DISABILITY inclusion is at the top of the agenda for Sports President Gill Thayne, after a busy summer of conferences and groundwork.
The Sports Union hosted disability inclusion training at the start of the semester, which has allowed club members to feel equipped to host different types of training sessions to cater for specific needs.
She said: “It’s about asking the questions like ‘what can we do to make this session work for you?’
“I have a strong background in Scottish Disability Sport, and I don’t want to forget about that passion.
“I want to make sure it’s a common theme throughout the year because it’s a cause close to my heart.”
Thayne highlighted that there are already sport wheelchairs for basketball and tennis, but she aims to make as many sports as accessible as possible.
After attending the BUCS conference in Bristol at the beginning of July, Thayne recalled the experience of keynote speaker Clarke Carlisle and his wife Carrie.
Clarke, a former professional footballer, spoke of his struggles with Complex Depressive Disorder, while his wife told the story from the perspective of living with someone affected by mental health.
She said: “It was such an interesting talk, and it was really informative and helpful to listen to the story from both sides.”
Following the resignation of Union President Nelson Acquah, it has been revealed that each of the other three sabbatical officers will take on a share of his roles, until he is replaced at the by-election in October.
However, Thayne was keen to emphasise that her priorities lie within her remit as Sports President and with making students’ lives better.
She said: “It will be a huge team effort from everyone involved at the union, and we will all continue to make sure that we are working to improve the student experience.”
Thayne has also been preparing for the sports bazaar, which takes place this Wednesday in the Sports Centre. She also spoke about BUCS play, a new easy to use phone application which will be used for sports teams and individuals to register to play in fixtures.
Clubs will be fully trained at the start of the semester. And finally, on the issue of kit orders, which sports teams had a lot of trouble with last year, Thayne said: “We’re getting there.
“We have been in communication with sports teams to make sure everyone is on the same page, and to let them know we are here to help if any problems need ironed out.”
Feautred image credit: Gill Thayne
Fourth-year BA (Hons) Journalism Studies student.
News Editor, Sports Editor and Head of Proofreading for Brig Newspaper.
