Our project

“Sports and Physical Activity for Persons with Disabilities – Awareness, Understanding, Action” is a European project coordinated by the Catholic University of Leuven, Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences. It is a project supported by the Youth Programme of the European Commission, under the Joint Actions Call for proposals.
Children and youngsters with a disability are often excluded from participation in regular physical education classes and sports programs. Especially for this group it is extremely important they get all chances and opportunities for an equal start in their mature life, both in a personal and a professional way. The aim of the project is to endorse full inclusion and participation of children and youngsters in all aspects of society through physical activity and sports, to encourage equity and to promote communities in which no one is segregated and everyone belongs.
17 European Countries are involved in this project: Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia.

Our Goals

The direct goal of this project is to motivate children and youngsters with a disability to take full participation in adapted physical activities and sports at all levels. To achieve this goal, we are planning to create a motivational CD-ROM for children with disabilities, showing them the wide range of sports possibilities. Next, an educational kit will be produced to present a tool of life-long learning to all teachers, coaches and current practitioners. This educational kit will focus on how to adapt games and sports for children with all kinds of disabilities. A short overview of sports opportunities in each country can be found on the website.

The ultimate aim of the project is to promote physical activity and sports as a mean to eradicate discrimination and unequal treatment of people with disabilities in their personal and professional life.