. Never assume, and if in doubt… ask! You will be a lot less likely to offend any one this way. -Never refer to individuals without disabilities as ‘normal’. This is acting under the assumption that those who do have disabilities are abnormal. Simply refer to everyone as a whole, and do not exclude any particular group under any circumstances. This kind of language should be avoided at all times. Never assume -We are sure you are aware of ‘Not every disability is visible’ and this is true! Never assume that somebody can do something just because they ‘look’ like they are physically able. And, this also works the other way round! Just because someone doesn’t look able to do something, doesn’t mean that you should assume that they can’t. Simply asking before assuming anything at all no matter their appearance is the safest way to make for an inclusive environment. -Never assume someone’s disability! Or anything at all for that matter, whether it is race, sexuality, religion, age, or gender! Assuming can often lead to offending people and even confrontation. Making sure that you always ask if you are unsure no matter what the situation is the best way to be! There are a million more ways to make the world more inclusive, but these were just a few! We are sure all of you already do most of these.. however it doesn't hurt to send out reminders! We would love for you to send over some more ideas and ways you are inclusive too… drop them In our comments or email them over to caitlin@inclusivesportsacademy.org!