Striving to remove barriers that prevent us from building Vibrant, Diverse, Inclusive, Accessible Communities!
Active Impact marks 15 years with a community celebration that showcases providers and families working together to remove barriers so children with disabilities participate can in local life alongside peers.
Founded in 2010 by Jane Douch, Philip Douch and Paralympic cyclist James Brown after a Gloucestershire County Council programme, the organisation set out to grow providers’ capability so more groups offer inclusive activities instead of relying only on oversubscribed specialist options.
Now a charity (since 2020) led by CEO Nicole Hastie and a part-time team with varied lived experience, Active Impact equips others rather than running sessions itself—co-delivered guidance with People with Disabilities, practical tools, and accessibility training that places responsibility on organisations to welcome children as standard practice.
Partnerships underpin delivery: councils and independent funders support fully funded learning; the You’re Welcome Gloucestershire website helps families find accessible options; networks share practice (including a Neurodiversity Network); and Of Course We Can grants back inclusive short breaks—co-produced approaches that keep removing barriers across Gloucestershire and nearby borders.
Read the Full Article: Barriers for disabled children have been broken down for 15 years
By: Kim Horton
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