When Sport Access Foundation first offered grants to help children with a disability to participate in sport, we received 27 applications.

This year, when we launched the annual grants program we received 100.

Only being able to provide four grants was a challenge. There were so many worthy young athletes.

As Christmas loomed on the calendar we wanted to find a way to thank the 96 applicants who’d missed out on a grant this year.

So we called on our amazing sponsors - BlueScope, BMD Group, Harvey Norman, King & Wood Mallesons and Tagzart Design - to help us out. They have all generously committed to helping us raise $50 for each young athlete.

Now - we need you! We need your support to help us raise funds for these young athletes who face significant hurdles just to make the starting line.

To give you an idea of their challenges - read below for the full list of disabilities across the 100 applicants. Read this and you start to get a sense of what they and their parents and carers face each day.

Help us simply by donating from as little as $10 and it will go straight towards our 96 applicants for Christmas. All donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Over 25 days we'll share the story of a number of these applicants on social media. To help raise awareness and funds - please like and share on: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

There will also be an opportunity for others to donate to the Foundation to help fund our future grants programs.

Our aim is not only to provide the $50 gift, but to raise awareness of the support these young people, and their families, need to achieve their sporting dreams.

The 25 Days of Christmas Posts will profile our applicants, their sporting career to date, and the challenges they face as they strive to achieve their very best.

If we all Give Small, our young Athletes can Dream Big.

#GiveSmallDreamBig

Disabilities of our 2018 Applicants

• Tourette’s Syndrome
• Autism
• Intellectual disability
• Transverse Myelitis
• Vision impairment – Blind, partially vision impaired, retinal dystrophy, bilateral optic atrophy
• Sensory Nystagmus
• Perthes Disease
• Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
• Infantile Congenital Scoliosis
• Acquired Brain Injury
• Arnold Chiari Malformation
• Klippel Fiel Syndrome
• Hearing impairment – Deaf, severe to profound hearing Loss, cochlear implant/hearing aids
• Oculocutaneous Albinism
• Cerebral Palsy Spastic Diplegic
• Congenital Deformity of right hand
• Nystagmus (involuntary movement of the eye)
• Cerebral Palsy
• Epilepsy and Autism
• Undiagnosed severe and permanent progressive disorder of spinal cord
• Kyphoscoliosis with heme-vertebrae and rib anomalies
• Clubfeet and joint hypomobility
• Classic Autism & Intellectual Disability
• Amputee – upper and lower body, including Bi-lateral leg amputee, Right leg through knee, below the knee
• Osteogenesis imperfecta
• Congenital Upper left limb difference
• Spastic diplegic cerebral palsy
• Down Syndrome
• Cerebral Palsy, left hemisphereotomy
• Bilateral Peters Anomaly
• Rieger Syndrome
• Usher Syndrome
• Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP)
• Cerebral Palsy Spastic Diplegia
• Congenital Arm Abnormality- Radiohumeral Synostosis with Type 4 Ulnar Deficiency and Thumb Aplasia
• Ataxia
• Arthrogryposis, bilateral club feet, and HFASD.

To donate, please click below.