Unit – 4 Physical Education and Sports for CWSN (Children with Special Needs–Divyang)

Organizations promoting Disability Sports (Special Olympics; Paralympics; Deaflympics)

Special Olympics:

Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities
and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified
Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Olympics competitions are held every day, all around the world—
including local, national, and regional competitions, adding up to more than 100,000 events a year. Like the
International Paralympic Committee, the Special Olympics organization is recognized by the International
Olympic Committee; however, unlike the Paralympic Games, Special Olympics World Games are not held in
the same year or in conjunction with the Olympic Games.

Mission

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety
of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing
opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of
gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

When are Special Olympics World Games held?

Special Olympics World Games are held every two years, alternating with Summer and Winter Games. The
next Special Olympics World Games be Special Olympics World Games in 2023 in Berlin, Germany.

Our most recent Games were the Special Olympics World Games in March 2019 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The first Special Olympics International Summer Games were held in Chicago, Illinois, USA, in 1968. and first
World Winter Games were held in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA, in 1977.

In addition to the World Games, Special Olympics holds competitions at the local, state/province, country,
region, and world level every year. In all, more than 100,000 Special Olympics competitions are held every
year.

Who is eligible to participate in Special Olympics?

To be eligible to participate in Special Olympics, you must be at least 8 years old and identified by an agency or
professional as having one of the following conditions: intellectual disabilities, cognitive delays as measured by
formal assessment, or significant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delay that require or have
required specially designed instruction. The Special Olympics Young Athletes™ program was created for
children with intellectual disabilities ages 2 through 7.

What is the Special Olympics athlete oath?

"Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

Why use the term "Special"?

In the 1960s, when Special Olympics was founded, "retarded" was the acceptable term to describe people with
intellectual disabilities. This was a time when people with intellectual disabilities were routinely
institutionalized because their gifts and talents were not recognized.

That's why Eunice Kennedy Shriver wanted to use language that was positive language that would help set an
upbeat tone. There were many conversations about words that could best describe an exceptional group of
people. Eunice Kennedy Shriver saw the adjective "special" as a way to define the unique gifts of adults and
children with intellectual disabilities. Starting with the very first Special Olympics International Games in 1968,
she wanted to dwell on our athletes' abilities, not disabilities.

What does the Special Olympics logo signify?

The Special Olympics logo depicts five figures in a unifying circle, symbolizing our global presence.

The figures have arms in a lowered position, recalling the time when many people were unaware of the talents
and abilities of adults and children with intellectual disabilities—a time before the founding of Special
Olympics.

The straight arms describe a greater equality and outreach. The raised arms represent "joy", and continued
realization of ultimate goals.

Historic Roots

Soon after President John F. Kennedy took office in 1961, his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, launched a
crusade to change the way the world treated or ignored mental retardation. This program gained credence as the
Kennedys disclosed that one of their own, Rosemary Kennedy, had mental retardation.

Throughout the 1960s, Eunice Shriver's commitment saw not only landmark legislation dealing with mental
disabilities and disability rights but was also instrumental in bringing mental retardation out of the darkness and
into the light of public acceptance.

The genesis of Special Olympics was a summer day camp that Sargent and Eunice Shriver started in the
backyard of their Maryland home. In July 1968, the world witnessed the first International Special Olympics
Games at Soldier Field in Chicago. In December of that year, the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation incorporated
Special Olympics. Since then, Special Olympics has grown to become the largest program of its kind.

Paralympic Games

Paralympic Games are major international sports competition for athletes with disabilities. Comparing to the
Olympic Games, the Paralympics are split into Winter Games and Summer Games, which alternately occur
every two years. Many of the same Olympic events are included—such as Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing,
and biathlon for winter sports and cycling, archery, and swimming for summer sports—although sports
equipment for the Paralympics may be modified for specific disabilities. Since the late 20th century, the
Paralympics have been held in the same city that hosts the corresponding Olympic Games; the Paralympics
follow shortly after the Olympics conclude. The International Paralympic Committee, which was founded in
1989 and is based in Germany, governs the Paralympic Games.

Paralympic athletes compete in six different disability groups—amputee, cerebral palsy, visual impairment,
spinal cord injuries, intellectual disability, and “les autres” (athletes whose disability does not fit into one of the
other categories, including dwarfism). Within each group, athletes are further divided into classes based on the
type and extent of their disabilities. Individual athletes may be reclassified at later competitions if their physical
status changes.

