Disability Rights UK launches new co-production guide
Disability Rights UK (DR UK) and their Get Yourself Active campaign have today launched The Co-production Narrative. This new co-production guide is aimed at those working in physical activity or sport, co-produced by Disability Rights UK alongside a team of individuals, organisations including Activity Alliance and researchers.
What is co-production and how can it help you?
Co-production and working in partnership with communities is becoming increasingly expected and is a popular approach in many areas of work. Working in this way can mean you are able to develop more inclusive activities from the beginning without wasting valuable money or resources. You can also develop better relationships with your local community and therefore improve your reputation, as well as ensuring any work you develop is accessible, relevant and will make a difference.
However, a lack of understanding and misuse of the word co-production runs the risk of the approach becoming tokenistic.
DR UK has therefore created this practical guide to support the sport and physical activity sector, as well as wider organisations including Activity Alliance, to provide direction and clarity around what co-production is and what it isn’t.
The resource includes case studies from a variety of organisations working in the sector so that you can see how others have embedded co-production in practice. The guide, alongside the information and hints/tips, can be used as a starting point to guide conversations and help support how you might decide to do co-production in ways that fit your work and the people you work with.
Viveen Taylor, Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Sport at Sport England, commented:
"The Co-Production Narrative offers much-needed clarity on what it truly means to co-produce — not just in principle, but in practice. By centering lived experience and embracing collaboration, we want to see the sport and physical activity sector embrace this resource to ensure activity more inclusive for those who face the greatest barriers to living active lives."
Rachel Hill, a member of the DRU UK co-production group who developed the resource, commented:
"All four of our co-production team - myself, Anita, Ella and Molly, thoroughly appreciated the genuine and authentic part we played in producing such a valuable tool that anyone can access.
"From the very start we have shared the decision making and have felt respected, valued and appreciated. It has been demanding, but ultimately enjoyable, to work with such an inclusive and credible process with such far-reaching potential. I fully expect this resource will create more opportunities for Disabled people to be active in inclusive spaces, where we are seen as partners in the design and delivery of physical activity."
Professor Brett Smith from Durham University said:
"Genuine coproduction can be transformative. It can transform individual lives, local communities, and organisations. The transformative power of coproduction extends to physical activity - including changing not just the quantity of movement we do but also the quality and our experiences of it. With coproduction we are better placed to empower the least active to be more active and address inequalities."
Find the ‘Co-production Narrative’ on the Disability Rights UK website.
