Empowering youth with disabilities through adapted sports
Durban occupational therapist organised an awareness event to promote adapted sports for youth with disabilities, highlighting the importance of physical activity in mental health and community building.
Therapists Sonali Rambhuron, left, and Niki Singh, right with paratriathlete Mhlengi Gwala, standing, and South African wheelchair basketball player Samkelisiwe Mbatha
Image: Supplied
DURBAN occupational therapist, Niki Singh, hosted an awareness event on adapted sports for youth with disability.
About 25 teens, between the ages of 16 and 18, from schools catering for children with disabilities, participated in the event in Reservoir Hills on Wednesday.
Singh said when children leave school it is often difficult for them to continue with sport as there is a lack of resources and thus, they lose their motor and other skills gained in school.
She said occupational therapy focuses on reintegrating people with acute or chronic medical conditions back into their daily life activities.
"As an occupational therapist my role is to always advocate for patients which I usually do on a one-to-one basis in a clinical setting. I wanted to reach out to more people and to encourage them, and that despite their disability or limitation as a result of an illness, people can still become active and get involved in sports as it facilitates good mental health, helps with physical stimulation and helps form a community to support each other," said Singh.
She said she has always been passionate about working with disabilities and wanted this event to help promote the work of individuals and organisations to the community so that they can get the support they need.
Four non-profit organisations, Made for More: adapted surfing and hand cycling, Live Life: adapted cycling, Ethekwini Spears: sitting Basketball and ParaVolley SA: sitting volleyball were invited.
They engaged with the youth on the different sports, such as wheelchair basketball, triathlons; adapted mountain biking and hand cycling, adapted surfing and sitting volleyball.
Guest sports persons, triathlete Mhlengi Gwala and South African wheelchair basketball player Samkelisiwe Mbatha, gave motivational talks to the youth.
"Their presence reiterated how to be positive and proactive, despite their tragedies and difficulties in life.
"Often the youth after finishing school lose their skills as they can be homebound. Having worked with the NPOs I decided to have this awareness program to inform schools and the public about the work that the NPOs do," said Singh.
Singh said the NPOs rely on donations from the public and volunteers to run their programs.
"My hope is that the schools, learners, other NPOs and individual patients that do these sports can now collaborate and do more together to promote their own sports and their own abilities," said Singh.