About
Tennis NSW is committed to embracing diversity by ensuring our sport and events are welcoming, safe and inclusive for everyone. We believe that being inclusive is reflecting the diversity of our local communities and that everyone should have the opportunity to be included and engaged through tennis in a way that is positive and meaningful.
Inclusion is about providing choice for people to participate in sport in a way that they feel comfortable. As well as mainstream tennis opportunities, there are a variety of initiatives that people with an intellectual disability or autism can choose to participate in.
AM I ELIGIBLE?
| Classification | Eligibility Criteria | PWII Tennis Tournaments |
| II-1 Intellectual disability |
– full-scale IQ score of 75 or lower; – significant limitations in adaptive behaviour; – onset before age 18 |
– PWII Silver Series – PWII State Tournaments – Australian Tennis Championships – Virtus World Tennis Championships – Global Games – Special Olympics Events |
| II-2 Significant intellectual disability (this group is currently restricted to athletes with Down syndrome – excluding Mosaic DS) |
– a formal diagnosis of Trisomy 21 or Translocation Down syndrome; – for safety, athletes must not have symptomatic Atlantoaxial Instability (AAI) – athletes with Mosaic Down syndrome may compete in II-1 above |
– PWII Silver Series – PWII State Tournaments – Australian Tennis Championships – Virtus World Tennis Championships – Global Games – Special Olympics Events |
| II-3 High Functioning Autism |
– a full-scale IQ score of above 75, OR a diagnosis of no intellectual disability, and; – a formal diagnosis of Autism or ASD Note: athletes with Autism who meet the criteria for II-1 Intellectual Disability will be classified in that class |
– PWII Silver Series – PWII State Tournaments – Australian Tennis Championships – Special Olympics Events |
| Special Olympics We acknowledge that some athletes with an intellectual disability may not fall into one of the above classifications. For these athletes, there are a number of Special Olympic events they may be eligible to compete in. More information: http://specialolympics.com.au/index.php/join/ |
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| Want more information on how to get classified, or what’s required? Sport inclusion Australia: https://sportinclusionaustralia.org.au/eligibility/ Special Olympics Australia: http://specialolympics.com.au/index.php/join/eligibility |
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Intellectual Disability & Autism Sporting Organisations
Sport Inclusion Australia
Sport Inclusion Australia (SIA) formerly AUSRAPID, is a national sporting organisation established in 1986 to assist the inclusion of people with an intellectual disability into the mainstream community using sport as the medium. Sport Inclusion Australia has worked within the Australian sporting sector with outstanding success and is proud of the increasing numbers of sporting organisations and clubs taking responsibility for inclusion with the focus on ability and based on social inclusion principles.
Visit www.sportinclusionaustralia.org.au.
Special Olympics Australia
Special Olympics has grown from a backyard camp into a global movement that has been transforming the lives of people with an intellectual disability for almost 50 years. The global sporting community was pioneered by the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister to US President John F Kennedy as well as Rosemary, who had an intellectual disability. Today, Special Olympics supports over 5 million athletes in 177 countries.
Special Olympic Australia provides participants with an intellectual disability or autism opportunities to play sport, and to open doors to personal achievement, pride and inclusion.
Visit www.specialolympics.com.au.
Tennis Australia PWII Talent Pathway
Click here for more information on the Tennis Australia PWII Talent Pathway.
NSW