A film called “Try!” is in cinemas; according to its website, it “follows four Irish players who defy all expectations on their journey to the most inclusive and competitive World Cup you’ve never seen.” This inspired me to create this article and sent me down a deep research rabbit hole of reviewing what each sports association in Ireland is doing for people with disabilities. Some have lots of information; others, not so much…
If you’re part of an association and you don’t see it on this list, it means I can’t find any information about what you are doing in this area. If you’d like to get in touch and tell me, I’ll gladly add you to the list
This is Part 1
Please be advised that I:
- Do not work for or run any of the programmes mentioned in this article
- Cannot give any advice about any of these programmes
- You will need to contact each programme directly to enquire about them
If you would prefer to see the information in a short video format, please view it here:
Active Disability Ireland (formerly CARA) is the national organisation working to embed disability inclusion into sport, physical activity, and recreation. It was originally established with Sport Ireland funding at the Institute of Technology, Tralee, and rebranded following 15 years of operation. Its Sport Inclusion Disability Charter was developed following focus groups with 140 individuals with disabilities and parents across 22 counties.
By its fifth anniversary, the charter achieved 2,000 signatories across Irish sporting and leisure organisations. It supports the national network of 29 Sport Inclusion Disability Officers (SIDOs) based within the Local Sports Partnerships.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● Sport Inclusion Disability Charter: The association operates the charter, asking clubs, facilities, and organisations to commit to five core areas: open up to people with disabilities, put people first, ask about needs, make it everyone’s business, and be role models.
● Disability Inclusion Training: Delivers accredited workshops, including Disability Inclusion Training and Autism in Sport, for teachers, coaches, sports leaders, and volunteers.
● Inclusive Fitness Initiative: Collaborates with public and private leisure facilities to accredit gyms and fitness centres equipped with proper gear and trained staff.
● Support for governing bodies and LSPs: Partners with Sport Ireland, LSPs, and national governing bodies to roll out community programmes, taster sessions, and local pathways.
● Research, advocacy, and resources: Publishes accessibility audits, toolkits, and guidelines to help eliminate physical, attitudinal, and systemic barriers.
Facilitates disability inclusion primarily through affiliated clubs alongside a broad allowance for competition adaptations. Figures from the Federation of Irish Sport place full membership at 1,300, alongside 3,000 associated members (including the Northern Ireland Archery Society, Irish Field Archery Federation, and Irish Student Archery Association), totalling approximately 4,300 affiliated members.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● ‘Have a Go’ sessions: Local clubs run beginner courses and taster days allowing people to try archery in an accessible setting.
● Integrated training and competition: Archers with disabilities can train and compete side-by-side with able-bodied archers in standard target events using approved aids.
● Equipment adaptations: Permissible aids include stools, wheelchairs, mouth tabs, and adapted draw and release mechanisms.
● Visually impaired (VI) support: Tactile sights are permitted, with assistants or spotters helping load arrows and call scores; in the VI1 category, competitors wear blindfolds to ensure a level playing field.
● Classification: Partners with Paralympics Ireland on classification for para streams such as W1, Recurve Open, Compound Open, and VI classes.
● Coaching guidance: Coaches receive resources emphasising individual independence, open dialogue, and personal goal setting.
The national governing body for track and field, cross-country, road running, and race walking, tracing roots to 1873 and operating as Athletics Ireland since 1999. Recent association figures indicate 75,078 registered members across 365 clubs.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● ‘Sport for All’ Disability Support Club Fund: Provides financial grants to local clubs for grassroots inclusion projects, specialist equipment, and membership/event costs for adaptive athletes.
● Disability Capital Support Grants: Assists clubs in purchasing adaptive equipment (e.g., racing wheelchairs, seated throw frames) and funding minor physical upgrades like hoists and ramps.
● Guide running: Partners with Vision Sports Ireland to run Vision Sports Awareness Training and Guide Running Workshops, certifying sighted guide runners so blind and vision-impaired athletes can train safely.
● Coach education: Offers the Para-Athletics Coach Development Series and Autism in Sport workshops in collaboration with Active Disability Ireland and Paralympics Ireland.
● Para-athletics events: Organises dedicated competitive pathways like the Future Stars para-athletics festival and the indoor Diversity Games.
● Accreditation and charter: Holds the bronze level of Active Disability Ireland’s Xcessible programme and promotes the Sport Inclusion Disability Charter to all member clubs.