The Paralympics developed after Sir Ludwig Guttmann organized a sports competition for British World War II
veterans with spinal cord injuries in England in 1948. A follow-up competition took place in 1952, with athletes
from the Netherlands joining the British competitors. In 1960 the first quadrennial Olympic-style Games for
disabled athletes were held in Rome; the quadrennial Winter Games were added in 1976, in Sweden. Since the
Seoul 1988 Olympic Games (and the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France), the Paralympics have been
held at the Olympic venues and have used the same facilities. In 2001, the International Olympic Committee
and the International Paralympic Committee agreed on the practice of “one bid, one city,” in which every city
that bids to host the Olympics also bids to hold the related Paralympics.
The size and diversity of the Paralympic Games have increased greatly over the years. The Paralympics in 1960
hosted 400 athletes from 23 countries participating in eight sports. Just over 50 years later, at the 2012 Summer
Paralympics in London, more than 4,200 athletes representing 164 countries participated in 20 sports.

Vision:

Make for an inclusive world through Para sport.

Mission:

To lead the Paralympic Movement, oversee the delivery of the Paralympic Games and support members to
enable Para athletes to achieve sporting excellence.

International Paralympic committee:

Founded on 22 September 1989 as an international non-profit organisation, the IPC is an athlete-centred

organisation composed of an elected Governing Board, a management team and various Standing Committees
and Councils. Since 1999 we have been headquartered in Bonn, Germany.

The IPC’s primary responsibilities are to support our 200 plus members develop Para sport and advocate social
inclusion, ensure the successful delivery and organisation of the Paralympic Games and act as the international
federation for 10 Para sports.

Paralympic values

The Paralympic Movement has adopted and follows athlete-focused values, which act as the underlying
reference for all those involved in Para sport.

Courage: Para athletes through their performances showcase to the world what can be achieved when testing
your body to its absolute limits

Determination: Para athletes have a unique strength of character that combines mental toughness, physical
ability, and outstanding agility to produce sporting performances that regularly redefine the boundaries of
possibility

Inspiration: As role models, Para athletes maximise their abilities, empowering and exciting others to be active
and participate in sport

Equality: Through sport, Para athletes celebrate diversity and show that difference is a strength. As pioneers
for inclusion, they challenge stereotypes, transform attitudes and break down social barriers and discrimination
towards persons with disabilities.

Management team

Located at the IPC headquarters in Bonn, Germany, are more than 110 team members who work under the
Chief Executive Officer in all day-to-day business affairs regarding the Paralympic Movement.

IPC governing board

The Governing Board is currently composed of 14 members, of which 12 are elected at the General Assembly
(President, Vice President and 10 Members at Large). The Governing Board, collectively, is the representative
of the IPC General Assembly.

The Governing Board is responsible for setting the policies and for ensuring that the directions set by the
membership at the General Assembly are implemented. It meets at least three times a year and meetings are
chaired by the President. Currently one member of the Governing Board is an ex-officio member as the
Athletes' Council representative (with voting rights). The Governing Board may have up to three co-opted
members, which include the CEO (without voting rights).
Deaflympics

The Deaflympics are an equivalent to the Olympic Games for deaf athletes. The games are sanctioned by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) and competed by deaf athletes. Since the very first Deaflympics in the
1920s, the games are organised by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (Comite International des
Sports des Sourds).

Just like the Olympic Games, the Deaflympics are held every four years. The first Deaflympics were held as
early as 1924 in Paris and went into history as the first international sport event for disabled athletes. Apart
from the time of the Second World War, the Deaflympics have been held every four years since 1924 with the
number of participants growing with each game. In 1924, only 148 deaf athletes from nine European countries
competed for bronze, silver, and gold medals. The most recent Deaflympics Games were held in July 2017 and
hosted by Turkey. Over three thousand athletes from 97 countries participated in the games. Russia ruled the
games, taking home a total of 199 medals, including 85 gold. Team USA came in tenth place, with only 16
medals. However, the US holds a total of 1,003 Summer Deaflympics medals since the inception of the games,
the most of any country.

The 2015 Winter Deaflympics was hosted in Russia with 336 athletes from 27 countries. The Winter games
have less events than the summer ones, and Russia dominated with a total of 30 medals. The US has hosted the
Deaflympic Games twice, once in Washington D.C. and once in Los Angeles.

In 1949, the Deaflympic Winter Games were added and are held every four years as well. The exceptions were
the 1955 Deaflympic Winter Games in Oberammergau (Germany) that were held two years after the previous
Winter Deaflympics and the 2015 Vancouver Winter Deaflympics. These were held eight years after the last
Winter Games for the first time in history due to a fraud scandal with the 2011 Deaflympic Winter Games.

Qualification Requirements for the Deaflympics

To be able to compete at the Deaflympic Games, the athletes must have a hearing loss of minimum 55 db in
their better ear. No hearing aids are allowed to be used in the competition which unlike the Olympic Games as
well as the Paralympics and the Special Olympics, do not use sounds such as a whistle or starting gun to guide
the competitors. Instead, visual tools are used such as a flag wave and flash of light. The spectators of the
Deaflympics are expected to wave with their hands instead of cheering or applauding by clapping their hands.

