Mona Al Yafei, SCHS Manager, Fatima Mohammed, Director of Projects and Strategy at the UAE Special Olympics, Ahmed Salem Al Mazloum Al Suwaidi, Executive Director of Al Thiqa Club, and Professor Saeed Al Aajel, a sports expert at the Sharjah Sports Council, attended the events.
The first day of the programme witnessed a workshop entitled "Inclusion in Sports" in which Dr. Nadera Alborno, Professor at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), discussed the meaning and importance of training, inclusive sports participation, and inclusion for people with disabilities, in addition to providing advice on how to make this possible for children and younth with intellectual disabilities and integrating them into local communities.
On the second day, 48 players from SCHS with disabilities participated in the programme, suitable for severe intellectual disabilities, motor disabilities, and cerebral palsy.
The programme aims to integrate students with disabilities into sports activities, and to provide participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to be ready and able to participate in the official competitions of the Special Olympics and compete with other players.
Mona Al-Yafei confirmed that the programme was designed for athletes with disabilities who are unable to participate in official sports competitions due to their limited skills or functional abilities. It helps prepare athletes with severe and multiple disabilities and those with severe intellectual disabilities to practice special sports activities that are commensurate with their abilities.
She explained that the most prominent feature of this program is that it provides training in motor activities in a manner compatible with the official sports practiced in the Special Olympics. Therefore, the player's mastery of these training programs makes him qualified for the Special Olympics.
She talked about the importance of motor therapy provided to people with severe and multiple disabilities through individual sessions for students with challenges in motor functions.
Fatima Mohammed, Director of Projects and Strategy at the UAE Special Olympics, stated that they are proud of their presence in Sharjah, one of the UAE Special Olympics stations for the MATP program, which aim to improve their mood and increase their physical flexibility.
She added that the Emirati Special Olympics is proud of its cooperation with SCHS, Al Thiqa Club and the SSC for we find excellent collaboration and support from them in hosting events, and this cooperation leads to serving people with disabilities more.
Ahmed Salem Al Mazloum, Executive Director of Al Thiqa Club, said that SCHS’s initiatives, are not strange to Sharjah, which had the honor of organising the largest international events and championships in the fields of sports for people with disabilities, to confirm the pioneering and humanitarian role of the emirate as a city friendly to people with disabilities.
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