Physical Education · Ch 4 — Physical Education and Sports for CWSN (Children With Special Needs – Divyang)
Summary
Summary
- A child with special needs (CWSN) faces not only an impairment but also attitudinal and environmental barriers; the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games marked a turning point in treating disabled athletes as competitors in their own right.
- Three major organisations promote disability sport: the Paralympics (run by the IPC, formed 22 September 1989), the Special Olympics (founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, first games 1968) and the Deaflympics (run by the ICSD since 1924, name adopted 2001). The Paralympics and Special Olympics are recognised by the IOC.
- Classification (Paralympics) groups athletes by type of disability through a medical and functional assessment; the IPC recognises ten eligible impairment types (eight physical, plus visual and intellectual). Divisioning (Special Olympics) groups athletes by age, gender and — above all — ability, protected by the Maximum Effort Rule.
- Inclusion means educating CWSN mostly alongside other students; backed by the Right to Education (ages 6–14), it builds self-esteem, social skills, sensitivity and belonging, and is encouraged through the roles of the family, the school and specialist organisations.
- Physical activity gives CWSN wide physical, emotional, psychological and behavioural advantages and greater independence. …