Unfortunately, young people with visual impairments have few opportunities to encounter movement and sport. The consequences, as well as on the motor level, are likely to be important from a social and emotional point of view. After all, in the presence of a visual impairment it is essential to experiment firsthand, failing the most classic of channels to build motivation to do in the little ones: imitation.
For this the association Real Eyes Sport, chaired by the Paralympic champion of water skiing Daniele Cassiolibuilds its mission based on the sporting experience which, declined with the right ingredients, becomes a real moment of growth.
With the residential campus for blind and visually impaired children and young people, sponsored by Italian representation of the European Commission and now in its 3rd edition, the association promotes, since childhood, the approach to Paralympic sport and, more generally, the process of social inclusion by educating on blindness.
The summer edition of Camp Real Eyes Sport 2022, recently concluded and named after Davide, brother of Daniele Cassioli who died prematurely, involved 40 children and young people aged 4 to 17 with visual impairments and their families, proposing basic motor activities at the Coni center in Tirrenia (one of the 3 Coni centers in Italy), various sports disciplines such as blind tennisL’horse ridinglo show downthe sup and the surf, playful moments and activities to encourage the development of motor skills in different environments that affect everyone’s daily life. Particular attention is also paid to families with workshops and meetings with mental coaches.
The boys were welcomed at the Centro Le Torri di Tirreniaaccommodation designed for the blind and for years leader in Italy in the field of accessibility. Trained staff, typing paths on the floor and sound sources are some of the precautions that make a stay in this hotel really pleasant for those who cannot see.
To accompany the little athletes in this adventure, in addition to the numerous volunteers, the universities also took to the field and promoted, at various levels, the presence at the camp as a formative opportunity for internship for students of motor science, education and neuropsychomotricity. An excellent strategy to raise awareness of the importance of sport among tomorrow’s professionals.
Among the next activities of Real Eye Sport, the Camp in Parma in collaboration with Thu Campusa winter edition on the snow and the ever-expanding project Space for Gesture which currently involves 11 cities on the national territory in which activities to initiate motor practice are proposed for children and young people with visual impairment on an ongoing basis throughout the year.
Source: Vanity Fair
