{"id":705110,"date":"2026-05-30T22:20:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T22:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/705110\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T22:20:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T22:20:14","slug":"periods-prove-a-big-barrier-for-disabled-womens-participation-in-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/705110\/","title":{"rendered":"Periods prove a big barrier for disabled women’s participation in sport"},"content":{"rendered":"

When she’s in the pool, Vanessa Ozols feels safe and accepted for who she is.<\/p>\n

As a national-level swimmer with a disability, the community the 20-year-old has formed with other Para swimmers in her training squad means everything.<\/p>\n

“I just feel like I have this level of understanding with them, and a strong bond,” Ozols told ABC Sport.<\/p>\n

But it hasn’t always felt that way.<\/p>\n

When Ozols first started menstruating, managing her period was a challenge, so she would have to skip training sessions.<\/p>\n

\"Vanessa<\/p>\n

Difficulties using period products, like tampons, led Vanessa Ozols to try period swimwear. (ABC News: Fletcher Yeung)<\/p>\n

Ozols lives with autism, an intellectual impairment, and a rare genetic disorder called hereditary angioedema, which causes swelling all over the body, so using period products like tampons didn’t work.<\/p>\n

“[It would] feel sore and uncomfortable,” she said.<\/p>\n

“On days when I’ve had my period, I just didn’t feel very motivated to swim.”<\/p>\n

Only around 12 per cent of disabled women regularly participate in sport, due to a lack of opportunity, funding and access.<\/p>\n

And when it comes to periods, Ozols isn’t the only one who struggles.<\/p>\n

Disabled athletes skipping sport in big numbers\u00a0<\/p>\n

New research from Victoria University and national period charity Share the Dignity shows 68 per cent of disabled girls and women are regularly skipping sport because of their period.<\/p>\n

The vast majority of the 273 people who responded to the survey regularly engaged in sport at all levels. Swimming was the most popular activity.<\/p>\n

Victoria University lead researcher Clare Hanlon said sport should be accessible to everyone, and it was time to address the impact menstruation was having.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Clare Hanlon says research into how menstruation impacts disabled women’s participation in sport is groundbreaking. (ABC News: Patrick Stone)<\/p>\n

“We wanted to identify how and what needs to occur to change this,” Professor Hanlon said.<\/p>\n

Over a third of respondents avoided sport because they didn’t have access to the period products they needed.<\/p>\n

Many didn’t feel comfortable using pads, tampons and menstrual cups because of sensory issues, while others with physical disabilities didn’t have the dexterity to use some products.<\/p>\n

Worries about leakage were a concern, which in turn affected confidence. Inaccessible and dirty toilets and change rooms also contributed to period anxiety.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Communication between Vanessa Ozols and her coach Gavin Stewart has been key to Ozols’s success in the pool. (ABC News: Fletcher Yeung)<\/p>\n

A lack of education and communication was also a significant issue, with 61 per cent of respondents unsure how to discuss their period needs with sports staff.<\/p>\n

Professor Hanlon said this research presented opportunities for national sporting organisations, local clubs and period product suppliers to adapt to the needs of the disability community.<\/p>\n

“Our findings showed the importance of asking individuals about what their needs are and that not one solution fits all,” she said.<\/p>\n

Researchers believe a lot can be done when it comes to finding solutions.<\/p>\n

Professor Hanlon said better communication between athletes and coaches was a good place to start, as well as increasing funding for period underwear, heat pads and wipes.<\/p>\n

“All of this needs to be considered in order to create an environment where participants feel welcome and included,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Vanessa Ozols wishes period swimwear had come along sooner. (ABC News: Fletcher Yeung)<\/p>\n

‘The power to be able to swim’<\/p>\n

Swimming Australia is one sporting organisation that has made changes to accommodate the menstrual needs of girls and women.<\/p>\n

It developed inclusive swimwear guidelines in 2021 to cover considerations around gender, disability and religion, including period swimwear.<\/p>\n

The guidelines state that anyone can use hygiene swimwear and it doesn’t need to be approved by officials, something that Ozols didn’t know when competing at the state championships.<\/p>\n

Discovering period swimwear changed the way Ozols could not only train but also compete when she had her period.<\/p>\n

“They have given me the power to be able to swim and not miss a single session,” Ozols said.<\/p>\n

Sarah Greenaway is the founder of Eltee Sydney, which makes period underwear for swimming.<\/p>\n

It contains a waterproof layer with a seal to prevent water from getting to the gusset.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Sarah Greenaway is passionate about keeping girls in sport. (ABC News: Fletcher Yeung)<\/p>\n

Ms Greenaway designed her version of the swimwear, which fits under normal swimming costumes, to help keep girls in sport, including her own daughter, Cleo.<\/p>\n

“It took her dropping out of swimming for me to think, ‘Oh, there’s got to be a solution,'” Ms Greenaway said.<\/p>\n

“The mission [is] being able to give girls the ability to stay in the pool and to be able to enjoy the things they enjoy and keep them healthy and active.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Cleo Greenaway does not swim anymore, but still plays netball and soccer. (ABC News: Fletcher Yeung)<\/p>\n

And she wants more awareness around guidelines like Swimming Australia’s.<\/p>\n

“There needs to be a strategy and a rollout to really make people understand what it is, what it means,” Ms Greenaway said.<\/p>\n

Knowledge, guidelines, key to participation<\/p>\n

It’s hoped that other sporting organisations will follow Swimming Australia’s lead to keep disabled girls and women in sport.<\/p>\n

“One of the key benefits of sport is the mental, physical and social health [it] provides for individuals,” Professor Hanlon said.<\/p>\n

“If we know that support is out there, more people with disability will be encouraged to play sport more often.”<\/p>\n

\"Fours<\/p>\n

Vanessa Ozols’s swimming squad has made her feel welcome and safe to be herself. (ABC News: Fletcher Yeung)<\/p>\n

For Ozols, it was not just about achieving success at the Nationals; it was about regular participation and spending time with friends.<\/p>\n

“It makes everything easier, and you can just focus on other things,” Ozols said.<\/p>\n

“I wish that they had created period swimwear a very long time ago \u2026 wearing inclusive underwear has given me that freedom and that comfort, and I feel very confident in them.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When she’s in the pool, Vanessa Ozols feels safe and accepted for who she is. As a national-level…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":705111,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[64,63,7110,340827,647,15993,163723,15996,343058,3289,343060,15999,85,670,343059,284973],"class_list":["post-705110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-disability","tag-hereditary-angioedema","tag-melbourne","tag-menstruation","tag-para-sport","tag-period-products","tag-period-swimwear","tag-periods","tag-professor-clare-hanlon","tag-share-the-dignity","tag-sports","tag-sydney","tag-vanessa-ozols","tag-victoria-university"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=705110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705110\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/705111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=705110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=705110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=705110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}