National deafblind charity, Sense, is to host an accessible sports evening at the Queen Alexandra College in Birmingham for young people with sight and hearing impairment and those with complex needs on Thursday September 15th. The event, which has been timed to coincide with the Paralympics, is free to attend and open to anyone aged 11-25 with a visual or hearing impairment. It aims to encourage young people to increase their participation in sports by giving attendees the chance to try a range of inclusive sports, including hockey, tennis, football, cricket and basketball. The session is the first of an ongoing weekly programme set to run at the venue.
The event has been made possible following a grant of £424,958 from Sport England which was awarded to Sense to increase opportunities for people with deafblindness to participate in sport and physical activity through its ‘Sporting Sense’ project.
The West Midlands is one of the areas that the project will focus on, with Sense delivering a number of activities across the region from now until May 2018. The project will influence the development and delivery of local physical activity plans, which will include working alongside deafblind people.
Callan Barber, Regional Sports Coordinator at Sense said: “Participation in sport has significant physical, mental and emotional benefits, but unfortunately people with sight and hearing impairment encounter barriers accessing it. The sports evening provides the opportunity to try different sports made accessible for people with sight and hearing impairments. Attendees will also have the opportunity to sign up to the full programme.”
Parents, families and carers are welcome to attend the session which is taking place on Thursday September 15th from 18.00 until 19.30, at the Queen Alexandra College in Birmingham, Court Oak Road, Harborne, Birmingham, B17 9TG. Everyone who attends the session will receive a free sports bag, t-shirt and water bottle.
