The Kenya Paralympics Committee last Saturday rolled out a flagship adaptive sports project for persons with disabilities. The projects aim at training a team of sitting basket wheelchair basket ball, goal ball and sitting volleyball.
Mr Stanley Mutuma, the Project Officer says the project is targeting persons with disability who he says are vulnerable and mostly neglected in the society.
The project, the first of its kind, held at Thika Primary School for the Blind, brought together about 20 persons with physical disability and persons without sight.
The project is sponsored the International Paralympics Committee.
Mr Jotham Makokha , Thika primary School for the Blind head teacher ,says that adaptive sports are will encourage more children to participate in games. He added that the sports are good for the physical fittness of Persons with disabilities. He says it will also help them explore professional sports as a career.
“This children are very talent I f only given the opportunity,” say Mr Makokha
Everlyne Kalunde a class six girl is optimistic that her new skills in goal ball will help compete international.
The project is set to foster teamwork among persons with disability and those without. It bring together teachers, parents and pupils in order to engrave a working relation.
According to Mr. Mutuma, adaptive sports will encourage children with disability to go to school where they can learn and also play.
Goal ball is a team sport designed for persons with sight impairment.
It is played in teams of threes, whereby they try to throw the ball that has bells into the opponent’s goal. Teams alternate throwing or rolling the ball from one end of the playing area to the other, and players remain in the area of their own goal from one end of the playing field to the other.
Blindfold allows partially sighted players to compete on an equal footing with blind players. Players must use the sound of the bell to judge the position and movement of the ball. Games consist of two 12 minutes halves.
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