Closing the Accessibility Gap, Why OpenActive Matters.

Closing the Accessibility Gap in Sport, Movement and Physical Activity: Why Open Data Matters More Than Ever.

The Open Data Institute’s new funding from Sport England is brilliant news, and it couldn’t be more relevant to Every Body Moves. Our activity finder is powered by OpenActive, and this investment is a chance to put accessibility front and centre across the whole sector.

And with today being National Fitness Day, the message couldn’t be clearer. Millions think about how they choose to move, but unless we close the accessibility gap in how activities are promoted, too many disabled people risk being left behind.

We should celebrate the progress made so far, but we also need to be clear: too often, the needs of the disabled community are overlooked in the way activity data is published. If 24% of the UK population are disabled, accessibility can’t be treated as an afterthought. It has to be built in from the start.

What We Learned from the Moment of the Paris Paralympic Games

Before the Paris Paralympic Games, around 2–3% of sessions in the OpenActive ecosystem carried impairment tags or were flagged through our accessibility filters as inclusive and subsequently presented on our platform.

With support from Channel 4 and our campaign to promote Every Body Moves powered by Toyota, that figure rose to 9% during the Games. It was proof that targeted promotion and awareness can shift behaviour quickly.

But a year on, this has steadily shown signs of falling back towards 3%. The accessibility gap remains. Major events like the Paralympics are vital and act as a catalyst to change, but we can’t rely on these events alone to drive sustainable change.

The Accessibility Gap We Must Close

Almost one in four people in the UK are disabled. Yet the percentage of activity sessions tagged as accessible is shrinking back into the low single figures.

Closing this gap isn’t optional. For disabled people, it means genuine choice and confidence in where and how they can choose to be active. For providers, it means:

• Reaching bigger audiences – 16.1 million disabled people in the UK.
• Better representation – showing real commitment to inclusion.
• More income – filling more places and growing participation.
• Greater visibility – appearing in accessibility searches and filters.

This is about fairness, but it’s also about growth. Inclusive data benefits everyone.

The Impact of Every Body Moves

The demand for inclusive opportunities is clear. In the last year alone, more than 143,000 people have visited Every Body Moves to search for activities near them. On average, 40,000 sessions have been available to explore each month, spread across all four corners of the UK.

Providers see the benefits too. 82% of clubs listed on the platform say a ParalympicsGB affiliation through Every Body Moves has improved their credibility and reach.

The programme is driving real behaviour change: 83% of those who engaged with Every Body Moves report being more likely to take part in physical activity at least once a week.

And the reach goes further still. On top of reaching around 20 million people watching the Paralympic Games and directly impacting upon people like Niamh and Emma. Every Body Moves has achieved a UK-based social media footprint of 5.3 million so far this year, our collaborative approach to content has helped amplify the work of our members and their clubs, showcasing inclusive opportunities across multiple sports and nations.

Why Open Data Matters for Inclusion

OpenActive provides a ready-made framework to publish sessions consistently. When accessibility fields are filled in, that information flows straight into the Every Body Moves activity finder so the thousands of disabled people across the UK utilising our platform can find the opportunities that fit their needs.

Without this detail, inclusive sessions risk being invisible to the people who could benefit most.

That’s why ODI’s funding is so important. It sustains the infrastructure. Now, providers need to invest in use the infastructure to its full potential.

How Providers Can Take Action

If your organisation is already publishing data through OpenActive, the next step is simple: complete your listings. Add impairment tags, accessibility features and inclusive descriptions when a session is truly inclusive or accessible to a specific need.

If you’re not yet publishing sessions, it’s quick to get started Register your sessions via Every Body Moves. It takes five minutes to reach new audiences and show your commitment to inclusion.

By doing this, you’re not just filling sessions. You’re helping close a national accessibility gap.

Together for Every Body.

Every Body Moves will continue to work closely with OpenActive, our open data suppliers at imin, and sector partners to ensure that activity listings better reflect and serve our communities.

But this isn’t something we can achieve alone. We need clubs, NGBs, leisure providers and community organisations to join us. Together, we can ensure sport, movement and physical activity is truly for every body.

Start listing your new or existing activities and sessions here