ParalympicsGB achieves Disability Confident Leader status

ParalympicsGB has achieved Disability Confident Leader status – the highest level in the Department for Work and Pensions’ Disability Confident Scheme.

The milestone recognises ParalympicsGB’s ongoing commitment to ensuring Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) is at the heart of all decision making. Achieving and maintaining Disability Confident Leader status is one of the key actions included in the Organisation’s “IDEA Plan”, which was approved by UK Sport in summer 2024.

As the UK’s biggest disability sport charity, ParalympicsGB’s Board and Executive Team are committed to delivering on this plan. As a public demonstration of that undertaking, the Board recently established a new Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Leadership Charter committing the organisation to an array of pledges.

These include:

• Recognising that diversity within the organisation will increase creativity and improve decision-making.
• Providing a safe environment for people to highlight behaviours or practices that work against inclusivity.
• Demonstrating zero tolerance for any form of abusive behaviour within ParalympicsGB, including that based on age, disability, gender identity, pregnancy or maternity, marriage or civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, social background, or neurodiversity.
• Monitoring and proactively seeking to understand people’s experiences within ParalympicsGB and acting on concerns raised.

Dave Clarke, CEO of ParalympicsGB, said: “I am proud that we have achieved the coveted Disability Confident Leader status and remain fully committed to continuing our journey to be leaders in Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility. This ambitious plan aims to make ParalympicsGB a place where everyone, whatever their background or characteristics, is welcomed and thrives.

“We know we are not perfect, and this plan recognises that it is not enough simply to express these sentiments. We think of ourselves as an inclusive organisation, yet the data tells us that there are some areas where we are not as diverse and representative as we want to be.

“A ParalympicsGB where everyone is welcome and feels a sense of belonging is a ParalympicsGB shaped by togetherness, energy, and commitment. That in turn, becomes an organisation capable of great achievement and social change.

“To continue to make progress requires honesty, humility, and a willingness to ask ourselves difficult questions and be open and accountable.”

To inform the development of the IDEA plan, data was collected on diversity within the organisation, along with feedback from employees and other stakeholders to gauge how ParalympicsGB is perceived in terms of its inclusion and accessibility.

Reflecting on this information, a robust action plan has been produced to ensure ParalympicsGB is best placed to lead by example when influencing positive change and that the diversity within the organisation is broadly representative of the UK population.

In the interest of accountability, the processes that will be followed to measure and assess progress, the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) used to determine success, and the governance which supports the delivery and ongoing evolution of this work, will all be highlighted.

Read the full ParalympicsGB IDEA plan and timelines