Reasonable Adjustments for Neurodivergent Rugby Coaches: Making Rugby More Accessible for Coaches Too
When we talk about inclusion in rugby, we often focus on players and making sure everyone has an opportunity to participate, feel welcome and enjoy the game. But what about the people coaching them? Neurodivergent people are already part of rugby clubs in all sorts of roles: players, coaches, volunteers, committee members, team managers, referees and administrators- even if they haven’t broadcast it, or don’t know it themselves. Yet the environments we create aren’t always designed with neurodivergent people in mind. For a neurodivergent coach, something that seems small or insignificant to everyone else can sometimes create a substantial barrier to doing their role effectively. And that struggle affects not only them but cascades down to their players too. The good news? Many adjustments are incredibly simple. And importantly, reasonable adjustments aren’t about giving someone an unfair advantage or lowering expectations. They’re about removing unnecessary barriers so that s...