Children in Motion: Together is Better

Ilya is 14 years old. He has an intellectual disability. He is a 7th grade student of secondary school No. 854.

The teenager has always been active and agile, and happy to take part in all sport activities. Moreover, Ilya practices Greco-Roman wrestling.

However, he had trouble remembering the rules of the game when he was in the primary school, he could not analyze and assess the situation in a game. It was also very hard for Ilya to lose: often he overreacted emotionally.

“We continuously converse with Ilya to help him form an athlete’s character: the ability to fight hard to the end and perceive possible defeats as a stage on the way to achieving the result,” said Natalia Bulatova, the boy's mother.

The school participated in our programs many times, and the staff of our sports department – specialists in adaptive P.E. – has helped to put together a program for Ilya that includes exercises targeting memory and attention development.

Ilya takes part in all of Perspektiva's master classes and parasports activities. He is already familiar with almost all Paralympic sports. He liked boccia and goalball the most.

The young man's character has changed noticeably thanks to the sports programs, communication and psychological support. His mother says Ilya has learned to work in a team. “He used to get upset easily at the first failure or loss; he would quit the game and take offense at his teammates,” Natalia recalls.

After the “Perspectiva” training sessions in boccia and goalball, Ilya won prizes as part of the school team in the online tournament among Moscow schools: 1st place in boccia and 2nd place in goalball.

We congratulate Ilya on his victories and wish him to attain all his goals!

Links:

• https://perspektiva-inva.ru/istorii/nauchitsya-ne-sdavatsya-istoriya-ili-lipilina/

Physical Education Classes Are a Ticket to a New Life: Beck's Story.   "Beck has become more active, more inquisitive, shows more and more interest in sports, and would like to start training in one of these sports: wheelchair tennis, badminton, and arm wrestling. All of this happened after he participated in Perspektiva’s para sports workshops," says Beck’s PE teacher, Maxim.   Toktobek (Beck) is 13 years old and is in 5th grade and has no use of one arm due to his disability (left-side hemiparesis) and  this makes it challenging for him to perform some everyday activities like getting dressed and playing sports or exercising. Beck is not fully independent, but sports have helped him become more independent. Physical education (PE) classes were too difficult, and that was depressing for him, so he lost interest in participating in classes and playing sports altogether.  Everything changed after he went to Perspektiva’s workshops.  He suddenly became very interested in sports and wanted to participate in classes and try everything, and he quickly became very involved in all PE and sports classes. Beck remarked: "At Perspektiva’s workshops, I learned to play bocce and rugby and now I play tennis”. In PE classes, Beck does all the exercises.  "He used to have difficulties because he was struggling to do exercises with his left hand.  Now, he’s learned to perform the exercises differently,” commented Maxim, his PE teacher. Maxim uses adaptive physical education methods in his classes with Beck and other children with disabilities. Instruction takes place in the form of a game, which helps children to perceive information more easily.  The teacher also talks about and demonstrates each of the exercises, and the children repeat what they have seen. Sports and Perspektiva's workshops have given Beck new aspirations and goals: "In PE classes, I play soccer, basketball, and table tennis," says Beck.  Now Beck dreams of going to the World Cup because he loves soccer. In addition, he likes playing checkers. "He also likes to throw the ball into the basketball hoop, which has improved his accuracy," says the PE teacher.  Beck participated in almost all of Perspektiva’s workshops: wheelchair rugby, wheelchair curling, para powerlifting, wheelchair tennis, and badminton.  "He learned more about these sports, and how to play them, and met para-athletes Yuri Kamenets, a wheelchair rugby player, Tatiana Rudyak, a para powerlifter, and Kirill Kassandrov, an amateur badminton player,” the teacher added. In addition to sports, Beck likes to study history and attend bocce classes.  We hope that his dream of going to the World Cup comes true.  And we believe that physical activity can change one’s life for the best, so Perspektiva works hard to make it available to everyone.

Links:

• https://perspektiva-inva.ru/istorii/urok-fizkultury-kak-putevka-v-novyj-mir-istoriya-beka/

Ivan is 18 years old. He has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, and just can't sit still. When Vanya was still a very young boy, his mother sent him to equine therapy, and he learned to mount a horse on his own. At first it was hard, but then everything changed. Vanya learned to stay in the saddle without help at the horseback riding arena. Thanks to the trainers there, he also learned to ride a tricycle. Then, he could ride in his courtyard with his new buddies. In the rehab center, our hero developed a new athletic passion: swimming. Ivan joined a swim team for people with physical disabilities and became a two-time champion of the All-Russian Games. At the moment, his top sport is swimming. The young man swims breaststroke, crawl, and back stroke, but he is not stopping there. His next goal is butterfly. "Vanya didn't have an easy time with this sport because he is not using his legs, but he works very hard. You have to agree it is difficult to swim using only one's arms. Now he has very strong ones - he can even do a handstand! My son dreams of bringing home gold medals from the All-Russian and world championships, and I am sure he will succeed," confides his mother, Elena. Swimming helped him to open up and to become a role model for his classmates. Also, positive lessons and workshops, organized by Perspektiva, helped Vanya become a leader. The young man has gotten to know artists with disabilities and para-athletes, who have shared the secrets of success. For example, Yuri, a master of sports in wheelchair rugby, went to Vanya's school and talked about the sports, which people with disabilities play. Vanya said, he was inspired greatly by Ivan, an IT specialist, who also has cerebral palsy and uses a communicator. He was a guest speaker at a project event where he spoke about the IT program that he developed to help people with cerebral palsy to communicate. "Conversations with famous actors, para-athletes and group training are useful for all students. If you could only see the kids' interest when they ask the guests questions. The kids leave the classes with a spark in their eyes. You can feel their spirits lifting," said Yury, who is a disabled athlete and a staff person at Perspektiva. This year, Vanya graduated from high school. There are no average grades on his transcript. Now he is studying at a teacher's college. His specialty will allow him to work with children both with and without disabilities. Before long, the young man will go to a university to earn a degree in speech therapy. He wants to help children like him and the young man loves to read and can captivate any audience. "If I had not chosen to work with children, maybe I could have worked as a sports announcer. I will take special classes to improve my public speaking skills. I think that I need to work on my voice and diction," Ivan declared.

