Start Date
18-6-2025 5:00 PM
End Date
18-6-2025 6:30 PM
Abstract
Accessible sport facilities are a prerequisite for equal engagement and participation in physical activity. Reliable and up-to-date accessibility information is required to 1) ensure the equal participation of different users; 2) assess and describe the level of accessibility; and 3) to demonstrate the effectiveness of the actions targeted on accessibility in sport facilities. The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland has launched a long-term nationwide work to improve the accessibility and public information related to accessibility in sport facilities. Together with City of Helsinki, Satakunta University of Applied Sciences and Regional State Administrative Agency, an accessibility application was developed to collect and register accessibility information of sport facilities, including the criteria of para sports as well as the outdoor sport areas such as hiking and swimming areas. The application questions with info texts guides the user and therefore specific education is not required. The answers are selected using a drop-down menu and will automatically generate accessibility phrases in three languages (Finnish, Swedish and English). The application is free of charge and has a fully open digital interface for third parties such as municipalities. It gives the municipalities the opportunity to share the accessibility information in the national register as well as on their own web pages. To date, the national register contains accessibility information of 400 sport facilities in Finland. The goal is to increase the awareness to get public and private sectors to collect and publish accessibility data and thus get more information about the accessibility for citizens.
Recommended Citation
Karinharju, Kati; Kuusiluoma, Reetta-Kaisa; Niemi, Henna; and Seppala, Kati, "ENHANCING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND EQUITY THROUGH COMMENSURATE ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION" (2025). International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity and International Symposium on Physical Activity and Visual Impairment and Deafblindness. 58.
https://sword.mtu.ie/isapa/2025/day3/58
ENHANCING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND EQUITY THROUGH COMMENSURATE ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION
Accessible sport facilities are a prerequisite for equal engagement and participation in physical activity. Reliable and up-to-date accessibility information is required to 1) ensure the equal participation of different users; 2) assess and describe the level of accessibility; and 3) to demonstrate the effectiveness of the actions targeted on accessibility in sport facilities. The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland has launched a long-term nationwide work to improve the accessibility and public information related to accessibility in sport facilities. Together with City of Helsinki, Satakunta University of Applied Sciences and Regional State Administrative Agency, an accessibility application was developed to collect and register accessibility information of sport facilities, including the criteria of para sports as well as the outdoor sport areas such as hiking and swimming areas. The application questions with info texts guides the user and therefore specific education is not required. The answers are selected using a drop-down menu and will automatically generate accessibility phrases in three languages (Finnish, Swedish and English). The application is free of charge and has a fully open digital interface for third parties such as municipalities. It gives the municipalities the opportunity to share the accessibility information in the national register as well as on their own web pages. To date, the national register contains accessibility information of 400 sport facilities in Finland. The goal is to increase the awareness to get public and private sectors to collect and publish accessibility data and thus get more information about the accessibility for citizens.