AtkinsRéalis partners with British Wheelchair Basketball

The initial agreement runs through to 2028 and will cover the World Championships in Ottawa this September, the European Championships in Liverpool in 2027, and the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

The collaboration combines AtkinsRéalis’ engineering and design expertise with the lived experience of British Wheelchair Basketball’s athletes, creating opportunities to inform more accessible, inclusive design in the built environment, while enhancing the team’s elite performance. The partnership will drive innovation, particularly in inclusive infrastructure, alongside targeted R&D to optimise training environments for athletes. 

Together, the organisations also aim to challenge misconceptions about disability and demonstrate everyone has the potential to compete and excel at the highest level.

Chris Ball, President UK and Ireland, AtkinsRéalis, said:

“We're bringing an engineering mindset to this partnership, asking what's possible and where we can help find the marginal gains that make a difference at the elite level. British Wheelchair Basketball's athletes already demonstrate what high performance looks like, our role is to support them as they go for gold in Ottawa, Liverpool and Los Angeles. That same approach drives our inclusive design work across the built environment: designing out barriers and challenging assumptions so that the infrastructure and environments we create work for everyone.”

Justine Baynes, CEO, British Wheelchair Basketball, said:

“We are extremely proud to announce news of our new partnership with AtkinsRéalis. It’s incredibly valuable that we share the same beliefs and values as AtkinsRéalis, and are thrilled to be working closely with a global business leader. This partnership will help us make major strides towards achieving our strategic goals, and will greatly benefit wheelchair basketball within this country.”

The collaboration reflects AtkinsRéalis’ broader work on inclusive design, embedding accessibility into the infrastructure and environments it helps to create. From transport systems and stations to public spaces, AtkinsRéalis supports clients to implement inclusive places, including through project design, developing new standards and industry guidance, helping to create places that work for everyone.

AtkinsRéalis has played a key role in advancing transport accessibility, including leading the Department for Transport’s accessibility audit of 2,500 UK rail stations to improve network-wide inclusivity and contributing to its research on evolving wheelchair dimensions; supporting HS2 to deliver more inclusive facilities on high-speed rail platforms; and design of Battersea Power Station’s fully accessible London Underground entrance.

As well as leading accessibility improvements across a range of built environment projects, such as the James Watt South Lecture Theatre at the University of Glasgow, AtkinsRéalis has supported the Department for Education in developing new guidance on inclusive learning environments for children with special educational needs (SEND), drawing on its expertise in the design of SEND schools across the UK.

The company has also achieved Disability Confident Leader status, the highest level (Level 3) of the UK Government’s Disability Confident employer scheme and has established employee resource groups which support colleagues with disabilities or health conditions.

About AtkinsRéalis

Created by the integration of long-standing organizations dating back to 1911, AtkinsRéalis is a world-class engineering services and nuclear company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. The breadth and depth of our capabilities are delivered to clients in strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear and Capital.  News and information are available at www.atkinsrealis.com or follow us on LinkedIn

About British Wheelchair Basketball

British Wheelchair Basketball is the national governing body for wheelchair basketball in the UK. It is a registered charity and representative body of wheelchair basketball in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

British Wheelchair Basketball is responsible for delivering the sport at all levels, from grassroots to the GB teams who compete at the Paralympic Games. It runs domestic leagues and competitions, coaching and development programmes and qualifications for coaches and officials, and supports a network of clubs across the country. British Wheelchair Basketball also runs the GB elite performance programme and the development pathways that underpin it.