Sport England funds football, cycling and swimming opportunities for deafblind individuals

Individuals with deafblindness will have more opportunities to take part in activities such as football cycling and swimming as a result of a £424,958 (US$558,117, €508,197) grant awarded by Sport England to charity, Sense.

The deafblind foundation’s Sporting Sense project will also give those with the condition the chance to take part in rock climbing, yoga, karate, dance and more activities depending on what people want to try.

The project will run for a little under two years until May 2018.

As part of the project, Sense will work with various national governing bodies to help them develop opportunities for participants to take part in sport and physical activity outside of the initiative.

“We want to enable organisations to develop leagues or tournaments specifically for people who are deafblind,” Sense’s national sport manager Ian Carpenter told Sports Management “Many other disability impairment groups have specific performance opportunities.”

participation in sport has “significant physical, mental and emotional benefits” for the 300,000 individuals with dual sensory loss in England, although there are a number of “complex barriers” to entry the funding will try to address.

“Sport England’s strategy – Towards an Active Nation – sets out a vision that everyone, regardless of their age, background or level of ability feels able to engage in sport and physical activity,” said Sport England director of insight Lisa O’Keefe. “Sporting Sense provides an opportunity to do just that, enabling people with deafblindness to experience and enjoy physical activity or sport as part of an active life.”