Hosts of the Deaflympics

As many as 36 cities and 21 countries hosted the Deaflympics to this day. Most of the Deaflympics were held
in Europe as only five games were held outside Europe. But due to the increased interest in the Deaflympics
among both deaf athletes and spectators, the games are expected to be hosted outside Europe more often in the
future.

Deaflympic Dates and Locations:

Year Dates Location

2009 - Summer 5 Sep - 15 Sep Taipei, Taiwan

2011 - Winter 10 Feb - 20 Feb High Tatras (Vysoke Tatry) Slovakia

2013 - Summer 31 Jul - 13 Aug Athens Greece

2015 - Winter 25 March - 5 April Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia

2017 - Summer 18 - 30 July Samsun, Turkey

2019 - Winter 12– 21 December Torino, Italy

2021- Summer 1– 15 May 2022 Caxias do Sul

Advantage of Physical Activity for Children with Special Needs

Regular physical activity is good for everyone but it’s particularly important for children with special needs.
These are most important for their growth and development. There are numbers of advantages of physical
activities. These are as follows

It strengthens the heart muscle thereby improving cardiovascular efficiency, lung efficiency and exercise
endurance. This helps in controlling repetitive behaviours among disabled children.

Besides improving fitness, physical activity develops social relationships with other children, teammates, and
teachers.

This brings positive changes in the social behaviour of these children.

It helps to improve energy level in the body. Regular physical activity often makes children more energetic,
allows them to become active.

It regulates blood pressure, cholesterol level and diabetes. Physical activity reduces stress level.

It helps to control weight. The children with disabilities are not physically active or may have deficit of
calories, which takes fat away and lowers weight and regular exercises help in regulating weight.

Physical activities help in improving muscle strength, coordination, and flexibility among disabled children.

This also improves motor skills, brings better balance and body awareness which is lacking in these children.

Physical exercise finds an outlet to channelise the physical energy which helps these children to cope with
stress, anxiety, and depression.

Physical activity enhances the metabolism of brain in the children. It leads to cognitive improvement in
children with special needs allowing them to acquire new skills, learn new things and focus on specific goals.

Physical activity decreases anxiety, reduces depression, and improves mood and outlook in children. In
addition, their quality of sleep is also improved.

Strategies to make physical activities accessible for children with special needs: -

I. Medical check-up: if we want to make physical activities accessible for the children with special needs, we
need to understand the type of disabilities of children and for this purpose complete medical check-up of the
children is required. Without medical check-up, the teachers of physical education cannot come to know about
the type of disability the child is facing. Indeed, if we really want to make physical activities

II. Activities based on interests: Physical activities must be based on interest, aptitudes, abilities, previous
experience, and limitations of children with special needs. physical activities must be based on the interests,
aptitudes, abilities, previous experience, and limitations of children with special needs. So, the teachers of
physical education should have a deep knowledge of limitations, interests, and aptitudes of children. After those
physical activities can be made accessible for children with special needs more easily
III. Different instructional strategies: A variety of different instructional strategies such as verbal, visual and
peer teaching should be used for performing various types of physical activities. It can give children the
opportunity to start learning on their own and become more independent. Pictorial books are also vital in terms
of instructions regarding physical activities

IV. Modification of rules: Rules can be modified according to the needs of the children. They can be provided
extra time or attempt to perform a physical activity. In the beginning, rules of the physical activities should be
simple but later these rules can be modified according to the needs of the children. They can be provided extra
attempt or time to perform a physical activity. They can also be given additional resting time before doing the
next physical activity

V. Specific environment: For special needs children the area should be limited. The area of physical activities
should be limited as movement capabilities of children with special needs are limited. Specially, in case of
children who have autism, they must be provided specific playing area because they may need some time to
relax. Light and sound are also vital for making good environment for such children.

VI. Equipment Related to Physical Activities: The equipment’s/ objects related to physical activities should
be according to the needs of children. This equipment should vary in size, shape, colour, and weight. This
equipment should be according to the capability and level of children. A child with visual impairment should
use bright coloured ball. A yarn should be tied to the ball to bring the ball back to children. So, various types of
equipment must be provided for children with special needs.

VII. Previous Experience Must Be Taken into Consideration: For making physical activities more
accessible for children with special needs, the concerned teacher of physical education should have
comprehensive understanding and knowledge of children’s previous experience about physical activities. In
conclusion it can be said that the above-mentioned strategies are incredibly significant to make physical
activities accessible for children with special needs.