Manages a combination of community programmes and competitive pathways for players with physical, sensory, and intellectual disabilities across the 32 counties, representing over 15,000 club-affiliated players and an estimated 100,000 casual participants nationwide.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● Para-Badminton national squad: Oversees elite para-badminton training camps and international pathways across six official classifications (Wheelchair 1 and 2, Standing Upper Limb, Standing Lower Limb, and Short Stature).
● Schools Inclusion+ / ‘Leaders of the Future’: Works with Local Sports Partnerships to bring equipment, resources, coach training, and events into disability-specific clubs, service groups, and special schools.
● Special Olympics Ireland partnership: Operates under a Memorandum of Understanding with Special Olympics Ireland to facilitate the transition of athletes with intellectual disabilities into local Badminton Ireland clubs.
● Accreditation and charter: Holds Active Disability Ireland’s bronze award, serving as an early adopter of the Sport Inclusion Disability Charter with a structured 50-step plan for clubs.
● Training: Finances and runs inclusion education for staff, branch leaders, and club coaches via Active Disability Ireland courses and Disability Awareness workshops.
The national governing body was founded in 1945 as the Amateur Basketball Association of Ireland, affiliated with FIBA in 1947, and rebranded as Basketball Ireland in 2003, representing 16,000 registered members across 219 clubs.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● ‘Basketball for All’ clubs: Supports inclusive domestic teams nationwide (such as Éanna, Glanmire, Drogheda Wolves, and UG Tribes) catering to children and adults with physical, sensory, and intellectual disabilities.
● Wheelchair basketball: Partners with Irish Wheelchair Association Sport to run wheelchair basketball pathways, featuring domestic junior blitzes and senior national leagues that utilise a points-based classification system allowing disabled and non-disabled athletes to play together.
● Special Olympics Ireland partnership: Maintains formal ties with Special Olympics Ireland to integrate players with intellectual disabilities into community clubs using modified FIBA rules (e.g., travel allowances and shorter game formats).
● Disability Inclusion Policy: Features an internal policy aligned with Active Disability Ireland’s charter, offering structured guidance to clubs and coaches on facility accessibility and session adaptation.
● Inter-agency collaboration: Coordinates with Deaf Sports Ireland, Paralympics Ireland, and Vision Sports Ireland to incorporate sensory-impaired and adaptive athletes into regional and national structures.
Operates dedicated programmes and training schemes for individuals with physical, sensory, and intellectual disabilities, encompassing a total membership of over 25,000 people across more than 360 clubs.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● High Five Boxing Academy: Runs multi-week, non-contact programmes in affiliated clubs focusing on fitness, skills, and self-paced progression for children and young people with additional needs.
● Training for coaches: Funds online Active Disability Ireland workshops (including Autism in Sport and Disability Inclusion Training) for coaches holding Level 1 certification and above.
● Sport Inclusion Disability Charter: Signatory to the charter, committing the association to physical/cultural barrier removal and enhanced club access.
● Local club engagement: Nearly half of all IABA clubs actively train boxers with physical, sensory, or intellectual disabilities, accounting for over 1,000 participants.
● Buddy system: Employs teenage buddies aged 16 to 18 under coach supervision to provide one-to-one encouragement and equipment assistance during inclusive sessions.
A youth organisation catering to children aged 6 to 16 with the support of over 10,000 volunteers, offering cultural, arts, and sporting activities.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● Inclusion and access: Focuses on eliminating barriers so children of all abilities and backgrounds can engage in community sport and cultural events.
● Disability Inclusion Training: Collaborates with Sport Ireland-endorsed Active Disability Ireland to train volunteers in adapting games, activities, and sports for mixed-ability groups.
● Sport and culture: Combines traditional sports (such as athletics, gymnastics, swimming, and Gaelic games) with non-elite creative outlets like dancing, singing, art, and model making.
● Child safeguarding: Enforces strict child protection mandates, mandatory Garda vetting, and Sport Ireland safety/anti-doping rules across local, county, and national finals.
Founded in 1904, operating separately from yet maintaining close ties with the GAA, boasting over 119,000 members across 624 registered clubs worldwide.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● National Disability Inclusion Policy: Developed alongside Active Disability Ireland (Cara) to ensure playing and non-playing roles are accessible across all levels of the association.
● GAA For All: Collaborates with the GAA, LGFA, and the GAA Diversity and Inclusion Officer to integrate players into adapted club sessions and ‘GAA For All’ programmes.
● Sport Inclusion Disability Charter: Signed the charter, actively encouraging clubs to eliminate cultural, structural, and physical barriers.
