Paralympic Games 2012
21st June 2011
Dr Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of disabled access for (a) athletes and (b) the public to venues for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; and if he will make a statement.
Hugh Robertson: Inclusive design has been incorporated from the start of the Olympic Delivery Authority's (ODA) design process, so that the Olympic Park, Olympic Village, and new transport services, will be accessible to people with a wide range of disabilities both during and after the games.
The ODA has adopted a Built Environment Access Panel (BEAP) and Access and Inclusion Forum (AIF), who have worked closely with designers to build accessible solutions into the designs. All planning applications have included ‘Access Statements’—bringing accessibility and inclusive design into the planning process.
In 2008 the ODA published its Inclusive Design Strategy and Standards setting out the framework for how the Olympic Park will be designed and constructed to be inclusive to all. This can be found at the following link:
http://www.london2012.com/documents/oda-publications/inclusive-design-standards.pdf
The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) is responsible for staging both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and will ensure that they will be as accessible and inclusive as possible. LOCOG's approach has been to adopt accessible solutions throughout, which minimises the need for any transition in athletes' facilities from an 'Olympic' to a 'Paralympic' mode. LOCOG works closely with the International Paralympic Committee which visits London every six months to run through all the plans in detail, including venues, accommodation and transport. In addition, LOCOG has its own Athletes' Committee to ensure athletes' interests are represented.
LOCOG's ambition is for disabled spectators to have a great games experience equivalent to non-disabled people. They have involved communities of disabled people as it has developed tailored services and products, and appointed an Accessibility Manager to lead on this area. Accessibility initiatives can be found on the London 2012 website at the following link:
http://www.london2012.com/accessibility
Dr Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the potential effects of the London 2012 Paralympics on the participation of disabled people in sport; and if he will make a statement.
Hugh Robertson: I have asked Sport England to ensure that increasing disability participation is a key part of both the Places, People, Play legacy programme and in the development of their over-arching plan for the new strategy period of 2011-15. Through the School Games there will be increased opportunities for disabled pupils to compete on a local, regional and national level.
