Differently-abled people are not short of abilities.
One who is differently-abled has some or other sort of mental or physical disabilities. But today the prefix ‘dis’ before abled has been replaced with the word ‘differently’ to focus on abilities of these people.All the differently people have some form of emotional, psychological, cognitive, developmental, or physical impairment which restricts their normal functioning. Thus they face difficulties to accomplish day-to-day activities. Most of them are greatly dependent on another person who assists them to perform daily activities like self-care, feeding, communicating, etc.
Sports and Games are very similar to each other: a game is a physical or mental activity or contest that has rules and that people do for pleasure. A sport is a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other. Sports and games involve both the mind and the body which often provide these people the chance to freely express themselves even with compromised communication skills. Sports enable these people to develop social adaptive skills, problem-solving skills, motor skills, a sense of competence, and a positive self-image.
BENEFITS OF SPORTS AND GAMES:
Sports and games have innumerable benefits for the differently-abled. Taking part in the sports and games broadens one’s mental horizon and helps in making social connections. Some of the benefits of sports and games for differently abled are listed below:
1. SOCIAL BELONGING: Differently-abled people are often side-lined by the community or society. Sports and games, specially designed for them, make them feel included in social groups. It also helps create new bonds, feel loved, and understood. Taking part in these sports and winning them enhances their self-confidence.
2. HEALTHY MIND: Physical and emotional interactions that accompany Sports and Games refresh their mind and help them soothe anxiety and relieve stress and frustrations.
3. HEALTHY BODY: When a differently abled person remains physically inactive can cause various health issues like obesity, cardiac disorders, and other functional disorders like ADHD, coordination disorders, and weakness. Sports will keep the body active and take away the possibilities of these problems.
4. PHYSICAL AND MOTOR COMPETENCE: Games and sports help develop flexibility, speed, coordination, better motor coordination, endurance, and teach turn-taking to the differently-abled.
5. SELF-DEVELOPMENT: Sports give differently-abled people a chance to explore their capacities. Being able to achieve even small steps makes them feel self-confident. The repetitive performance of the same steps with reinforcement can help them learn new skills as well. It helps lift their self-esteem and find new meaning to their existence. Visual and tactile stimulations in sports will help them learn sensations that help overall development.
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