● Training: Partners with LSPs and Sport Inclusion Disability Officers to run disability awareness and inclusion workshops for coaches, volunteers, staff, and board members.
● Roles off the pitch: Encourages individuals with disabilities to participate as referees, administrators, coaches, and team managers.
Manages inclusion under the PaddleAble umbrella, covering events, training frameworks, club grants, and institutional partnerships, with approximately 3,000 to 3,500 registered members across 70 clubs.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● PaddleAble: Serves as the unifying brand for welcoming individuals with physical, sensory, or intellectual disabilities, neurodiversity, and medical conditions into paddlesports.
● Educate and Coach workshops: Combines classroom education with on-the-water training to teach coaches and volunteers how to adapt equipment, venues, and techniques for physical and autism awareness.
● Ambassador Programme: Features video campaigns starring adaptive paddlers from across Ireland to inspire people of all abilities to try paddlesports.
● Grants and club support: Allocates funding to registered providers and clubs for adaptive gear, inclusion programmes, and participation cost offsets.
● Adaptive paddling and Paracanoe: Runs the stable-boat Good2Go Award alongside elite competitive pathways into Paracanoe.
● National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH): Partners with the NRH to integrate kayaking into aquatic physiotherapy and rehabilitation, subsequently connecting discharging patients with local paddle clubs.
● Accreditation and partners: Holds Active Disability Ireland’s Xcessible bronze award and collaborates with Paralympics Ireland, Special Olympics Ireland, IWA Sport, Vision Sports Ireland, and Deaf Sports Ireland.
The all-island governing body was established in 1923 (with roots back to 1890) and an ICC Associate Member since 1993, overseeing more than 120 active clubs with women and girls making up roughly 19% of participation.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● ‘Cricket4All’ and adapted formats: Implements modified cricket formats for individuals with sensory, intellectual, or physical needs, utilising lighter bats, bright or sound-emitting balls, plastic tees, and shortened pitches for wheelchair users.
● Table Cricket: Deployed in schools, clubs, and disability centres with support from charity partner Lord’s Taverners Ireland, using miniature bats, side panels, and ramps for players with severe physical or intellectual needs.
● Walking cricket: Provides a low-impact, gentler format aimed at older adults and individuals with reduced mobility.
● Cricket Connects: Trains coaches and ‘activators’ through dedicated Sports Inclusion and Disability Awareness modules.
● Partnerships: Works alongside Lord’s Taverners Ireland, Active Disability Ireland, and local county councils to fund adaptive kit bags, sports wheelchairs, and club inclusion initiatives.
Supports riders with physical, intellectual, and sensory impairments from grassroots levels to elite competition, backed by approximately 24,000 active members (within a broader landscape where 510,000 adults in the Republic cycle weekly). The different classifications for cycling Ireland are:
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● Para-cycling classes: Facilitate four main adaptive cycling disciplines:
○ Handcycling (H1-H5): For riders with lower limb impairments, amputations, or spinal cord injuries.
○ Tricycles (T1-T2): For riders with motor control, balance, or coordination challenges (e.g., cerebral palsy or brain injury).
○ Tandems (B1-B3): Pairs visually impaired athletes with sighted pilots.
○ Standard adapted bikes (C1-C5): For riders with joint restrictions, limb loss, or reduced muscle power.
● High Performance Para Pathway: Directed by a Para Pathway Coach to transition riders from domestic participation to international World Championship and Paralympic levels.
● Safe places to ride: Directs adaptive cyclists towards off-road amenities like greenways, bike parks, and velodromes to build traffic-free confidence.
● Club network: Connects riders with local clubs offering peer support and inclusive training.
● Training: Partners with Active Disability Ireland to deliver Sports Inclusion and Disability Awareness training for volunteers, race organisers, and coaches.
The national governing body promoting sport, recreation, and community engagement for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, founded in 1968 as the Irish Deaf Sports Association and rebranded in 2011. First sent an Irish team to the Deaflympics (then World Games for the Deaf) in 1973, with swimmers competing. Headquartered at Deaf Village Ireland in Cabra, Dublin.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● Leadership: Acts as the primary representative body for sport, leisure, and training for deaf and hard-of-hearing people across Ireland.
● Taking part at every level: Promotes pathways spanning recreational fitness up to elite international competition like the Deaflympics and European Deaf Championships.
● Collaborative networks: Partners with mainstream governing bodies, LSPs, and Active Disability Ireland to build sign language support and accessibility into Irish sport.
