Basketball Ireland has been awarded an Xcessible Bronze Award by the disability sport organisation Cara.

Cara’s Xcessible has been developed to help support and empower National Governing Bodies such as Basketball Ireland and Local Sports Partnerships to provide opportunities positively and meaningfully for people with disabilities to take part in sport and physical activity. Building a strong foundation for inclusion, along with nurturing the relationship with Cara, has always been a priority for Basketball Ireland.

Basketball Ireland Leinster Development and Inclusion Officer Paul Carr said:

“The journey Basketball Ireland has been on as an NGB this last year has been an eye-opening experience. Basketball Ireland has come a long way in just 12 months and being awarded the Bronze Xcessible award recognises the achievements Basketball Ireland have made. I would like to thank Cara for their guidance, as well as our CEO Bernard O’Byrne and the Board of Basketball Ireland for their support during this initial stage in the inclusive journey. It is clear to me whether it is as an NGB or as a club, once you open your organisation to people with disabilities, you can make a positive difference in people’s lives.”

Odhrán Doherty Cara’s National Sport Inclusion Coordinator added:

“Cara is delighted to recognise the outstanding work undertaken by Basketball Ireland over the last 12 months in the inclusion of people with disabilities within their sport by awarding them with the Xcessible Bronze Award. It is clear to see the commitment and passion of Basketball Ireland towards inclusion and great to see the progress they made in 2020, particularly in how they are using the Sport Inclusion Disability Charter and Xcessible to drive their ambition. We congratulate Basketball Ireland on their achievements so far and look forward to supporting them on the next stage of their journey in 2021.

Cara’s core belief is to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to engage in sport and physical activity. Ensuring there is a choice of the type of activities also has to remain a priority for NGB’s & LSP’s, in order to create a wholly inclusive environment for everyone.

Basketball Ireland will now work towards the Silver Level Xcessible award and beyond. Xcessible is three-staged resourced pathway, designed to ease an NGB or LSP into the area of inclusion. It helps them through the process of developing and increasing their capacity to support people with disabilities and to be active in their sport in terms of participation, coaching, volunteering, officiating and employment. Xcessible has been developed using the Sport Inclusion Disability Charter as a guiding tool.

Basketball Ireland were guided through each stage of the journey under the headings of Openness, People, Activities, Facilities and Promotion and was supported by Cara through each stage and set realistic and manageable goals and deadlines. Basketball Ireland was required to provide evidence of their work and journey and presented to a panel of experts on their experiences, results and outcomes of their work completed, which was led by Basketball Ireland Leinster Development and Inclusion Officer, Paul Carr.

For more information on Basketball Ireland’s relationship with Cara Charter, Inclusive basketball or inclusive resources, visit the ‘Get involved’ section of the Basketball Ireland website here.

In case you missed it: Jordan Lee is the only one-handed basketballer to represent Ireland. The former St Paul's player changed sports to compete in the high jump and claimed a bronze medal at the 2018 European Para Athletics Championships. He spoke to Basketball Ireland's Paul Carr about his sporting career so far and his future goals.