Sport at the service of people with disabilities is the central topic of the subject Technical Theory and Didactics of Motor Education and Adapted Sports Activity at the three-year degree course in Motor Sciences, Sports and Health at the University of Florence. During the practical module, students participated in lessons on adapted motor activities at the Val di Rose facility of the University Sports Center (CUS Firenze). The goal of this proposal, put forward by researcher Riccardo Bravi, is to show how physical exercise can contribute to well-being in individuals with disabilities.
Professor Bravi, what are adapted motor activities?
For sake of simplicity, this expression refers to the set of disciplines that concern motor activities and adapted sports for people with motor, sensory and intellectual disabilities. These activities are often proposed at the end of a rehabilitation path and are enjoying an increasing appreciation because, in addition to promoting an active lifestyle in people with disabilities, they are aimed at identifying and resolving personal differences between individuals in society, being based on the deep-rooted attitude of acceptance of individual differences.
What are the main benefits associated with these activities?
It is well-known that exercise produces benefits also on the cognitive and emotional sphere, as well as on our bodies. Adapted motor activities in particular, are crucial in the process of renegotiating the identity of an individual who has undergone a dramatic change in their life following the onset of a disease, and, by influencing perceptions of the person's quality of life, they are able to facilitate the transition to the new condition. Conducted outside of the hospital setting, moreover, sports activities cancel out any differences with others and give those who practice them an enhanced sense of freedom.
How have these experiences found a place within your teaching?
In October, I organized a lecture entitled "Wheelchair Tennis as a Tool for Social Inclusion" at which a tennis player with spinal cord injury spoke. In November, I offered students Sitting Volleyball, a type of volleyball that is played sitting down intended for individuals who have a loss of voluntary movement control in the lower limbs.
How have students embraced this change?
They responded with interest, showing an appreciation for the educational and training dimension within which the theme of disability is placed. They were also very surprised to see the potential of these activities. One class was attended by two people with spinal cord injury who I had involved in a motor training program for a scientific trial. In a video, the students saw what level of independence these people had before the motor training and realized the progress they had made at the conclusion of the program, in terms of balance and walking skills.
How will you pursue this activity within your teaching? What is the outlook for next year?
In mid-January, I will be offering students an adapted Pilates class aimed at people with Parkinson's disease. As a matter of fact, the Pilates method has been shown to reduce the risk of falling, significantly affecting the quality of life of these individuals.
Next year I aim to introduce some new adapted sports activities related to athletics, basketball and artistic disciplines such as dance. In the longer term, I would also like to introduce Motor Sciences students to activities for people with sensory and intellectual disabilities.
