Dorset Tennis is aligned with the LTA Vision of Tennis Opened Up and the LTA Inclusion Strategy to open tennis up to everyone, to make it inclusive and accessible for all. All staff and volunteers are committed to help our clubs, venues, coaches and volunteers to be more open and inclusive within their own communities. We encourage our facilities to open their doors and welcome new members from all backgrounds and abilities.
OPEN COURT PROGRAMME
The LTA's Open Court Programme is a national scheme that actively promotes and delivers opportunities for disabled people to get involved in tennis and padel. Partnered with and jointly funded by Sport England, the programme provides disability specific sessions for tennis and padel including adaptations for learning disability, wheelchair, visually impaired and deaf. The programme is also being expanded into other long-term health conditions such as mental health and dementia.
Find out more about the LTA's Open Court programme here
LTA Inclusion & Disability Tennis
David Sanger is Dorset's Lead for the programme. David coaches at Southbourne Tennis Club and runs an excellent Disability Tennis programme which includes sessions for Wheelchair Tennis, Learning Disabilities Tennis, Visually Impaired Tennis, Downs Syndrome Tennis, Dementia Tennis, fully inclusive tennis and a Special Schools tennis programme.
Read this Success Story produced by the LTA about Southbourne Tennis Club : 'How an Award-Winning Far-Reaching Disabiity Programme is Opening Tennis Up in Dorset'
David can be contacted should you have any ideas, questions or need advice on how to make your venue more inclusive.
David Sanger : davesanger@gmail.com
Funding
Dorset LTA in conjunction with Active Dorset, has funding available for venues who wish to make their venue more inclusive by providing opportunities for disability tennis.
If you wish to enquire about funding, please e-mail info@dorsetlta.co.uk
Open Your Doors Training
There is an Open Your Doors 2 hour online disability-inclusion module open to people within a club, park, community and the education landscape who want to make their venue more inclusive. It also supports everyone involved in tennis; coaches, volunteers, committee members and venue staff. When you have finished this course, you will have a better understanding and more detailed knowledge of the following:
- What ‘inclusion’ and ‘accessibility’ really means
- The barriers of participation in tennis by disabled people
- How to overcome some of these through positive change
- How the LTA can support you both inclusively and through our Open Court Programme