Links:

• https://perspektiva-inva.ru/istorii/kak-plavat-i-ezdit-verhom-ne-umeya-hodit-istoriya-ivana-glagoleva/?tags=%20

In gym class, 6-grader Diana from Moscow easily serves, blocks, and returns the volley ball, winning a point for her team. It was only two years earlier that she was afraid to even get on a playing field, much less catch a ball. Diana has cerebral palsy and when she was born the doctors said she would never walk. Her Dad refused to believe the doctors, and through rehabilitation Diana learned to walk and then run, though she had no appetite for sports. The girl came to PE class without her gym clothes and sat on the sidelines.

The PE teacher had a suggestion for Diana: "Should we start with warm-ups?  If you like it you can continue, and if you don't you can sit down and rest. If you practice, and come in your gym clothes, it will be more fun." Shyly agreeing, she enjoyed exercising with her classmates and came to the next class in her gym clothes.

"Sport helps to strengthen you physically. And that movement should be fun, so children receive satisfaction and don't lose interest. Gradually it will become a habit. If it is difficult for the child, he'll lose interest, and his overall condition and mood will worsen,” the PE coach explains.

The training sessions and seminars on adaptive physical education, run by Disability NGO Perspektiva, helped instructors and coaches use adaptive play to teach disabled children and involve them in PE classes. "These workshops taught me a lot. Meeting with teachers from other schools, we shared our experiences in finding a common language with children with disabilities. I learned from my colleagues about different approaches and was able to apply them to my teaching," explained Vladimir.

Her school also held master-classes in paralympic sporting events. Diana was inspired by the workshops with star para-powerlifters, one of whom is on staff at Perspektiva.   

"My daughter came home from school and eagerly talked about the young woman of small stature who lifted heavy weights.  Seeing other people with disabilities training, she was inspired to do so herself. She understood that she could reach her goal if she trained intensively," her father recounted.

Diana was interested in volleyball but was unable to hit the ball over the net. Then her teacher proposed she learn how to play pioneer ball. She first held the ball with both hands, and then threw it. Then he made the action more complicated, and Diana learned to hold the ball with one hand and hit it with the other. And if half a year earlier she was unable to hit the ball over the net, by the end of the year she could hit it deep into the opponents' side. "Now Diana plays even better than several of her classmates. And when the kids choose teams, everyone wants her on their side," the teacher said. 

Sasha, from the class 9Z, happily clutches a certificate for 3rd place in the city athletics festival. She participates in her school's aerobics team, though just a few years ago she did not believe she would ever be successful. Sasha has an intellectual and developmental disability.  In performances, she used to be in the second line-up in the back row. Sasha had problems with coordination and memory, and she could not remember the order of the different parts in shows. “Sasha developed a little slower than her peers, she didn't start walking or talking until later. She used to be hyperactive and couldn't sit still,” remembers Sasha's aunt Yulia.

Everything changed after the school began hosting inclusive sports events by the Regional Society of Disabled People Perspektiva such as parasport festivals, boccia curling, workshops on para-powerlifting and sitting volleyball. Sasha met athletes with disabilities and started to believe in her own abilities. She realized that she could also work towards her goals and have something to be proud of.

“That's when I saw what motivation is to a child. Every day at school Sasha would ask me, ‘Olga Nikolaevna, are we going to dance today’? Sasha never complained about being tired after rehearsals. She would always say: ‘I danced all night in my dreams, let’s go practices,’” commented Olga Nikolaevna, Sasha’s gym teacher.

Gradually, Sasha moved from the back rows back row to the first row and started winning first place at dance competitions at different schools and city-wide competitions. Sasha's family is convinced that it was her gym classes that gave her the motivation and confidence she needed to start developing.  After dance, she started playing volleyball and joined the school team.  She became more sociable and less shy. “I like playing volleyball. I made friends with other kids on the team, and we hang out after school,” says Sasha.

Sasha became more independent, and this year for the first time her aunt let her go with her school's hiking club to the Krasnodar region and Karelia. Finally, as one of the most athletic and diligent students, Sasha is getting ready for the Abilympics championship in the Adaptive Physical Education category. Good luck to Sasha, may she take home the victory!