Inclusive sport has become a fun and effective way to break down prejudices against those with disabilities within our societies. Although people living with disabilities constitute 10% of the global population, due to the stigma attached to intellectual or physical disabilities, disabled children are often denied of social interaction that should be a fundamental right for all. The key to tackling social exclusion lays in education inside the classroom and widening the participation on the sports field.

For there can be no true progress in human development unless its benefits are shared – and to some degree, driven – by the most vulnerable among us  –  Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director.

Greater participation in sport can help change the perception of the community about the capability of different groups and, equally as important, change the children’s perceptions of themselves and their abilities. Success and a sense of pride permeate through all barriers, physical and intellectual and boost feelings of self-esteem; and participation in sport provides the opportunity to gain these benefits.

The establishment of the Children’s Paralympic Committee in Azerbaijan and ‘It’s About Ability’ UNICEF Campaign in Montenegro are illustrations of the positive impact that inclusive sport can have on the society. The difference between the two is that the former has come on the back of success of Azerbaijan’s Paralympic efforts, whereas the latter has come as a result of increased discrimination in Montenegro. They, however, share a common aim to widen participation in sport for the youth with disabilities, alter society’s perception of those with disabilities and, most importantly, entitle to all the access to self-empowerment and the sense of social acceptance.

Children’s Paralympic Committee in Azerbaijan: Establishing a Legacy

Created in 2013, the Committee is a global first aimed at encouraging children with disabilities in Azerbaijan to participate in sports. NPC Azerbaijan President Ilgar Rahimov commented:

This historic event is clear evidence of the government’s care for and attention to the Paralympic movement in the country.

Progress within Azerbaijan is evident; in 1996 just 2 athletes represented the country at Atlanta’s Summer Paralympic Games, however, by 2012 Azerbaijani athletes achieved great success winning 12 medals and finishing high up in the medal table. The National Paralympic Committee, along with UNICEF, remains keen on building  the legacy of Azerbaijan’s recent Paralympic success. They are currently working together to expand the Paralympic movement across the country in preparation for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics.

Sport’s role in the ‘It’s About Ability’ UNICEF Montenegro Campaign: From Despair to Hope

In early 2010, a strong discriminatory attitude aimed at children with physical and intellectual impairments engulfed parts of rural Montenegro.  According to a 2010 KAP survey across Montenegro, almost two-thirds of parents expressed their disagreement with allowing a disabled child to participate in the same class as their own child. Furthermore, a US-funded project that sought to build shelters for disabled children in Danilovgrad provoked angry locals to start a petition against the project, as they did not wish for their community to entertain Montenegro’s impaired youth. This sparked UNICEF Montenegro into action and working alongside the Government the national ‘It’s About Ability’ Campaign has been active for the past 4 years.

The Campaign has been bolstered by visits from famous Paralympic athletes such as the medal-winning Tennis player Peter Norfolk from the United Kingdom. ‘Peter inspired me to start thinking about playing sports, Tennis’, said Marko Otasevic, student of the Resource Centre ran by the Campaign. Peter visited a Resource Centre that was built as part of the Campaign; housing state-of-the-art sports facilities it has served to inspire much of the local youth to take part in sport alongside those with disabilities. By creating social situations for disabled children to engage regularly with other children of their age this has broken down much of the stigma previously evident in parts of Montenegro.

Positively, since 2010, UNICEF Montenegro has witnessed a vast increase in the numbers of disabled children enrolling in schools each year. By promoting friendship that benefits all, regardless of ability, children across Montenegro now regularly take part in ‘Mini Youth Parliaments’ where issues relating to discrimination, abuse and tolerance are openly discussed. The use of sport to promote an inclusive society within Montenegro has been an overwhelming success to date and will continue to be so if it is backed-up with relevant educational schemes in the classroom. It is not surprising that the Campaign won the ‘humanitarian action award in 2010’, voted by members of the public through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. I leave you with the main message of the ‘It’s About Ability’ Campaign:

Where many see difficulties, we see opportunities;

Where many see weakness, we see courage,

Where many see burden, we see love,

Where many stand back, we see our friend,

Where many see obstacles, we see friendship.

If you are interested to learn more about Montenegro’s ‘It’s About Ability’ Campaign you can visit UNICEF.

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Since then autism organization around the world celebrate this day with the aim to raise public awareness about people, especially children, with this disorder. Their inclusion into the society, education and employment are also important objectives.

Autism as a disorder

Autism is a complex developmental disorder of brain function. The first signs usually appear before a child is three years old. People have problems regarding sensory perception, speech, thinking and understanding of social situations. Therefore, their behavior and relationship with the outside world develop differently.

Unlike other mental disorders, it  can be diagnosed at 2 to 3 years of age. Thus, it is important to include children with autism in early education, since many forms of autism can be identified in preschool institutions.

Photo credit: hepingting / Foter / CC BY-SA

Autism and therapy

Numerous studies have shown that music therapy sessions can have a positive effect on behavior in children with autism. You can read about this issue on our blog.

On the occasion of World Autism Awareness Day, Republican Association of Serbia to Help People with Autism last year recorded the song “Original”, written by our friend Luka Mijović, pupil of “Anton Skala” school, to mark this day:

Also, listen to the song created for the same occasion this year: AUTIZAM SRBIJA – Light It Up Blue

Featured image: hepingting / Foter / CC BY-SA

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Growing up different, especially with something that most people don’t have, isn’t easy, but I like to repeat in all my posts that difficult doesn’t mean impossible.

