About DSR
Supporting Victorians living with disability be active by providing greater choice, access and participation.
Who we are
Disability Sport and Recreation (DSR)’s vision is to create Victoria where all people with disability can choose and access any sport or active recreation activity they want to engage with. Our Mission is to provide and promote positive outcomes for people with a disability. For 60 years we have worked directly with many stakeholders including community organisations, state sporting associations, local government, state government and partners to achieve our mission.
Each year DSR celebrates excellence in the sector by hosting the Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards and enhances knowledge about opportunities available to participate with the Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Festival and other activation events. Our education programs include WheelTalk, a disability awareness program reaching over 10,000 school children per year in addition to offering training opportunities for the broader sport and recreation sector to learn about how to work effectively and communicate with people with disability to get involved in your sport.
To assist with getting the most out of the NDIS to support participation, our NDIS Sports Guide is available to help while our guide to employing people with disability can assist organisations considering employing a person with disability. Our DSR Kids program includes recreation camps in summer and winter and programs in collaboration with the Royal Children’s and Monash Children’s hospitals. We run the sport of wheelchair rugby in Victoria and partner with AFL Victoria for the delivery of Wheelchair AFL while supporting and collaborating with many other organisations.
Within the community, DSR has extensive reach via our various communication channels to our members and supporters including an active Disability Advisory Committee. We’ve also worked in partnership with local government and activity providers for the implementation of a ‘disability sport and recreation hub’ in various locations.
DSR also supports storytelling to educate the community regarding the participation of people with disability in sport and recreation and have created a series of videos showcasing successful outcomes titled ‘Show Us You Can Play!‘ in partnership with Victoria Together and has also developed the ‘DSR TV’ platform in partnership with My Sport Live to showcase disability sport.
See www.dsr.org.au/join-our-movement for more details to get involved including becoming a member.
Our principles
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We listen to the voice of people with disability and advocate for change, with them and on their behalf.
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We celebrate people with disability who exercise their choice to take part in sport and active recreation.
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We collaborate with sport and active recreation providers, so they can offer better choice and better access for all disability types to increase participation.
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We help identify and address gaps in knowledge and resources.
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We highlight best practice, here and overseas.
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We celebrate providers who do more to offer better choice and better access and increase participation.
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We campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of increasing choice and access so people with disability can participate.
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We take a big picture view of the sector so we can work with others to reduce program and resource duplication and provide positive responses to identified needs.
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We seek revenue from a range of sources to support our mission.
We work with
Individuals
People with disability and/or their carers to simplify the pathway to participating in a sport or activity they enjoy.
Organisations
State Sports Associations, sports clubs, program providers and venues to make sure there are activities to do.
Schools & Corporate
Schools and Corporate Groups to raise awareness about disability and inclusion.
Government
Government so that the voice of people with disability is heard.
Registration
We are a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission and recognised as a State Sport and Recreation Body. Thanks to the generous donations and support of the community, we can continue to make healthy choices easy choices for all Victorians with disability.