The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Open Court Programme actively promotes and delivers opportunities to enable tennis to be more inclusive and accessible for individuals with various disabilities.
Hampshire & IOW Tennis (HIOWT) works in association with the LTA to facilitate comprehensive disability programmes, delivered by local providers, tennis venues and coaches. These partners provide disability-specific sessions for tennis including adaptations for learning disability, wheelchair, visually impaired and deaf participants, as well working with other long-term health conditions such as mental health and dementia. HIOWT’s charitable aim is to open up opportunities for everyone to enjoy tennis. There are various forms of disability tennis, which you can find out more about below.
Pan-disability tennis provides inclusive, adapted tennis sessions for individuals with various physical, sensory and learning disabilities.
Sessions are designed to welcome participants with diverse needs, including neurodivergent individuals and those with long-term health conditions.
Pan-disability Tennis providers:
When it comes to tennis, a learning disability includes conditions such as Down’s Syndrome, Asperger’s Syndrome, Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
You can read more here: https://www.lta.org.uk/play/inclusion-disability/learning-disability-tennis/
Learning Disability Tennis providers:
Wheelchair tennis is fully inclusive for anyone with a physical impairment. For people with a physical impairment and with a pathway from grassroots development to Grand Slams and Paralympic Games, wheelchair tennis gives a unique and enjoyable experience for all.
You don’t have to be a full-time wheelchair user to play either; many players are ambulant and they see the sports wheelchair as just another piece of equipment.
Find out more about wheelchair tennis here: https://www.lta.org.uk/play/inclusion-disability/wheelchair-tennis/
Para standing tennis is a format of our sport for people with physical impairments who want to play tennis without the use of a wheelchair.
While para standing tennis is an evolving, new format, we want to create more opportunities for the para standing community to play, compete and enjoy our sport. It doesn’t matter your age, background or your level, anyone can play.
Para standing tennis is for anyone with a physical impairment such as limb loss, limb deficiencies, cerebral palsy, acquired brain injuries, and people who are short statured.
Para standing tennis integrates very easily with the non-disabled game as well, so you can play with anyone.
More information can be found here: https://www.lta.org.uk/play/inclusion-disability/para-standing-tennis/
Visually Impaired tennis (also known as VI tennis, Sound tennis or Blind tennis) is one of the leading sports for blind and partially sighted people in the UK.
This format of the game is different to traditional tennis – it’s played on a smaller court with a lower net. Some courts also have tactile lines (B1 only) – so players can touch them – and players also use an audible tennis ball that makes noise so they can hear it bounce and being hit.
VI tennis is open to players of all ages, experience, fitness levels and abilities who have a visual impairment. There are also adaptations that allow families to play together.
More information can be found here: https://www.lta.org.uk/play/inclusion-disability/visually-impaired-tennis/
VI Tennis Providers:
Deaf tennis is for people who have impaired hearing. People who are deaf have different levels of hearing loss, from mild to profound deafness – but everyone is welcome in tennis.
Deaf tennis has a long history in Tennis in Britain and playing the sport requires little adaptations. The vital and most important adaptation is making sure that communication is clear between players, coaches and officials. People can play against other deaf tennis players, and alongside or against non-deaf players, friends and family.
More information can be found here: https://www.lta.org.uk/play/inclusion-disability/deaf-tennis/
Where can I go for further advice?
Please do reach out to us if:
Please email Lyndon Taylor (Inclusive Activity Manager) – Lyndon@hampshireiow.tennis