Hutt Valley No Exceptions District Declaration
What is the No Exceptions declaration about?
The Hutt Valley district has declared it wants to be New Zealand’s first ‘No Exceptions’ district. The initiative was officially launched in August 2007 and aims to ensure people have the opportunity to participate in the physical recreation and sports activity of their choice.
The No Exceptions district partners are: Upper and Hutt City Councils, Hutt Valley District Health Board (HVDHB), Sport Wellington Region, and SPARC.
Becoming a No Exceptions district means the partners must ensure that their sport and recreation facilities, events, programmes and services are accessible to and inclusive of people with disabilities. Of crucial importance is that the Councils and DHB have committed to role model the approach by:
- implementing a ‘gap analysis’ of their facilities, programmes and services
- ensuring their staff and officials undertake No Exceptions training.
The No Exceptions declaration challenges the sport and recreation community to remove physical, attitudinal, resource, information and communication barriers to people with disabilities. It also challenges disabled people in the Hutt Valley to become more physically active and take those opportunities.
This case study looks at how this initiative came about, why it is unique, some planning and operational aspects, and some good practice lessons.
Updated | 17 Jun 2008.
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