● Base of operations: Operates from Deaf Village Ireland on Ratoath Road, Cabra, utilising its facilities for training camps, club events, and competitions.
Northern Ireland’s primary disability sport organisation, operating as a charitable limited company funded primarily by Sport Northern Ireland and the Department for Communities. Features free membership, engaging 130 member organisations (including mainstream/disability sports clubs and disability groups) and hosting community events with hundreds of participants in impact reports.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● Local participation: Coordinates regular community-level opportunities for disabled people to stay active.
● Performance pathways: Collaborates with Sport Northern Ireland and governing bodies to support talented disabled athletes.
● Facility audits: Operates an access audit and advisory service for the design and assessment of inclusive sports facilities.
● Training: Delivers inclusive practice courses for teachers, club administrators, and coaches.
● Community programmes: Runs initiatives like ASCEND and CEP to support groups under-represented in sport.
● Boccia: Manages Boccia NI, encompassing a club network, individual championships, a pairs league, and a performance programme based at Ulster University in Jordanstown.
Founded in 1963, the national governing body for recreational underwater sports (scuba, snorkelling, freediving, underwater hockey), recognised by Sport Ireland and affiliated with CMAS, operating across 80+ clubs and 2,000 active members.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● Adaptive scuba: Provides adapted training meeting CMAS and ISO safety standards, allowing individuals with sensory or physical impairments to train alongside instructors and buddy divers using full-face masks, modified fins, and adjusted buoyancy systems.
● Snorkel for All: Offers low-impact recreational and beginner snorkelling in pools and sheltered open water, suiting individuals with different physical capabilities or sensory needs.
● Buoyancy and weighting: Leverages the weightlessness of water to grant freedom of movement for people with amputations, spinal injuries, or mobility challenges through custom trim and weight placement.
● Instructors and buddies: Trains dive buddies and instructors in touch/visual underwater signals, custom equipment assembly, and supporting adaptive transitions from pools to open water.
● Clubs and facilities: Collaborates with local sub-aqua clubs to enhance dive site access, pool hoists, ramps, and boat-loading safety.
Founded on 2 September 1921, it runs its inclusion framework via the Football for All programme established in 2002 as the first of its kind among Irish sports governing bodies. Engages approximately 3,800 players in Football for All programmes alongside partner affiliates such as Special Olympics Ireland, IAFA, and AIPF.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● Football for All clubs: Integrates teams for players with all types of disabilities into mainstream grassroots clubs, providing weekly training, player pathways, and non-competitive blitzes.
● Specialist associations: Supports independent affiliate bodies governing specific disciplines, including the Irish Amputee Football Association, Association of Irish Powerchair Football, and Blind Football Ireland.
● CP Football: Operates development pathways and academies for youth and adult players with cerebral palsy, stroke-related conditions, or acquired brain injury.
International squads: Finances and supports national disability squads competing at European and World levels, awarding official FAI international caps.
● Coach education: Provides Disability Inclusion Workshops and coaching modules focused on adapting match conditions, equipment, and drills.
Governed and supported in tandem with the FAI under Football for All, providing a dedicated pathway from grassroots to international competition for players with limb differences.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● Who plays: Individuals with amputations, restricted limb use, or congenital limb deficiencies.
● Training: Structured football training designed for players with limb differences.
● Fixtures: Operates national playing pathways and fixtures in coordination with the FAI.
● International representation: Provides a pathway for amputee players to represent Ireland abroad.
● Youth and coaching: Organises youth clinics for children with limb loss alongside coaching workshops on adapted techniques.
Established in 2009 under the FAI’s Football for All programme (with roots tracing to around 2003, initially supported by Muscular Dystrophy Ireland), providing powerchair users a pathway from grassroots sport to international competition.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● Irish Powerchair Premier League: Runs regular domestic league competitions for powerchair teams across the country.
● AIPF Cup and Shield: Organises knockout competitions, with the Shield providing additional match play opportunities for teams of varying skill levels.
● Training and talent camps: Conducts national training sessions and talent identification camps for players.
● Clinics: Partners with other organisations on wheelchair handling and tactical training clinics.
● International football: Sends national squads to European and World powerchair football championships.
Founded on 1 November 1884 in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, Ireland’s largest sporting organisation encompasses approximately 2,500 clubs across 32 counties and internationally, with over 500,000 members worldwide.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● Neurodiversity support: Assists clubs in establishing inclusive sections for children and young adults with neurodiversity (such as autism) or additional needs, featuring 1:1/1:2 coaching, sensory-aware settings, non-contact skills, and adapted games.
