Page 53 - Sportability

A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

FOR CHILDREN WITH

DISABILITIES

ADITYA K.V.
(Founder and CEO - Umoya Sports)

t our Khushboo welfare society, Harsh, a • Lack of physical activity and opportunities to engage
10-year-old child comes walking towards us, in play/fitness leading to physical and mental health
Adrawing our attention to his Superman-themed challenges
mask. Afflicted with cerebral palsy (CP) and intellectual
disability, Harsh is like any other child – eager to play, The idea for Umoya Sports originated from a singular
run, and make conversations despite lacking verbal belief that sports and play benefit all, equally. We
skills. He shows patience as he waits for his turn. He celebrate the differences in our children and eliminate
even cheers his friends from the sidelines. Quick wins, barriers to play, not just physical but also those of
high-fives, and verbal praise motivate him to keep at instruction and language, introducing adaptations
the activities and not give up. This child, who used to within activities to make play more inclusive for all
be quiet; had limited social interactions; and needed children.
physical support, today, he not only performs activities
confidently but if asked to model the instructions for Based on the gaps we have identified, we follow a ‘3C’
his peers, he does not shy away. program philosophy to build our annual sports and
play-based education program.
Inclusive play philosophy
Play is the first form of learning for children, it brings • Curriculum - Our holistic sports and play-based
joy and builds exploratory and socio-emotional skills, education programmes are curated keeping the
but unfortunately, it is also the first form of exclusion needs of children with (intellectual and locomotor
for children with disabilities. An estimated eight million disabilities and developmental disorders) and
children (aged under 19 years) years live with some without disabilities. The programme focuses on
form of disability in India, and only 1 in 5 children with building foundational movement (developmental)
disabilities play sports. Over 70 percent of parents skills in sports, such as football, basketball, and
and schools have reported that a lack of participation athletics; and effective participation in society
for a child with a disability (CwD) added to their social through developing life skills, such as problem-
isolation and lack of confidence solving, critical thinking, and social skills, such as
teamwork, confidence, and empathy.
We have identified three specific challenges faced by
CwDs. We refer to these as the ‘Inclusive Education Over the years, we have observed and also received
crisis’: feedback from teachers that the children have higher
retention and are also more focused in class after a
• Lack of quality contextual programs providing sports or play session. One such story from the field is
holistic development and skill development as per of Bittoo and his grit and cognitive development. He is
the disabilities and requirements for CwDs one of our athletes who was very shy at the beginning
and was hesitant to participate in sports. Within six
• Lack of social skills because of denial of participation months, he has not only begun to love to play football
due to social stigma and misconceptions towards and waits eagerly for the sports sessions but has also
CwDs improved his cognitive skills. Recently, he surprised us
all by solving one side of the Rubik’s Cube. There has

45