WheelPower is the national charity for wheelchair sport and its our mission to support disabled people of all ages to lead healthier and more active lives through movement, activity and sport.
We understand that there are many people in our community working with people with physical disabilities, and this short online course is here to give you the knowledge and confidence in your own organisations. Time is precious which is why we have re-engineered this course content to make the very best of your limited time.
Upcoming Dates
Thursday 23 January – 10.00 – 12:30 (with Louise Hunt-Skelley)
Thursday 20 February – 09:30 – 12:00 (with Pete Edwards)
Thursday 27 March – 10:00 – 12:30 (with Louise Hunt-Skelley)
The course is now split into two parts: a self-guided learning module to be completed in your own time, and a tutor led online course lasting approximately 2 hours.
The course scope is broader. It now covers a much wider range of opportunities open to wheelchair users, and includes more practical session examples across a variety of sports.
“We know professionals are busy, but are really keen to learn from us. So over the Summer we have re-engineered our existing course to cover a broader range of content in less time, drawing from the collective experience of the team at WheelPower” Ella Willott, WheelPower Partnership Development Manager
*NEW* Course Format
Will now take place in two parts. All attendees will be sent the link to the Online Training module upon signing up to the course and will be asked to complete this prior to attending the Tutor Led element.
Part 1: Self-Guided Learning Module (45 minutes to 1 hour) The module will allow learners to develop an understanding of how to include participants with spinal cord injury and other physical impairments in movement, sport, and activity. The module also covers thought-provoking topics such as barriers and opportunities to participation, use of appropriate language, and off-court considerations that could help to make a sport or activity more accessible and inclusive for all.
Part 2: Tutor Led Online Course via Zoom (Approx 2 hours) The tutor led course will be interactive, with break out room discussions and the opportunity to learn from the lived experiences of our tutor. The tutor will guide you through some ideas and examples of sports and activities that are inclusive and can be adapted for physical disabilities. The overall aim of the course is to enable learners to develop their confidence in working with and supporting physically disabled people to enjoy, participate and access sport, activity and movement opportunities.
Who is the course suitable for?
If you are a teacher, coach, sports student, physiotherapist, or occupational therapist striving to adapt your sports session for wheelchair participants, then this training is for you.
Future Opportunities
This course will enable you to support WheelPower in the delivery of programmes and events as well as other governing bodies, organisations and clubs that provide opportunities for disabled people to participate in wheelchair sport and physical activity.
After the course each participant will be provided with further support from WheelPower Sports Team should you have additional questions, or need us to help you make contact with organisations local to you.
Cost
This is a FREE course, but we would be grateful for a charitable donation to support WheelPower’s vital work (suggested donation £5) If you have any problems with making a donation please contact us using the details below.
Contact
If you have any questions about this course please contact the team via sport@wheelpower.org.uk
Training for Colleges/Universities and Groups
As well as the public course WheelPower also works with teachers, students, coaches and employees to provide closed online courses for larger groups. To book an exclusive course for your college, university or group please email sport@wheelpower.org.uk
Louise Hunt-Skelley – Paralympian | Speaker | Mentor | Ambassador
Louise was born in 1991 with a disability called Spina Bifida. Spina Bifida is a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. Louise has therefore been in a wheelchair her whole life as she has little movement in her lower limbs.
At the age of 5 Louise began participating in many sports, swimming, basketball, fencing and soon discovered she had keen interests in Wheelchair Tennis and Wheelchair Racing. Louise Won 7 out of 10 London Mini Wheelchair Marathons which is an un-official World Record. Alongside this she was also playing Tennis and soon realised this was her real passion. Louise has been playing and competing in Wheelchair Tennis ever since, and in 2012 competed in her first Paralympic Games in London which was a dream come true. Louise also competed in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, qualifying at her highest ever ranking to date of 10 in the World.
In the summer of 2021 Louise decided to retire from competitive sport after achieving and exceeding all goals she had made herself in her athletic career. She is now self employed working across various roles, such as Commentary, Mentoring, Public peaking, Support work and Consultancy. Alongside this work she is still maintaining her Ambassador roles for local and national charities which are very close to her heart.
Pete grew up with parents and five siblings in Rossington South Yorkshire. At the age of six and a half he was diagnosed with a hip condition called Perthes Disease. This affected his lower spine, and ability to walk, and resulted in him having his first operation at the age of seven.
After a traumatic accident in 1989 Pete had to change jobs, moving to Nottinghamshire to work in 1990. Pete became a wheelchair user in 1992 after it was no longer possible to wear his prosthetic leg, and this led to him being medically retired in 1993.
This was a blessing-in-disguise as Pete was able to retrain in 1995, starting his training for Lay Ministry within the Church of England. He was licensed in 1997 and is still active to this day.
Sport has played a huge part in Pete’s life, as he has played Amputee football for Yorkshire and Humberside, swam for Sherwood Seal Swimming club and played wheelchair basketball for 18 years.
In 2001 Pete started coaching in swimming and became a mentor for a project called Sport Direct, which kick-started his career in sports development. He ran the project for over three years and in 2006 became the Sports Development Officer for Disabled People, fulfilling this role until 2017. Pete is qualified as a sports coach for several sports and is a tutor in Safeguarding and Inclusion. Pete has been an Inclusive Activity Programme Tutor for the Activity Alliance since 2019, and says of his motivation behind this:
“My drive for this was that as a child I was excluded from doing sport at school. My ambition is that everyone is able to play sport if they wish to. I want everyone to see the person and not the disability. My passion is to educate and raise awareness about having disabled people involved in physical activity.” And of his new role as a tutor on our online training course:
“I am excited to be working with WheelPower and delivering their courses, over the years I have been involved with the work that WheelPower does, they are a great advocate for wheelchair users and for sports.”
Mark Bullock – Inclusive Sports Development Advisor | Coach | Tutor | Mentor
Mark has more than 30 years experience in Paralympic/disability sport, sports development & the broader social impact of sport. He is passionate about diversity and inclusion, wellbeing, healthy lifestyles & nutrition. He is an experienced leader, manager, coach and now a consultant working with a number of organisations to promote and develop inclusive sport. He has travelled to more than 80 countries developing wheelchair tennis & attended four Paralympic Games & two Olympics in various capacities from coach to Technical Delegate. He has worked at all levels of disability and inclusive sport as a coach, administrator and leader.
He has extensive experience of delivering award winning sports programmes in developing countries. He also managed the largest public tennis centre in the UK and delivered community tennis programmes in two cities. Mark is an experienced public speaker having spoken at numerous conferences all over the world. He is a member of the University of Nottingham Sports Board & is also a mentor to current students and has won several awards from the University.
He was a member of International Paralympic Committee Paralympic Games Committee & was a regular delegate to the IPC Sports Council and General Assembly over a number of years. He now writes a regular blog on inclusive with sport & physical activity being the central theme. Mark is active himself playing football, tennis, running and practicing yoga.
He is a pioneer in inclusive sport and is always seeking to find ways to increase opportunities for disabled people to participate in sport. He was one of the first coaches to get involved in wheelchair tennis and now he is at the forefront of developments of blind tennis and tennis for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.
Please note: This form may take up to a minute to process. Once you press submit please do not close the browser or move away from the page. We appreciate your patience, it's wheely good of you.
Your support transforms lives, and we’d love to keep you posted with our news, events, activities and appeals. Your details will only be used by WheelPower.
