Global Sports Mentoring Program: Where Are They Now?
In 2016 Lakeshore Foundation was chosen by the U.S. Department of State’s Global Sports Mentorship Program, which partners with the University of Tennessee Knoxville Center for Sport, Peace and Society, to be a host and mentor organization to emerging leaders from across the globe. Lakeshore provided them with extensive interdepartmental opportunities to cultivate their skills in sports management, marketing, advocacy and business to address the pressing social issues facing persons with disabilities within their local communities. Then, the leaders developed a strategic action plan to address these specific social issues through sport. Since returning to their countries, our leaders have been doing groundbreaking work organizing Para sport events, facilitating sport and inclusion workshops, creating policy, and establishing high ranking positions in National Paralympic Committees. Click to read more about all of the work our GSMP alumni are doing.
Visitability Panel
Visitability is a growing trend focusing on designing homes that can be visited or lived in by all people. To launch this topic in Birmingham, Lakeshore and UAB Institute for Human Rights hosted a Conversation on Visitability at The Edge of Chaos. This event featured local residents with disabilities who shared their experience navigating the housing market and architectural barriers.
Rapid Health Impact Assessment on Access to Care for Mobility Challenged People in Central Alabama
People without access to a personal vehicle have limited transportation options to access medical care, grocery stores, merchandise, and other essential services in the Jefferson County area. Finding information about available transportation options is a challenge for a significant segment of the population. With funding from the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham and Lakeshore Foundation, a multi-disciplinary team conducted a Rapid Health Impact Assessment (HIA) on one of the most pressing needs for mobility challenged individuals: access to medical care.
Lakeshore Foundation Awarded as Active Schools Partner of the Year
Lakeshore-NCHPAD believes that physical activity is essential for individuals with a disability to lead healthy, active and independent lives. This is especially true for our nation’s youth. At the 2017 Partnership for a Healthier America’s Building a Healthier Future Summit in Washington, DC, Lakeshore was awarded as an Active Schools partner of the year for playing a critical role in mobilizing resources for social change and elevating awareness in support of inclusive physical education and physical activity environments.
“Any day the world acknowledges the needs of people with disabilities is a great day,” says Dr. James Rimmer, Director, NCHPAD. “We proudly accept this award on behalf of the six million students in our nation with disabilities — as well as those who have been fighting for inclusion for much of their life. We thank those who came before us in the disability movement to make this even possible; they are as much a part of this award as we are.”
Inclusive Fitness Coalition Launches New Partnership for Inclusive Health
The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) are celebrating 10 years of promoting physical activity inclusion under the IFC. In 2007, NCHPAD and ACSM joined forces to begin the national initiative. More than 210 member organizations representing national and international disability, advocacy, fitness, sports, health and rehabilitation interests committed to the common vision of universally inclusive fitness opportunities now have a new charge. Under the umbrella of a global campaign, Commit to Inclusion, the new Partnership for Inclusive Health will unite national and international organizations behind disability inclusionary practices in healthy community efforts.
This new charge to build inclusive health communities will include Guidelines for Disability Inclusion in Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Program Initiatives to help people with disabilities who face significant barriers when attempting to access health and wellness activities. The Guidelines are used to assist communities in promoting higher rates of inclusion among their members with disabilities.
Alabama Inclusive, Healthy Communities Summit
Lakeshore, in partnership with UAB Institute for Human Rights, hosted a two-day summit focused on creating walkable communities in Alabama. Keynote speaker and walkability expert Mark Fenton, trained participants on how to conduct a walk audit. Panels featuring national inclusive community design experts and local elected officials discussed steps individual advocates and community organizations can take to create a more safe, active and accessible environment for all people to walk, push, bike and freely move.
A Follow Up With ADA Fellow Sileno Santos
In May of 2017, Sileno Santos, an ADA Fellow through the U.S. State Department and Association of University Centers on Disabilities International Fellowship program, traveled to Birmingham from his home in Sao Paulo, Brazil to spend a month learning from and working with Lakeshore staff. Since his visit, Sileno has done great things to promote inclusion and adapted sports in Brazil. At the Sports Association for the Disabled, where Sileno works as an adapted sports coordinator, he has created more inclusive program opportunities so all participants, regardless of ability, can be included. He also implemented more recreational and fitness programs for youth not interested in competitive sport. In November 2018, Sileno graduated with his Ph.D. from the University of Sao Paulo where studied the impact driving has on the mobility of individuals with a spinal cord injury. He was also named head coach of the Brazilian Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team that will compete at the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru. Their goal is to qualify to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Inclusion by Design Awards
In January 2016 Lakeshore, in partnership with the Global Partnership on Children with Disabilities Task Force on Physical Activity and Sport, UNICEF, the Institute for Human Centered Design and the American College of Sports Medicine launched the Inclusion by Design Impact Awards in Sport and Physical Activity. The award was set up to inspire and share best practices around the world that demonstrate excellence and innovation in their approach to achieving more inclusion for children and adolescents with disabilities. Winners of the award include the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed in Bangladesh, The Inclusion Club, Ltd. and No Barriers USA.
Global Partnership on Children with Disabilities (GPcwd)
Amy Rauworth, Director of Policy & Public Affairs, served as co-chair for the GPcwd task force on physical activity and sport. The mission of the Physical Activity and Sport Task Force is to promote mechanisms for cooperation and collaboration to enhance policies and programs that promote the right for children with disabilities to inclusive physical activity, physical education, sport, recreation and play in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and other relevant human rights legislation. The GPcwd Task Force is committed to advancing the rights of children with disabilities to all forms of physical activity and sport through policy, advocacy and strategic communications.
In 2016 the task force launched and awarded Inclusion by Design Impact Awards. The awards were set up to inspire and share practices around the world that demonstrate excellence and innovation in their approach to achieving more inclusion for children and adolescents with disabilities.
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Realizing the Right to Sport and Physical Activity in 2015 and Beyond
The Institute for Human Centered Design, Lakeshore Foundation, American College of Sports Medicine and the International Disability Alliance hosted a side event during the Eighth Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This event focused on the right to sport and physical activity for persons with disabilities and provided information on new resources for States Parties and CSO’s. An additional feature was the showcasing of low-cost sport wheelchairs available through Motivation and the International Paralympic Committee that allow for more community based Programs.
