Learning Disability Champs

[Antisocial]

The 2008 European and National Athletics Championships for athletes with a learning or intellectual disability took place in Manchester over this this weekend, 15 European teams competed + guest teams from South Africa, Australia and Thailand.

In todays events Gt Britain won the womens 400m hurdles relay and came second in the womans 800m hurdles rely. We also won the mens 800m (I think - need to check my programme may have been the 400m).

Thanks to Nick and Cathy at Mencap Sport for doing most of the organising.

These are elite athletes with with a learning disability, there were some excellent performances and hopefully the ban on learning disabled athletes will be overturned in time for the 2012 Olympics. For mor info on this and the games go to

http://www.mencap.org.uk/landing.asp?id=60


Well done to all the athletes

[Antisocial]

Further to my last posting idf people are interested in the results of this they can be found at http://www.inas-fid.org/

INAS are the umbrella international body for athletes with an intelectual or learning disability and are currently negotiating with the Paralympic Committee for the reinstatement of athletes with a learning disability in the paralympics. (They are currently excluded because of cheating by the spanish basketball team at the Atlanta paralympics, when some of the team were found not to have an intellectual disability).

[Tea]

Is there an FAQ or something somewhere (I did look but couldn't find one) on why sports for people with learning disabilties aren't mainstream?

I can see there will be all sorts of access and perception issues, but is there an ultimate aim that athletes with learning disabilities would compete in events with people without disabilities?

[Antisocial]

Is there an FAQ or something somewhere (I did look but couldn't find one) on why sports for people with learning disabilties aren't mainstream?

I can see there will be all sorts of access and perception issues, but is there an ultimate aim that athletes with learning disabilities would compete in events with people without disabilities?

Not a FAQ but there is more info here http://www.mencap.org.uk/page.asp?id=85

In terms of ultimate aims, personally I would say yes, however if you look at issues like Oscar Pistorius it can be quite thorny, if one disabled group of athletes can take part alongside non disabled athletes why not others, if this happens does things like aids, guides for non sighted runners etc give an advantage (or disadvantage). Learning disabled athletes may require different support mechanisms than non learning disabled athletes to take part, understand training programmes, be coached successfully, access funding etc, would non learning disabled athletes see that this is an unfair advantage?

Also the learning disability is spectrum is very broad and as eligiblity is based on the old medical model of IQ, someone with what would be seen as a mild or borderline disability may be able to take part in the current systems with some changes to the support netywork, but somewhere is a more severe disability will not and changes will need to be more profound.

Would the current sports system inc athletes and coaches be prepared to alter its ways so it was fully inclusive? Experience has taught me that though many people fully support the inclusion of people with a learning disability of all aspects of life they may not be willing to adapt their own circumstances or behaviour to make this happen, the perception being that people should change to accomadate the general publics needs not the other way round. Even in this modern day and age I am still aware of instances where when an application goes in for people with a learning disability to move into a house in a residential street the complaints go in to the local MP and the for sale signs go up!

[Antisocial]

oh and it was sydney games where the cheating took place not Atlanta

[hopey]

Thats an excellent post and very interesting.

My son has developed a love for running down hills, I was toying with the idea of buying him some walshes. The problem I have we have to go the same route everytime.

One problem that Nat would have if he was to enter a mainstream event would be the amount of people etc, I would think that the events for the people with learning difficulties would make things as easy as possible for the competitors.

[Antisocial]

Thats an excellent post and very interesting.

My son has developed a love for running down hills, I was toying with the idea of buying him some walshes. The problem I have we have to go the same route everytime.

One problem that Nat would have if he was to enter a mainstream event would be the amount of people etc, I would think that the events for the people with learning difficulties would make things as easy as possible for the competitors.

Glad you were able to make sense of some of the grammar. The other route is through the Special Olympics, they are specific for people with a learning disability and have their own competition schedule but they are not a progressive route to paralympics. They however do offer a number of opportunities for people with a learning disability to compete against each other or take part in sport.

http://www.sogb.org.uk/