The program, aimed at promoting disability awareness involves athletes in wheelchairs meeting with school groups to engage them with their individual stories and how they remain positive and have overcome adversity to get where they are today, through their involvement with sport. During the session students step into wheelchairs and have a go at wheelchair sports.
The Fresh students themselves raised the idea of taking part in such a program after a class discussion and as they listened to Craig (the mentor for the days) personal journey their interest was evident.
Despite initially being nervous about trading places and strapping into a wheelchair for the afternoon the students all gave it a go and in no time they were playing a serious game of wheel chair basketball.
One student Ashley Marmara, commented, “When I first saw the wheelchair I didn’t want to get involved, because it made me feel uncomfortable. I did attempt playing basketball in the wheelchair. Initially I thought it was going to be hard, but when I was involved I got the hang of it, steering and directing the wheelchair. I really enjoyed myself. I thought it was a good workout, people may think ‘I don’t want to try it’, but the thing is ‘don’t judge the book by its looks’, the best thing to do is give it a try and at the end of the day you might enjoy it, I know I did. It opened up my eyes to how a disability can affect someone’s life.”
