DISABLED supporters are set to take centre stage tomorrow with the Pars using the match with Hibernian as a 'disability awareness day'.

The initiative is designed to highlight the problems faced by disabled football fans and how they can be overcome, with a number of events taking place on the day.

Fans attending the match will be given information about disability and the Dunfermline Athletic Disabled Supporters Club (DADSC) upon entering the ground, while a bucket collection will take place to raise funds to help give wheelchair access to the function suites within the Main Stand by way of an external lift.

Merchandise from the DADSC will also be available from a stall within the Norrie McCathie Stand, Sammy the Tammy will perform a routine relating to disability and the club's matchday programme will include a number of special features on disabled Pars fans.

Both teams will be escorted onto the pitch by disabled supporters from each club, while the Pars players will wear specially-commissioned one-off shirts featuring the DADSC badge, which will be auctioned off to raise funds for the lift project.

Paralympian Craig Rodgie will meet guests in hospitality while local athletes who have competed in the Special Olympics will parade around the touchline, possibly joined by some of Team GB's Rio Paralympic stars. There will also be half-time entertainment provided by disabled children from the Pars Foundation's 'Rising Stars' programme.

While East End has been voted by members of the Scottish Disabled Supporters Association (SDSA) as having Scotland's best facilities for disabled supporters, Pars general manager Michael Mlotkiewicz said: "Dunfermline Athletic takes its responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 very seriously, and we’re constantly looking at ways to improve the matchday experience, both for our own and for visiting disabled supporters. We’re proud of what we have achieved so far, but there is still a lot to do."

Club chairman Ross McArthur commented: "Since our club reformed as a community club, after it came out of administration under Pars United CIC, the board of DAFC wanted our club to be accessible to all supporters and we proudly boast 31 wheelchair spaces, and 12 ambulant disabled spaces for the benefit of both home and away supporters.

"Saturday is all about raising awareness of the work the Dunfermline Athletic Disabled Supporters Club (DADSC), and formerly the Disabled Access Group, undertake alongside our club in trying to not only improve facilities for home and away disabled supporters attending East End Park, but also improving their match day experience. However, Saturday is not to be seen as a “one off” day, it is only part of an ongoing project of continual improvement.

"We should all be proud that East End Park was recently awarded, by some distance from Dundee FC in second place, the highest possible rating for facilities and underlying infrastructure for disabled supporters in Scotland.
"Many people have worked together as a team to make this happen."

John Simpson, secretary of DADSC, added: "We are very grateful to DAFC, not only for what the club has done so far in improving facilities for disabled supporters, but now for this chance to show both the problems and the achievements of disabled people. We want all Pars and Hibs fans to “see the person, not the disability."