Introduction

Even though international development through sport related to persons with a disability is for many organisations a new field, organizations like Handicap International ( website), Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation ( website) have been working on international development through sport programmes for years now. In these cases development of sport is not the primary focus, but is the vehicle for international development.

For example Right To Play is starting their first disability focused programme in Ethiopia while the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) got seriously involved in this area in 2003; before the focus of IPC was mainly on sport development internationally.

Below you will find a brief overview of the history of sport for persons with a disability. Also, a description of trends policies and trends in policies and programmes is presented.

Organisations

For example the following organisations undertake activities in the international development through sport context:

• DCDD
• International Paralympic Committee
• Handicap International
• Landmine Survivor's Network
• NebasNsg
• RESPO International
• Right To Play
• SCORE
• Terre des Hommes
• Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation

This is just an illustration of organisations active in the field.