When we talk about extra chromosome, Down syndrome or trisomy 21 come quickly to our mind. This syndrome is the most common behavioural and intellectual disability that characterises about 4 million people throughout the world.

What is Down syndrome?

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of third copy of chromosome 21 which represents the cause of medical and clinical syndrome’s demonstrations.

Trisomy 21 is not a medical disease.

The condition leads to impairments in both cognitive ability and physical growth that range from mild to moderate developmental disabilities.

Fortunately the life expectancy is growing, and, today, a person with Down syndrome generally lives more than 50 years.

Are there common physical problems?

In numerous cases of trisomy 21, people are affected by heart diseases, thyroidal pathologies and visually impaired which need medical support but, in the majority of the cases, they do not undermine their life and growth.

We can recognize people with Down syndrome because of distinct physical characteristic:

• slanting eyes
• short neck and little nose
• small stature
• protruding tongue

Obviously sd people also look like their parent:

• Same hair colour
• Similar character
• Same expressions
• Same habits
• Same idols and passions

Down syndrome affects people of all countries in the world: all religion, ethnic and socio-economic groups.

When a baby with Down syndrome is born, we have to remember 4 key words:

• inclusion
• love
• potential
• independence

Inclusion is what it needs to live a beautiful life.

Love is the basis of life, and it is what a person with Down syndrome gives you like nobody else.

Potential is what the person has inside and it is something which is often not considered when we talk about people with trisomy 21.

Independence is what they are able to reach.

What can children with Down syndrome do?

A child with Down syndrome develops slower than other children, but it can achieve all the basic motor skills!

In fact people with 21 trisomy can:

• walk
• run
• speak
• play
• read
• study
• dream
• love

How can we organize an educational program?

Down syndrome doesn’t need “recovery” or compensation of a particular ability, but a good way to bring out all the potentials is to organize a global educative system.

If your child does something wrong you don’t have to think that the mistake is caused by Down syndrome.

We have to stimulate it like everybody else but in a more intensive way.

In the first year you can help your baby using, for example, coloured toys and you can interact with it telling stories and using visual communication.

The relationship is very important for people with Down syndrome. They have so much love inside that you cannot imagine if you don’t know people like them.

Speech therapy, physiotherapy and special aid teacher can guarantee the permanence of sd child in a school class with normal students.

Remember how important school is!!

Traditional School is better than many medicines, particularly with disabled children.
For example preschool is an enrichment for sd baby and for his family as well.

All the children with Down syndrome need to recognize and have different people with particular educational role: mom, dad, grandpa, teacher, friends.

If an sd child has different experiences in society everyday, it will easily understand the rules of living together.

Simple but operative exercises:

• To focus its attention for example at dinner, you can keep the spoon close, in front of the child’s eyes, helping it to repeat what you are going to do – later on its own.
• Give an sd child examples and encourage it to do things: wash your hands, showing a child how to do it, do it together and then repeat this action many times. Finally, it will understand how and when to do it all alone.
• Raise their self confidence! They need to feel appreciated to do the best.
• Have the same approach with an sd child like you have with everybody else. Don’t be scared.
• If it doesn’t have particular pathologies, one of the best way to grow up is sport.

There is one of the most instructive examples of inclusion in Serbia, thanks to rugby. Watch this video showing a magical way to include people with Down syndrome and how many things they are able to do!

References:

• http://www.cbdown.it/index.php/sindrome-di-down/storia/17-storia
• http://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org/italy
• http://www.aipd.it/cms/files/Educazione_libretto_3_AIPD.pdf
• http://www.seeandlearn.org/en-gb/
• http://www.dsaco.net/faq

Photo credit

• Andreas-photography / Foter.com / CC BY-NC
• Andreas-photography / Foter.com / CC BY-NC
• ~Rich Johnson~ / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA
• James Cridland / Foter.com / CC BY

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For this reason full inclusion of children with disabilities is an important goal that the school system should pursue through high planning and quality by increasing the effort towards staff training and local resources.

A specific programme adopted for a particular student may turn out to be of importance for other students as well.

A “special child” needs a joint academic, psychological and physical assistance that may include physiotherapy, speech therapy and much more. But we need to be careful, such a system cannot be considered an alternative to traditional school but an important “complementary ally” of it.

Too many people still think that it is not instructional to include students with disabilities in a traditional school system but often these people do not realise that a full inclusion improves not only special children’s life but also “normal” student’s ones.

Fortunately there are different examples to prove the opposite. One of these is the story of Nick Vuijcic, a 30-year-old man who was born in Australia with a shocking medical pathology: he has no limbs but just 2 fingers in the left foot.

For this reason the young Nick was not admitted to traditional school courses but thanks to his family’s efforts and laws rebuilding, he had the possibility to be one of the first children who attended a mainstream school system.

Early inclusion allowed him to follow a school programme with other children, developing many different skills that also include writing with his left foot.

But being special also meant difficulties: bullying was one of the worst enemies of young Nick. Maybe even worse than his disability itself.

Nick was able to overcome this bad situation with the help of his relatives and by learning various stories similar to his, Nick started focusing on his abilities instead on his limitations.

Speaking to a janitor at his school, Nick started to tell his story to other people and make them involved in his life.

This experience allowed him to be more confident and to find a new strength in him.

After this experience “a new Nick” was born: he was no longer a bullied guy, but he became a famous and loved motivator. Thanks to early inclusion and the possibility to set an example for other people, he is now one of the successful and happiest men in the world and especially a loved husband and father.

http://www.attitudeisaltitude.com/about-nick-his-story
Find out Nick Vujicic’s special life

http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/
Read more about Nick Vujicic “Life without limbs” organization.

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