Last Friday, three members of the Handisport’IAE project (Jérémy Poinsignon, Jean-Baptiste Picot, and Hugues Hamelin) visited the Jules Ferry elementary school (rue Jeanne Jugan) with the aim of facilitating a meeting between the Association Valentin Haüy (AVH), dedicated to the blind and visually impaired, and the CM1/CM2 students.
The agenda for this half-day event included two workshops for the schoolchildren: first, an exchange with Michel Farfallini, who is blind, followed by an introduction to tandem cycling in a state of blindness, led in part by Claude Vella, a volunteer at AVH. This approach ensures that like the youths at Jules Ferry, children are exposed to the concept of disability at least once in their academic journey.
Raising Awareness Through Dialogue
“How do you choose the color of your clothes? How do you read? How do you do sports?” These were some of the questions posed by the students to Michel Farfallini, the speaker of the day. “I appreciate this candidness from the children. Being questioned without reservation naturally creates a climate of trust,” he emphasizes. “It’s interesting because with older people, not all questions are asked, and it’s a shame to leave things unsaid.” Ginfizz, his 7-year-old guide dog, was also at the center of attention. “How does he help you get around?” For Jérémy Poinsignon, a member of the Handisport’IAE project, it’s truly an exchange of human experiences: “when the person with a disability speaks to them, the young ones are very receptive.”
Introduction to Adaptive Sports
“We put the students in a state of blindness to allow them to really feel the same sensations as a blind person.” Fortunately, Claude Vella, a tandem cyclist, reassures the children because, with blindfolds on, the initial pedals are tentative. However, after a period of adjustment, a smile eventually appears on the faces of the schoolchildren. “My pleasure is contributing to the happiness of the blind through sports,” admits Claude Vella. While some children patiently wait their turn at the handlebars, others independently engage in a ‘role-playing game’ combining guide and blind person. “Even though it remains in the form of amusement, it shows that we have managed to reach them, to raise their awareness of the world of disability,” explains student Jérémy Poinsignon.
The Closing Meeting on May 15
The 2017/2018 season marks the fifth edition of the Handisport’IAE project, led by students from the ‘Sport Management’ program at the Institute of Business Administration (IAE) in Nice and supported by the Departmental Committee for Adapted Sport, the Academy of Nice, and the Primary Education Sport Union 06.
On this occasion, all the CM1/CM2 classes and the associations (AVH, Niçoise Association for Cultural and Sports Initiatives, Cavigal Nice Basket, US Cannes Tennis, Handi-Leisure, and OGC Nice Fencing) will gather on May 15 at the SUAPS site on the Valrose campus. Then, the approximately 300 schoolchildren will discover all the adaptive sports practiced in the various facilities.
This final event will also offer something extra compared to previous years. “For the grand finale, we wish to invite a class of disabled children from the specialized school of Château,” concludes Jérémy Poinsignon. “Thus, they too will be able to engage in the different adaptive sports and also mix with able-bodied children.”
