Parents of children with autism have welcomed progress on plans to make Belfast’s leisure centres "more inclusive".
It comes after People Before Profit Councillor Michael Collins passed a motion at Belfast City Council to transform its leisure centres to make them more inclusive for people with autism and other disabilities. The motion was drafted in collaboration with disability rights groups and autism support networks including the Colin Autism Support & Advice Group.
Cllr Collins met with the group this week to formally launch the campaign for inclusive leisure centres.
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"Conversation with groups like Colin Autism Support have revealed a severe lack of services for people with autism," he said.
"Our motion will seek to transform our leisure centres to ensure they can be welcoming hubs of social and physical activity for everyone in our communities. It was great to meet with the parents of the Colin Autism Support Group today to discuss advancing these proposals. We will be discussing this issue again at the People and Communities Committee next week and I will keep people updated as it progresses."
Deborah Maguire, from Colin Autism Support & Advice Group, said: "This motion is a stepping point and we would hope that it goes across the board and everybody starts to accept autism and neurodiversity as a big part of our society.
"I’m hoping that people will accept that these children are entitled to the same life as any other child. Their learning disabilities or their differences should be accommodated – it shouldn’t cost more and it shouldn’t be a at a time that is not suitable to the general public."
Deborah said there is a lack of understanding about how autism affects children, with parents feeling the need to “hide their child away”. Those like her 6-year-old son had been "confined to using leisure centres at inconvenient hours".
"It’s not doing the child any good and it’s not doing the world any good,” she added.
"You need to get your child out to have some level of progression – they need to be able to go out into the world to learn about the world."
Sarah-Woods, the founder of the inclusive swim school Swimming Buddies, said: "Our Swimming Buddies program caters to over 100 families helping them find fun and friendship through Swimming in spaces where they are not forced to conform to the normalities that society often expects.
"Therefore, it is vital that this is mirrored across the wider council area evoking fundamental change in the approach to leisure services to ensure that access to facilities are truly inclusive.
"Leisure centres are at the heart of all our communities it's where families enjoy pool fun, use the pitches and meet friends. An all-inclusive approach is not just desirable but an absolute necessity."
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