Disabled people remain underrepresented and often misrepresented across media, sport and public life, despite growing awareness of the importance of inclusion and accessibility. Representation matters - not only because it shapes perceptions and challenges stereotypes, but because it influences participation, investment, employment opportunities and organisational culture.

This session will explore how authentic disabled representation can create positive change across the sport, leisure, health and business sectors. Through real-world examples, industry insights and practical discussion, attendees will examine the current landscape of disability representation, the barriers that continue to exist, and the opportunities organisations have to amplify disabled voices and experiences.
The session will consider the role of media storytelling, sporting role models, inclusive marketing, workplace culture and leadership in driving greater visibility and equity. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of why representation matters, how it impacts communities and consumers, and the actions organisations can take to move beyond awareness towards meaningful and lasting inclusion.

This interactive session will explore how to best use lived experience to inform the design and delivery of programmes. We will share tools and resources that partners can use to continue gathering insights from participants with a range of disabilities. 

The session will also cover the practicalities of using a flexible and inclusive research approach, guided by the Social Model of Disability, to shape data collection so that participants can engage in ways that meet their needs and ensure their voices are heard.

This session shares the story behind the trilingual resource supporting coaches and session leaders to communicate effectively with all participants.

Funded by Taith and shaped by a knowledge exchange visit to Deaf Sport Australia, the resource puts inclusive communication directly in the hands of coaches. Come and find out how it was built, what was learnt, and how it's making sport more welcoming for everyone.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:
•    Understand the importance of inclusive communication in creating accessible sporting and physical activity environments
•    Identify key lessons and principles that informed the development of the trilingual communication resource
•    Explore practical ways to use the resource to enhance communication with diverse participants

This is an opportunity to extend or learn more about the opportunities for connections to Regional Partnerships.  How they are identifying their roles locally, what the opportunities are, and what the asks are for the future.

Panellists will include Regional Partnerships, as well as sport and non-sport partners.

This session will discuss how organisations can strengthen their communication and marketing approaches to more effectively engage disabled people across Wales.

Focusing on both strategy and practice, the session will highlight the critical role that inclusive communications and branding play in shaping perception, building trust, and improving accessibility. Attendees will gain insight into how thoughtful, representative, and accessible messaging can remove barriers and create more welcoming environments for disabled people to engage with sport and physical activity.

The session will explore:

• What good inclusive communication looks like in practice, across digital, print, and in-person engagement
• How branding influences representation, visibility, and a sense of belonging
• Common pitfalls and challenges when engaging disabled audiences, and how to avoid them
• Practical approaches to making communications more accessible, inclusive, and authentic

This session will be facilitated using a World Cafe approach, and bring partners working within intersectional communities of disabled people together to explore questions that matter to them, and cross pollinate ideas to create positive change .  Delegates will rotate round each table and focus on a snapshot of questions and activities to identify common themes.

The areas will include:

• LGBTQIA+ communities of disabled and non-disabled people
• Ethnically diverse communities of disabled and non-disabled people
• Disabled and non-disabled women and girls

Disabled athletes bring a wealth of experience, expertise and insight to coaching, yet they remain significantly underrepresented within the coaching workforce. Why are so few disabled athletes and participants making the transition into coaching, and what can organisations, clubs and national governing bodies do differently to change this?

This interactive session will explore the barriers disabled athletes face when considering coaching as a future pathway, from recruitment and education to a lack of visible role models, support networks and development opportunities. Drawing on lived experiences and sector examples, the session will challenge attendees to reflect on how existing structures may unintentionally exclude disabled people from coaching roles.

Participants will explore practical solutions, and actions that can be taken to create more inclusive pathways into coaching within their own environments.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

• Understand how organisational policies, practices and cultures can influence access to coaching opportunities
• Recognise the value that disabled coaches bring to sport and physical activity environments
• Develop practical actions to improve accessibility, support and progression opportunities for disabled people within their own settings

Mid Wales Sport Partnership have been gathering data to form a 'state of the region' report to understand and highlight the context of opportunity and challenge within the geographically vast, but population low footprint of Mid Wales.

This session will provide insight into this opportunity rich area and bring partners together to discuss how they can, and have, collaborate(d) to engage communities in the region.

Healthy Weight Healthy Wales identify in their 2025-2027 Delivery Plan the importance of Active Lives.  They suggest that "societal changes are designing physical activity out of our lives".

This session will highlight the preventative health agenda and how we as a sector can work together to ensure that promote changes that mitigate this critical risk to health, wellbeing and the future of physical activity and sport.

This session will bring together organisations that have achieved insport Gold with Disability Sport Wales to share how their journey has transformed opportunities for disabled people within their communities.

Through real-world examples, speakers will highlight how embedding inclusive practice has gone beyond participation figures to create meaningful, lasting change. Attendees will hear how organisations have improved access, influenced culture, and empowered disabled people to lead, participate, and thrive in sport and physical activity.

The session will explore:

• How organisations have enhanced the lives of disabled people through inclusive design and delivery
• The challenges faced along the insport journey and how they were overcome
• The tangible and intangible impacts on individuals, communities, and organisational culture
• What truly sets an insport Gold organisation apart, from leadership and workforce behaviours to sustainable, system-wide inclusion

How do we make volunteering truly accessible for disabled people? In this session we will  share the key findings from the Volunteer Wales Strategic Grant project — what the data is telling us, and what needs to change. 

From insights gathered to actionable recommendations, We will set out the roadmap ahead and what implementation looks like in practice.

The session explores how this targeted investment is being used to test and develop innovative solutions that respond to the unique challenges of rural Mid Wales, with a clear focus on reaching the least active and promoting equity in participation. Grounded in co-creation and collaboration, the innovation fund (provided by MWSP) brings together local, regional, and national partners to design approaches that reflect the needs of communities.

The session will feature real examples from funded projects, and include opportunities for attendees to engage with presenters, ask questions, and explore how they can contribute to and shape these active projects across Mid Wales.

Often the most valued time within a conference is the opportunity to have conversations with people from organisations you could do brilliant work with.

This session will provide a structured framework for you to meet new people, connect with those you are familiar with, and spark some further ideas about collaboration and partnership.

This session will provide an interactive and applied opportunity to learn more about constructing evaluation frameworks which will prompt your thinking about inclusion and how it shapes future developments and your understanding of what is needed for the future.