The Korean Paralympics of March 2018 (2018 PyeongChang Paralympics) were the stimulus and opportunity to start this project that aims to reawaken interest in snow sports in those young people who have suffered an accident.
There are three categories of disability in winter sports disciplines: sitting, standing and visually impaired (paraplegics or those using a wheelchair, people with a disability in the upper limbs or one lower limb, visually impaired or blind people).
One of the aims, within the groups involved, is to highlight those with the highest propensity to get involved in competitive sport, providing individuals with in-depth knowledge of the individual disciplines and the related athletic training.
The funded project
The project addresses a large number of beneficiaries (schools, spinal units, etc.) that will be presented with the reality of snow sports. All the people reached will be able to engage in any discipline for recreational purposes, while the further goal of the project is to involve the highest number of people possible in competitive sport, with special attention to girls who generally find it more difficult to resume normal life.
Practising sport by people with disabilities provides them with greater autonomy and integration into society. Moreover, getting involved in competitive sport makes them aware of overcoming obstacles that were thought to be insurmountable. The project aims to demonstrate that, even after a significant trauma, it is positive to get involved in sport, also on the snow; in particular, with the help of testimonials and by practising sport, the aim is to increase self-esteem and awareness of the possibility of a normal and rewarding life.
A capillary network and dedicated courses
The people reached will be followed by the individual clubs affiliated with FISIP through dedicated courses, divided into theoretical and practical lessons, entrusted to instructors with teaching qualification for the disabled. Federal representatives will go to the clubs to verify the work carried out and identify the most suitable people to be involved in competitive sport. Knowledge and interpersonal relationships with the families of the boys and girls involved will be decisive.
Who it is addressed to
The project is aimed at young people attending secondary school and university, together with those who have had an accident at work.
It involves the entire national territory and mainly concerns the places where it is easier to find people with physical/sensorial (visual) disabilities belonging to that age group where there is still a strong interest in competitive activity.
Name of the project: Winter sports as a tool for integration for young people with disabilities, with particular regard to girls
Name of the proposing entity: FISIP
Area of intervention: Inclusion & Social Development
Starting date: September 2018
End date: April 2019