Breaking barriers between disabled and able-bodied sport
"Supportive and accepting parents and caring staff at Project Life make having a disability so much easier'
It is sad to see normal activities people encounter each day, such as understanding something at the first go, walking down the road and even listening to their favourite song being taken for granted. How many of us actually take the time to sit down and reflect on how much we are able to do with our bodies? How different would our lives be if we were unable to hear, walk, or even see?
This is the reality for people who have some sort of disability, people who have lost their vision, hearing, the ability to walk or suffer from a learning disability. On Saturday, May 30 Project Life hosted their Special Needs Athletic Programme (SNAP) at Lambert Park from 10am. SNAP was developed due to the demand for specialised aid for children who require exceptional care and teaching for their learning and development.
A disability can have negative impact on the individual as it can stop them from engaging in activities that they otherwise would like to become involved in. This can be demoralising and have a detrimental impact on an individual’s mental health, self-esteem and confidence. Disabled people come in many shapes and sizes and each experiences their disability differently to others, regardless of having the same medical diagnosis.
It can mean that a disabled person may not move, think, hear, see, read, behave or look exactly the same way as how society deems as an ‘ordinary’ person should. Friday, May 29 commemorated International Disability Day and SNAP aimed at highlighting the abilities of the disabled.Project Life’s staff, students, their family and new-found friends gathered to have loads of fun.
They braved the stigmatisation, isolation and many other challenges Project Life students have to deal with daily. The Estcourt High Interact Club said in unison: “Supportive and accepting parents and caring staff at Project Life make having a disability so much easier, is also made them value their abilities a lot more than they have.”
Project Life staff would like to sincerely thank all attendees for spending the day, as well as all sponsors who made the day memorable.
All present enjoyed a day of fun filled activities challenging one’s abilities. “Determination, faith and unity brought us together. Empathy was our vision and it was achieved.No monetary value can be attached to the smiles and love spread. What we had initially planned as a fundraiser turned out to be a day of giving. We plan to host many more of these events in years to come as teambuilding. We all learnt the art of love, support and unity,” said Desiree Moonsamy.
