Voices for Inclusive Activity: A co-produced Participatory Action Research project exploring more accessible and inclusive ways of evaluating disabled people’s participation in sport and physical activity

Disabled people and those with long-term health conditions are less likely than the general population to participate in sport and physical activity. Sport and physical activity have the potential to transform lives, but existing tools used to evaluate disabled people’s participation in such occupations are typically inaccessible and not inclusive of varied ways and means of participation. Consequently, sport and physical activity programmes struggle to demonstrate impact and ensure future sustainability. This can perpetuate inequalities in access to sport and physical activity for disabled people, violating occupational rights and perpetuating occupational injustice. Injustice is also apparent within traditional research and evaluation approaches that produce knowledge ‘about’, rather than in collaboration ‘with’, disabled people. This PhD focuses on the Voices for Inclusive Activity research project, within which an initial seven co-researchers, including five disabled people and one family carer, worked together to explore more accessible and inclusive ways of evaluating disabled people’s participation in sport and physical activity. Co-researchers used principles of co-production to design and implement a research project involving two categories of participants: funders, providers and related organisations with interest in disability sport and physical activity; and users and non-users of disability sport and physical activity. Co-researchers were involved in all aspects of the research process, from designing research questions and participant information, to carrying out data collection and elements of data analysis, determining recommendations, next steps and calling for action. Co-researchers also worked together to develop accessible forms of dissemination, which have included co-produced presentations and discussions with interest holders, audio podcasts and subtitled videocasts. Methodological learnings acknowledge exclusions and opportunities for innovation in an online participatory action research approach, congruence between this approach and occupational therapy theory, practice and occupational justice, and may also offer guidance for the pursuit of participatory forms of evaluation involving disabled people.