P is for Preclusion

A key aspect of my work involves addressing participation. Economic, cultural, community, civic and sports participation. In that context, P is for participation. It’s in the policy documents, the strategy papers, the funding applications, the speeches at conferences and events. Everyone is seemingly for participation. We want everyone to participate, hooray! 🎉 But if you’ve ever tried to navigate the systems designed to enable it, you might wonder if P is actually for Preclusion; being shut out before you’ve even begun. This morning I needed to print, complete, scan and email a 14-page form so my child could participate in a 100-metre race. Rant to follow: A. 14-page. Form. Courtesy of a Government Department. Walls of text. For my child to run in a 100-metre race. Imagine I don’t have a university degree and English isn’t my first language. Some policy person or department thought this was a great idea? Couldn’t we get a two-page form in plain English with a link to more information…