"We are not blind people doing sports, but athletes who are blind."

"We are not blind doing sports, but athletes who are blind," said Aritz Huarte, vice president of the Navarra Sports Club for the Blind, at the 'III workshop of Sport and Disability. An engine for social inclusion'. The Goalball player intervened, along with other athletes and members of different entities, in a roundtable in which they exposed the need to promote the development of physical activity and sport in people with disabilities. 

In the meeting, organized by the School of Education and Psychology of the academic center, the participants talked about sports or programs that impact the physical and emotional well-being of people with disabilities. Artiz Huarte explained what Goalball consists of, and how it "is a sport specifically made for people with visual impairment," allowing its players to "compete and experience similar sensations to those of a person participating in another subject of games, whether or not they have a disability." 

From the association of Down Syndrome of Navarra, Maite Cañete, as manager of the initiative 'Healthy Walks', originated after the pandemic, explained how it allowed people with disabilities, in addition to exercise, to promote their social and relationship skills, and in turn, reduce their feeling of loneliness and isolation. For her part, Silvia Lorea, from association of Multiple Sclerosis of Navarra, explained how they have seen the need to put the person at the center: "We aspire to compete with life, that our body remains as active as possible," she concluded.

In a second part, elite athletes such as Carmen Rubio, Spanish archery representative in the 2012 London Paralympic Games, or Oier Altuna, captain of the CA. Osasuna Genuine, participated in a roundtable, moderated by the students of Degree of Education Primary Beatriz Viader, Ainhoa Villanueva and Aitana Sanchez. 

In it, motivation and sports internship were discussed as engines for the development staff ; and the need to promote the independence and experiences of people with disabilities, avoiding overprotection by families. The importance of the training of teachers and pedagogues was also stressed, so that "they know how to transmit the importance of knowing what abilities each person has and how far they can go with effort and perseverance".

A day for social inclusion and sport

Also, during the meeting students of the subjects 'Intervención psicopedagógica en los trastornos del development' and 'Dificultades de Aprendizaje' of the University of Navarra, taught by professors and researchers Araceli Arellano, Roser Ferrer and Celeste Reyes organized, in partnership with the C.E.E Isterria, several activities. The goal of these conference was to promote inclusive sports internship and raise awareness among participants about the importance of diversity and inclusion in the sports field.