The Xcessible programme is an inclusive programme designed for National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) and Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) to positively and meaningfully provide opportunities for people with disabilities to take part in sport and physical activity.
About Xcessible
Building a strong foundation for inclusion and nurturing the relationships we have with NGBs and LSPs has always been a priority for Active Disability Ireland. Active Disability Ireland’s core beliefs to provide opportunities for all people with disabilities to participate in sport and physical activity and to ensure that they have a choice of the type of activities has to remain priority for the NGB’s & LSP’s to ensure the we create a wholly inclusive environment for everyone.
Through the development of Xcessible, Active Disability Ireland want to push this agenda even further and help to create these opportunities across a wide range of opportunities from coaching, volunteering, participation, officiating, high performance etc.
Who Is It For
The programme is specifically for Local Sports Partnerships and National Governing Bodies of Sport. the primary purpose of the Xcessible programme is to enable NGBs and LSPs to function inclusively and therefore provide high quality opportunities for people with disabilities to participate sport and physical activity in any capacity.
The Process
Xcessible is a three staged resourced pathway designed to ease an NGB or LSP into the area of inclusion and will support them through the process of developing and increasing their capacity to support people with disabilities to be active in their sport in terms of participation, coaching, volunteering, officiating and employment. Xcessible has been developed using the Sport Inclusion Disability Charter as a guiding tool. The NGB or LSP will be guided through each stage of the journey under the headings of:
- Openness
- People
- Activities
- Facilities
- Promotion
The NGB or LSP will be supported by Active Disability Ireland through each stage and will set realistic and manageable goals and deadlines. The NGB or LSP will be required to evidence their work and journey and will present to a panel of experts on their experiences, results and outcomes of their work completed.
There are three different levels to the programme each with different criteria which progressively encourages the NGB or LSP to becoming more inclusive. Each level must be achieved before progressing onto the next level.
Panel Presentations
At the end of each Xcessible level, the NGB or LSP will be required to evidence their work and journey to date. Each organisation will present to a panel of experts outlining their experiences, results and showcase what they have achieved during the time that they have been working through the programme.
Guidance and support will be provided by Active Disability Ireland throughout the process. Panel presentations take place twice annually.
Testimonials
“Golf Ireland is delighted to receive the Bronze level Award on the Xcessible Programme. This award is a significant step for Golf Ireland’s continuous journey to be accessible, collaborative, inclusive and progressive. The Xcessible programme has provided Golf Ireland with a strong foundation to create opportunities for people with disabilities to start and stay involved in our golfing community. We are proud of the work completed to date to achieve the award. However, this would not have been possible without the invaluable support of the Cara team throughout. We highly recommend that other NGBs and LSPs start the Xcesssible Programme and engage with Cara.”
Sarah Banville, Golf Ireland, 2023
“Laois Sports Partnership has always held a strong ethos on inclusivity and providing opportunities for all to be physically active and participate in sport. We are delighted to receive recognition through the CARA Xcessible Bronze Award”
Caroline Myers, Laois Sports Partnership, 2023
“Gymnastics Ireland are proud to have been awarded the Cara Xcessible NGB Bronze Award. Inclusivity has always been at the heart of our strategies and policies. However, the Xcessible programme helped us to identify further ways to promote inclusivity at all levels of our organisation. The award objectives are clearly outlined and aligned with the five pillars of the Cara Charter. The team at Cara supported us throughout our bronze journey with regular feedback and guidance which was much appreciated. We are now excited to make the next step in our journey as our eyes shift to the objectives of the silver award.”
Daniel Culliton, Gymnastics Ireland, 2022
“The journey Basketball Ireland has been on as an NGB this last year has been an eye-opening experience. Basketball Ireland has come a long way in just 12 months and being awarded the Bronze Xcessible award recognises the achievements Basketball Ireland have made. I would like to thank Cara for their guidance, as well as our CEO and the Board of Basketball Ireland for their support during this initial stage in the inclusive journey. It is clear to me whether it is as an NGB or as a club, once you open your organisation to people with disabilities, you can make a positive difference in people’s lives.”
Paul Carr, Inclusion Officer, Basketball Ireland, 2020
“When we were asked to pilot this programme in December 2019, I knew that this was a nod to the important work that James Murrihy in our Sports Inclusion Programme has been doing over the past decade. I had no doubt that we would achieve the standard set by Cara. The achievement is testament to the dedicated work of all the staff and the board of directors of Clare Sports Partnership. Building a strong foundation for inclusion and nurturing the relationship with Cara has always been a priority for Clare Sports Partnership.”
John Sweeney, Coordinator, Clare Sports Partnership, 2020
Programme Participant Overview
National Governing Body of Sport (NGB) |
Local Sports Partnership (LSP) |
||
| Name | Level | Name | Level |
| Basketball Ireland | Silver ✓ | Mayo | Silver ✓ |
| Swim Ireland | Silver ✓ | Carlow | Bronze ✓ |
| Badminton Ireland | Bronze ✓ | Clare | Bronze ✓ |
| Canoeing Ireland | Bronze ✓ | Kildare | Bronze ✓ |
| Golf Ireland | Bronze ✓ | Laois | Bronze ✓ |
| Gymnastics Ireland | Bronze ✓ | Meath | Bronze ✓ |
| Hockey Ireland | Bronze ✓ | Waterford | Bronze ✓ |
A further 9 NGBs and 20 LSPs are currently working towards achieving the Bronze Level of the Xcessible programme.
How To Start
If your NGB or LSP would like to take part in the Xcessible programme please contact Stephanie Mac Sweeney, Sports Inclusion Coordinator: smacsweeney@activedisability.ie for further information.
