Physical Activity for Inclusive Healthy Lifestyle

PhysicAL aimed to develop a learning course addressed to trainers and health care personnel, and great support needs. The training was key to provide sport and inclusion skills and competences to ...

PhysicAL aimed to develop a learning course addressed to trainers and health care personnel, and great support needs. The training was key to provide sport and inclusion skills and competences to enhance the health and lifestyle of persons with disabilities by integrating and promoting physical activity in their daily learning and training experience. Among the specific objectives we aimed to: 1) Implement the sport practice right of Persons With Disabilities and great support needs (PWD), and promote healthy habits. 2) Offer PWD the opportunity to participate in physical adapted sport activities, facilitating community life. 3) Promote a change of attitude in PWD towards physical activities practice and uptaking learning challenges by practicing sports. 4) Identify barriers and facilitators for PWD sport practice, as well as support resources. 5) Promote self-determination and motivation through an individually adapted training. 6) Train the sector’s professionals with inclusive and sports practice skills and create multidisciplinary work teams within organizations for PWD. 7) Develop adapted materials that tackle the challenges of persons with disabilities’s physical activity learning and practice.

Activity 1 consisted of the evaluation and analysis of the needs of sport as an inclusive mechanism. It consisted of an analysis of learning needs and defined a matrix of skills, competencies and capacities of the profile of the professional caring for people with disabilities. More information on this activity in the R1.1 reports. Report_Baseline Assessment and R1.3. Learning Needs Analysis and Matrix of Skills for Inclusive Physical Activity. Activity 2 consisted of the implementation of the PhysicAL Training program with the creation of learning content and its online environment. The PhysicAL training program was designed with a guided and collaborative methodology. Report R2.1. Learning Program Methodology. Activity 3 developed the practical and real learning experience of the participants and persons with disabilities and great support needs in the centers of interest. R3.1 reports. On-line Learning for Educators and Staff and R.3.2 Demo-sessions: PhysicAL in Support Centers. Activity 4 exposes the result of good practices and inclusion. The best practices were identified and the project was disseminated from the beginning. R4.1 reports. Best Practices Report and R4.2. Dissemination and Mainstreaming.

1) The participation of persons with disabilities in sports has increased. We worked directly with various centers of interest involved in all phases of the project. Thus, we have reached 192 persons with disabilities and in great need of support. The diversity and intensity of these practices has increased. 2) Professionals have been involved as agents of change and social transformation through teamwork with those in charge of the centers. 3) Resources have been provided to eliminate barriers to participation, focusing on facilitators as a tool and work philosophy. We have had professionals specialized in physical and cognitive accessibility, easy reading, support products, and the incorporation of the professional figure of the personal assistant. 4) Participation in community settings has been achieved, overcoming the barrier of institutionalization. 5) As a reference project at the European level, the good practices and the documentation presented are a source of guidance and communication with the PhysicAL project. We have the support of the administration and universities as an element of sustainability of the project.