● Wheelchair hurling and camogie: An indoor, six-a-side physical disability sport featuring provincial squads competing in the All-Ireland series and the M. Donnelly Interprovincial Championship.● Football for All: Organises interprovincial blitzes and Gaelic football tournaments with the Irish Special Schools Sports Council, offering an adapted nine-a-side game for students with mild to moderate intellectual and learning disabilities.
● Inclusive Cúl Camps: Runs adapted summer camps (Cúl Eile and Cúl 4 All) featuring trained Special Needs Assistants and coaches so children of all abilities can participate alongside peers.
● Fun & Run: A cross-Gaelic games activity using soft balls and a tee, built for mixed-ability groups, including those with cognitive, motor, or mobility impairments.
● Diversity and Inclusion: Operates a dedicated division directing grassroots inclusion grants, training volunteers via CARA/Active Disability courses, and providing coaching resources.
● Hurling for Cancer Research: An annual high-profile charity sporting spectacle founded in 2011 by Jim Bolger and Davy Russell at Netwatch Cullen Park, Carlow, raising over €1.7 million for the Irish Cancer Society. The event ensures broad community participation and accessibility through affordable ticketing, family-friendly pitch access for meet-and-greets, and fully accessible spectator infrastructure for fans of all physical abilities.
Formed on 1 January 2021 as the single governing body for golf (superseding the GUI and ILGU), representing over 236,000 affiliated members across 376 clubs nationwide.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● Golf4All hubs and grants: Provide direct financial grants and toolkits (including the Golf4All Guide) to clubs offering introductory disability coaching, reduced fees, or adaptive equipment.
● Golf4All Champions: Features adaptive golfers holding European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA) Access Passes or World Rankings for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD) who serve as role models at community events and junior camps.
● ISPS Handa Golf4All Capital Grant: Capital funding to assist clubs in upgrading practice amenities, clubhouses, and course pathways.
● Accessibility reviews and buggies: Development Officers conduct on-site accessibility evaluations, while national guidelines assist clubs in permitting disability and medical buggies under all conditions.
● Competition: Coordinates national and international pathways, including the Irish Open for Golfers with a Disability, collaborating with The R&A and EDGA on WR4GD classification.
● Xcessible accreditation: Holds Active Disability Ireland’s Xcessible bronze award and partners with Disability Sport NI, Active Disability Ireland, and the Disabled Inclusive Golf Association on awareness and inclusion training.
Established in 1975 as the national governing body, representing roughly 37,000 direct members across grassroots clubs affiliated with European Gymnastics and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● GymABLE: The umbrella brand for pathways, events, and activities engaging individuals with disabilities as athletes, coaches, judges, and volunteers.
● Club accreditation: A three-step club scheme based on Active Disability Ireland’s charter, assisting clubs in delivering inclusive sessions, sensory areas, and accessible spaces.
● Coach education: Offers the Disability Gymnastics Awareness Module alongside specific workshops covering Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, progressive conditions, and behaviour management.
● Sensory facilities: Features specialised sensory features and equipment—including sensory wall and floor pathways at the National Gymnastics Training Centre—for gymnasts with neurodiversity or sensory processing needs.
● DEIB strategy and charter: Adheres to a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging strategy and the ‘A Place for All’ Inclusive Community Charter developed with Sport Ireland and Active Disability Ireland.
Formed in 2000 via the merger of the Irish Hockey Union and Irish Ladies’ Hockey Union, representing roughly 160 clubs, 280 schools, and 27,500 players across four provincial branches.
The programmes or policies they have for people with disabilities are:
● Hockey4All: Core club programme for players of all ages with intellectual and physical disabilities, featuring inclusive sections in clubs like Avoca (All-Stars), Three Rock Rovers (Rockets), and Railway Union (Railblasers) focused on social play, skills, and teamwork.
● Hockey ID: Adapted hockey for players with intellectual disabilities across flexible formats (from 3v3 on small courts to 8v8 on modified pitches) with representative squads and club play.
● Special Olympics Ireland partnership: Operates under a Memorandum of Understanding covering club links, coach education, and national games planning.
● Grants: Channels Sport Ireland Dormant Accounts funding to clubs, offering up to €1,500 for adaptive gear and up to €5,000 for minor accessibility upgrades.
● Blitzes: Hosts provincial and national Hockey4All blitzes alongside major domestic hockey events.
● Coaches and umpires: Partners with LSPs and Active Disability Ireland on disability awareness training, inclusion workshops, and adapted coaching resources.