More than twenty people with learning disabilities came together to share their experiences and help develop a new book, Enjoying Sport and Exercise, which is published today (18 July 2008), and which will help their peers to enjoy what, for many, is a totally new experience.
Tackling Discrimination & Access with ‘Enjoying Sport and Exercise’
18th July 2008
More than twenty people with learning disabilities came together to share their experiences and help develop a new book, Enjoying Sport and Exercise, which is published today (18 July 2008), and which will help their peers to enjoy what, for many, is a totally new experience.
More than twenty people with learning disabilities came together to share their experiences and help develop a new book, Enjoying Sport and Exercise, which is published today (18 July 2008), and which will help their peers to enjoy what, for many, is a totally new experience.
Co-author of the book Sheila Hollins, Professor of the Psychiatry of Learning Disability at St George’s, University of London, said: “Discrimination and lack of access has all too often prevented people with learning disabilities from taking part in the sport and exercise. Today, a book created by the people with learning disabilities themselves aims to stop such discrimination.”
She wrote the book with Caroline Argent, a learning disability sports consultant with 15 years’ experience in community development and sports projects.
Enjoying Sport and Exercise uses simple full-colour pictures to demystify the whole process of finding what exercise best suits each person and, together with the guidelines and information in the text, will encourage people to keep fit, feel well and become less isolated in the community as well as enabling their carers and service providers to support them.
The book aims to help people with learning and communication difficulties to choose what they would like to do and shows them how to find out what is available to them locally.Most leisure centres have many sports and exercise classes which can be adapted to include people with special needs.
Enjoying Sport and Exercise tells the story of three people who want to take up a sport and are supported to do so.Jasmine is a wheelchair user who is delighted to find she can play badminton while her mum takes up tai chi; Charlie who is overweight, discovers dog walking and cricket; James is a runner and with training fulfils his ambition to run a marathon.
The text at the back of the book includes guidelines for carers, service providers and supporters. It also provides information about where to find help and advice and useful reading and audio materials.
Enjoying Sports and Exercise is published in the Books Beyond Words series.All the titles in this series are original picture books developed for people with learning and communication difficulties and their supporters.They are produced to make communicating easier, and to enable discussion about sometimes difficult topics and emotions.Supporting text and guidelines are provided at the back of each book for carers, supporters, service providers and other professionals.
Enjoying Sport and Exercise has been developed by the Division of Mental Health at St George’s, University of London in collaboration with the London Sports Forum.For information Forum click here.
Books Beyond Words are co-published by St George’s, University of London and the Royal College of Psychiatrists under the latter’s RcPsych Publications imprint.
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