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Press release by AtkinsRéalis, which can also be viewed here

AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear company, today announces a new partnership with British Wheelchair Basketball, the UK’s national governing body for the sport and a registered charity. 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: 
“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:
“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.