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More support needed to get disabled Londoners more active
The London Assembly has called for leisure operators and schools to increase and improve efforts to help disabled Londoners stay physically active.
A report by the Assembly's Economy, Culture and Sport (ECS) Committee claims that little progress has been made in increasing the number of disabled people taking part in physical activities across London in the past six years.
The report, published this week, is a follow up on the A sporting legacy for people with disabilities survey in 2006.
Despite continued efforts of successive mayors and improvements to facilities, 90 per cent of disabled Londoners still fail to achieve the recommended level of physical activity.
The report recognises that, in his Inclusive and Active strategy, former London Mayor Ken Livingstone set out (and current mayor Boris Johnston has since continued with) the right overall approach, but also sets out a number of improvements that could help ensure more progress is made.
These include promoting active travel options through Transport for London, ensuring teachers have the right skills to keep disabled children involved in school sports, and considering using London 2012 volunteers to encourage disabled people to stay active.
Dee Doocey AM, Chair of the ECS Committee said: "In the six years since the publication of our first report on the subject, more and more disabled children are being educated in mainstream schools, but teachers are still not being given the necessary training to include them in sport and physical education.
"Until the government addresses this problem, the situation will only get worse. The Mayor has the right overall approach, but London simply has to get better at helping disabled people stay active.
"With the 2012 Games just around the corner, it would be a terrible legacy to see the world's best disabled athletes competing in the city and then fail to capitalise on their inspirational example."