Sport and the disabled

   A) The Paralympic Games

   The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport event for athletes with physical, mental and sensorial
   disabilities. The Paralympic Games are held every four years, following the Olympic Games, and
   are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

   The name derives from the Greek "para" ("beside" or "alongside") and thus refers to a
   competition held in parallel with the Olympic Games.

   Sir Ludwig Guttmann organized a sports competition in 1948 which became known as the Stoke
   Mandeville Games. The first Olympic-style games for athletes with a disability were held in
   Rome in 1960, these are considered to be the first Paralympic Games. The first Winter
   Paralympics were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden in 1976.

   Since 1988, the Summer Paralympics have been held in conjunction with the Olympic Games in the
   same host city. This practice was adopted in 1992 for the Winter Paralympics, and became an
   official policy of the International Olympic Committee and the IPC following a June 19, 2001
   agreement. The Games take place three weeks after the closing of the Olympics, in the same
   host city and using the same facilities.

   Education of Students with Physical Disabilities

   I.                    In the field of special education, physical disabilities refer to a wide
   variety of conditions that may interfere with a child’s ability to perform everyday
   activities. Such conditions include problems with muscles, such as muscular dystrophy;
   problems involving the central nervous system, problems with the structure of the skeleton,
   and health problems, such as heart disorders. For some children, physical disabilities are
   simply structural or health problems that do not require special educational facilities or
   services. For other children, however, the physical disabilities may interfere with their
   ability to walk, write, speak, or take care of their personal needs.

   

   II. Some special residential schools for students with physical disabilities were developed in
   Europe and the United States in the 19th century, but most of these schools had closed by the
   1970s. Today a higher number of conventional school buildings are designed to be
   "barrier-free." Many students with physical disabilities attend their regular neighborhood
   schools. Specialists travel to those schools to provide whatever special services and
   equipment the students may need.

   

   II.                 Most adaptive aids for students with physical disabilities are designed to
   fit their physical size, abilities, and needs. The aids many children use are not very
   noticeable or unusual, such as pencils with specially designed handles for children with
   impaired motor skills. Other children, however, may need elaborate aids to perform any
   activity. These include aids to allow for greater mobility, such as electric or manually
   operated wheelchairs , specially designed seats , adaptive aids for turning pages, eating; and
   communication aids. Aids to assist in communication include materials and equipment ranging
   from simple books of pictures to sophisticated computer-based devices.

   III.               IV. While many students with physical disabilities have the same ability to
   learn as other students, some of them also have learning disorders, mental retardation, or
   other conditions that require special services. In these cases, specialists work together with
   the child’s family to design a program for the child’s unique situation.