Following the successful launch on 19 May of the Coaching People with Disabilities: Coach Education Framework, Coaching Ireland delivered a two-day tutor training on Disability Awareness on 27-28 May. The main focus of the training was to prepare the tutors to deliver a pan-disability workshop for coaches on coaching people with disabilities. Coaching Ireland will be rolling this out on an all-island basis over the rest of the year. The 15 tutors engaged in developing their abilities to set a learning environment where coaches can consider the application of their coaching skills and knowledge when coaching participants with disabilities; as well as learning about ways on including people with disabilities and where they can get further support. As with anyone they coach, coaches focus on the person’s ability and goals, plan and organise the coaching sessions, communicate with the participant on how practice is going and providing feedback, review and evaluate progress, and follow this cycle again.

The trained tutors can also play a support role to mainstream NGBs in the delivery of disability awareness modules on NGB coach education courses. NGBs have being circulated with the framework and have being provided with access to support materials for tutors and coaches to build disability awareness modules into Introduction to Coaching and Level 1 course syllabi, course outlines and materials. In-service training for mainstream NGB tutors is also planned, with the first opportunity to do this being provided on 19-20 June. More information will be forwarded to NGB coaching contacts shortly.