Sure,
For a brief moment, differences fade away and all that remains is the love of the game, the love of sport. This is what the A.N.I.C.E.S (Niçoise Association of Cultural and Sports Initiatives) offers. Its goal is to develop sports, culture, and leisure activities for people with disabilities and… “able-bodied” individuals. Without distinction of race, degree of disability, gender, or age.
“They are like everyone else” confides Lucian Taut, an educator at the TLT 06 table tennis club in Nice, a partner of ANICES. One to three times a week, he welcomes the association’s members, mainly children, for table tennis sessions.
And in the room, “normal” children mingle with others who have visual or hearing impairments. “The aim of these sessions is to help children understand that there are different types of disabilities. But also to show them that these people are human beings just like you and me” explains Lucian Taut.
Although he admits that initially, it was difficult to make this small world coexist. “We had to explain to them at the beginning the disability of their peers, but otherwise, the spontaneity of the children quickly took over. And we never had any problems. It’s a beautiful life lesson for the children,” he adds.
Founded in 2007, under the initiative of Sébastien Filippini, ANICES currently has nearly a hundred members. François Dumont has been part of it since 2009. He is also the only employee of the association.
But for him, beyond the salary, it is the contact with the children and adaptive sports athletes that is his most valuable reward. “I remember a young girl who was very shy when she arrived. I watched her gradually open up through the activities we offered. And today, she is one of our best torball players. Or, like tonight, when you see able-bodied children playing and having fun with children with disabilities. That is priceless,” he confesses.
ANICES also offers other activities outside of table tennis such as tandem biking, paddle, basketball, and fitness sessions.
by Désiré Teivao
