Help shape disability sport participation and inclusive swimming support for schools

Active Education Australia (AEA), in collaboration with Swimming Australia and Paralympics Australia, is seeking input from educators across Australia to help strengthen how schools support students with disability to participate in sport.

We want to hear directly from educators about what is happening in schools now, the challenges you experience and what practical information, resources and support would make a difference.

Your insights will help us better understand:

• educators’ awareness and understanding of disability sport opportunities and pathways
• educator confidence in supporting students with disability who may be interested in further sporting opportunities
• the barriers educators experience when helping students explore further opportunities in sport
• how educators find information and connect students and families with sporting opportunities and organisations
• how students with disability are currently supported to participate in school swimming and swimming carnivals
• the challenges involved in planning and delivering inclusive swimming experiences and carnivals
• how HPE, Learn to Swim and other school swimming experiences can support participation in swimming carnivals
• the practical information, strategies and tools educators would find most useful.

The findings will directly inform the development of two practical resources for educators:

Disability Sport Pathways Resource to help educators support students with disability to participate in sport and, where relevant, explore further sporting opportunities.

Inclusive School Sport Support Resource – Swimming to help teachers and school sport coordinators create more inclusive school swimming experiences and swimming carnivals for students with disability.

Educators who contribute will also have the opportunity to receive a copy of the completed resources.

How can you contribute?

There are several ways to share your experience and perspectives. You are welcome to participate in one or more.

1. Complete the national educator survey

Share your experiences and perspectives through our short online survey (8-10 minutes).

Note: survey closes Monday 21 September 10am AEST

2. Join an online educator insight session

AEA will host two online insight sessions where educators can share their experiences in more depth and discuss what practical support would be most useful for schools.

Note: both sessions will cover the same topics, so you only need to attend one.

Session 1 | Tuesday 15 September Online from 12.30–1.00pm AEST (10.30 – 11.00am AWST)

~ OR ~

Session 2 | Wednesday 23 September Online from 12.00-12.30pm AWST (2.00-2.30pm AEST)

3. Share specific insights directly with AEA

If you have particular experiences, examples or insights you would like to share, you are also welcome to contact the AEA team directly for a conversation.

Who do we want to hear from?

We welcome input from primary and secondary educators involved in HPE, school sport, swimming and supporting student participation, including classroom teachers, HPE teachers, school sport coordinators, Heads of Sport, school leaders and school sport staff.

You do not need specialist knowledge of disability sport, classification or inclusive swimming to participate. We want to understand what educators currently know and do, where there are challenges, and what would make supporting students easier in practice.

Contribute your experience and help shape practical resources designed to support educators and students in school settings.