Disability Challengers

Disability Challengers was founded in 1979 as the Guildford Adventurers Association by Paediatrician Dr Helen Foley and leisure centre manager Colin Hassall. The charity’s aim was to try and address the imbalance of play and leisure opportunities for disabled children and young people.

Initially sessions for the children were held at a local leisure centre in Guildford, Surrey, but the need for services quickly grew and in 1984 the charity opened their first custom designed Playcentre on Stoke Park, Guildford. The Challengers Guildford centre was opened by Princess Margaret with the aim of improving activities and facilities for disabled children, young people and their families.

In 1995 Guildford Adventurers Association became ‘Disability Challenge’ and continued developing and expanding to include more disabled children. In 2000 the charity changed its name again to Disability Challengers.

There have been a number of phases in the charity's development over 30 years, but today Disability Challengers works with more than 840 individual children, delivering 14,300 child visits in 2007. The charity delivers services at its Headquarters in Guildford as well as running projects from two youth centres, Challengers Bellfields and Challengers Stoughton (in Guildford) and at Challengers Farnham (newly refurbished play and youth centres opened in 2007).

Alongside the local authority and other Surrey-based play organisations, Disability Challengers has been influential in coordinating the growth and delivery of play and leisure across Surrey. Disability Challengers receives funding by local authorities, but a majority of the charity’s income is raised through fundraising from companies, trusts, community groups and individuals. For 14 years Ric Law directed the charity, establishing Disability Challengers as a voice for play for disabled children in Surrey. In Summer 2008 Margaret Ward took up the post as CEO.

Inclusion at Disability Challengers

Disability Challengers schemes welcome all disabled children, including those children who need 1:1 support, have complex impairments, medical conditions, children with Autism and emotional and behavioural difficulties. In 2003 Disability Challengers developed a unique approach to inclusion called Inverse Inclusion. It is the charity’s belief that the play environment is the perfect environment for disabled and non-disabled children to develop their understanding and acceptance of each other.

To begin with, the charity develops play and youth schemes exclusively for disabled children. Then, as space allows and the service is established as a ‘secure, strong and familiar place’ for disabled children, they welcome non-disabled children to join the scheme.

Challengers staff believe that this has reversed the typical experience of disabled children in society - that being disabled is the experience of being excluded by others or by society (rather than individual's impairment or disability). In this way, the charity positively discriminates in favour of disabled children, whilst they continue to be excluded from mainstream services and an inequality of provision continues. This and The Disability Challengers Approach 1 represents the charity's developing understanding of the Social model of disability and Inclusion.