Ms Ger McTavish:

I thank the Deputy so much for that question. It is the vision of Sport Ireland, the board and the executive that participation is for all and that is across the sector. We have seen that in previous organisations trying to make sure that everyone is catered for.

The challenge is that we are creating systems and we are creating initiatives and programmes to make sure we are meeting the needs of the individual. Much of the time we see everyone going out to the sector assessing the needs of the individuals in their club and we are seeing that process through a lot of the local sports partnerships and the national governing bodies of sport.

To give the committee the background of myself working with Special Olympics for many years, the GAA for many years and other disability sectors, in bringing that piece together in the context of participation, we have to look internally and externally at how we can train ourselves, first, to remove our biases when we are looking at programmes and initiatives and, second, how we can develop and communicate better and co-design with people from the disability area. As was said, all the equipment is adapted. We need to adapt to the needs of the individual. We are starting to see that through our training frameworks.

Sport Ireland is rolling out different initiatives and programmes, but also resources and funding. The smaller grants coming from our local sports partnerships to the clubs, such as Creggs in Galway and the rural clubs in Connemara that may not have the opportunities to get transport. The funds are going locally to the grassroots clubs. We are then seeing the capital programme.

Through the Dormant Accounts Fund, we are able to fund four different steams. One is disability training and education, a second is disability initiatives and a third is disability capital for adapting that equipment.