The UB celebrates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities with the conference “Units i unides per l’esport“
News
|
Solidarity
(03/12/2024)
Today, Tuesday 3 December, the University of Barcelona commemorated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities with the event “Units i unides per l’esport” (United for sports) in the Historic Building’s Aula Magna. The event, which included talks, a round table and a musical closing ceremony, highlighted the role of inclusive sports as a tool for social transformation, and it recognized the efforts of people with disabilities inside and outside the university community.
News
|
Solidarity
03/12/2024
Today, Tuesday 3 December, the University of Barcelona commemorated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities with the event “Units i unides per l’esport” (United for sports) in the Historic Building’s Aula Magna. The event, which included talks, a round table and a musical closing ceremony, highlighted the role of inclusive sports as a tool for social transformation, and it recognized the efforts of people with disabilities inside and outside the university community.
The rector of the UB, Joan Guàrdia, gave the welcome session, and noted that “attention to disability at the University dates back to the end of the 20th century”, and highlighted the need to “pay attention to the combination of sports and disabilities as a powerful tool for integration”. The vice-rector for Equality, Inclusion and Gender, Montserrat Puig, then introduced the round table, highlighting the importance of sport as “an incentive for social relations and the construction of spaces for people to come together”.
Afterwards, Maria Carbó, lecturer at the UB’s Faculty of Psychology and expert on disabilities and sports, gave the talk “Inclusión y discapacidad intelectual: una experiencia practicando esquí alpino” (Inclusion and intellectual disability: an alpine skiing experience), in which she highlighted the “need to promote and guarantee access and participation of people with disabilities in sports and physical activity in all areas”. Maria dels Àngels Renom, coordinator of the Baskin at University project at the UB, explained how sports can become an inclusive tool for promoting equal opportunities for people with disabilities. She gave the example of the Baskin project, which began in Italy in 2001 and is now present in many European countries, as “a pioneering initiative that has transcended the concept of adapted sports for people with disabilities to create an experience that combines sports and inclusion, in which people with and without disabilities work together in the same team”.
Finally, Ulpi Roman, director of the UB Sports Service, said that “we have always been willing and open to collaborate with initiatives of this kind, and the Baskin is a clear example of this”.
Afterwards, Maria Carbó, lecturer at the UB’s Faculty of Psychology and expert on disabilities and sports, gave the talk “Inclusión y discapacidad intelectual: una experiencia practicando esquí alpino” (Inclusion and intellectual disability: an alpine skiing experience), in which she highlighted the “need to promote and guarantee access and participation of people with disabilities in sports and physical activity in all areas”. Maria dels Àngels Renom, coordinator of the Baskin at University project at the UB, explained how sports can become an inclusive tool for promoting equal opportunities for people with disabilities. She gave the example of the Baskin project, which began in Italy in 2001 and is now present in many European countries, as “a pioneering initiative that has transcended the concept of adapted sports for people with disabilities to create an experience that combines sports and inclusion, in which people with and without disabilities work together in the same team”.
Finally, Ulpi Roman, director of the UB Sports Service, said that “we have always been willing and open to collaborate with initiatives of this kind, and the Baskin is a clear example of this”.
The event highlights the value of inclusive sports, with the participation of both students with disabilities and experts, and highlights the UB Baskin initiative as an example of adapted and innovative sports.
The event continued with a round table discussion featuring four UB students who stand out for both their academic careers and their involvement in sports. Adrià Alonso, who has an intellectual disability, has studied the university extension programme in User, Citizen and Client Care Service at the Faculty of Psychology, and is a player on the FC Barcelona inclusive football team that plays in the Genuine League, in which people with intellectual disabilities compete. Brothers Raül and Dani Ruiz, who are hearing impaired, study biochemistry at the UB and at the National Institute of Physical Education and Sport of Catalonia (INEFC), respectively. Both are international basketball players who have taken part in Spanish, European and world championships. They noted that “in sports, we have never encountered the barriers that we sometimes encounter in our academic life as students. Inclusion is a very nice word, but the hearing world is often not”.
Finally, Míriam Monterde, a visually impaired medical student, shared her personal experience on sports and university life. A physiotherapist and osteopath by profession and mother of three children, she explained that she started out as a gymnast, evolved towards athletics under the guidance of Miguel Á. Torralba, a lecturer of the Faculty of Education, and managed to participate in the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. “I have always felt supported and was accompanied, both in my private life and in my sporting and academic life. Sport has been and continues to be my tool for self-improvement”, she said.
The event was closed by Marta Ferrer, the vice-rector for Students and University Life, followed by a musical performance by the Xilòfon dels Joves group from the Can Ponsic Municipal School of Music, which offers specialised and inclusive care for diverse-abilities students.
With this event, the UB reaffirms its commitment to a university that is more inclusive, egalitarian and accessible to everyone.
Finally, Míriam Monterde, a visually impaired medical student, shared her personal experience on sports and university life. A physiotherapist and osteopath by profession and mother of three children, she explained that she started out as a gymnast, evolved towards athletics under the guidance of Miguel Á. Torralba, a lecturer of the Faculty of Education, and managed to participate in the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. “I have always felt supported and was accompanied, both in my private life and in my sporting and academic life. Sport has been and continues to be my tool for self-improvement”, she said.
The event was closed by Marta Ferrer, the vice-rector for Students and University Life, followed by a musical performance by the Xilòfon dels Joves group from the Can Ponsic Municipal School of Music, which offers specialised and inclusive care for diverse-abilities students.
With this event, the UB reaffirms its commitment to a university that is more inclusive, egalitarian and accessible to everyone.
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