Reserve A Lane For The Disabled Erasmus Project

Project Title

Reserve A Lane For The Disabled

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Access for disadvantaged; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

This project aimed to teach swimming to the physical disabled students who are between 16-25 years old.Every partner was to find 3 men+3 women disabled individuals with a classification between S5-S10.We wanted to help the disabled gain new skills,minimize their alienation,decrease the prejudgment against them and increase the communication within the society.All activities done were to help raise their confidence in themselves as well as become a role model for their similar peers.Yet one of the biggest gains of this project was to form a new vision to the disabled by letting them gain new skills and let them feel part of the society.Indeed;the participants themselves claimed that they have become more popular in between their peers,they’re much happier and have more confident in themselves.
To teach swimming,to make it part of their life and make some of them become professional swimmers are the key elements of this project.TPM’s were planned to see the applications in partner countries and compare them with each other.Within these meetings;the pools,the programs they follow,how they practice,what instruments they use,motivation techniques,details of their annual training program were examined.
5 TPM’s took place in every partner country,just as it was planned.It started with the K-o-M held in Isparta.An Opening Ceremony was hosted where Beytullah Eroğlu,the Turkish Paralympic swimmer also joined.The other TPM’s were hosted by RightChallenge,AHE and UCAM respectively.After the 4th TPM the Pandemic started and the World went into lockdown.During the pandemic we had 2 online meetings in January and July 2021.The Closing Ceremony was hosted by Asociatia Esperando.Because of the pandemic only the Turkish and Romanian partners were able to join the meeting face-to-face,the others joined it online.During the TPM’s all partners made a presentation on the progress of the Project,their swimmers,their trainings and the events they have hosted.The pools were visited,trainings were examined,the instruments used were shared,training programs were discussed,the obstacles they face were exchanged with the partners.Throughout these TPM’s we have observed that our training level and our trainers’ techniques are as good as theirs.The main differences were the physical conditions of the pools,the economic conditions of the disabled swimmers and the discipline they had.Another concrete output of the project was the lack of facilities where disabled and non-disabled individuals can do sports together.
All the partners contributed to the dissemination of the project by hanging posters,publishing news on the local newspapers,local radios and web sites.We designed and printed dissemination materials (posters, t-shirts,swimming caps,etc.) and distributed them to the partners.In November 2019 we organized a National Disabled Swimming Competition in Isparta where approximately 150 disabled swimmers competed for the selection of the National Team.The competition was live on TRT Sport channel.A web site/Facebook/Instagram pages were also opened.As of December we have approximately 700 followers in these accounts.
Every partner organized seminars/conferences in their hometowns.The coordinator & GSIM hosted 2 conferences in Isparta.One of them was in March 2019 where Adem Kuyumcu gave a conference on the accessibility and the communication of the disabled individuals in the social life.The other one which we called “The Tale of 2 Champions”,was one of the biggest events Isparta hosted.Beytullah Eroğlu & Sumeyye Boyacı gave a conference to more than 500 disabled and nondisabled individuals.The partners also hosted conferences/seminars for their swimmers,their parents,local people on motivation,nutrition,physical training.
In March 2020,because of the pandemic all the pools were closed in the partner countries.Thus we had to give a break on the trainings.During this time the partners reached their swimmers and tried to continue their trainings at home.When the pools opened trainings started again.However;because of the pandemic the parents were afraid to send their children to the pool,thus not every swimmer could return to their normal training programme.The pandemic decreased their performance and motivation.Unfortunately,not all of the swimmers are continuing their training as it was planned in the beginning.We are still trying to reach the performance level before pandemic.
In ensure sustainability the trainers of GSIM will continue training the disabled individuals as before now with more experience and knowledge.Also a Disabled Swimming Club will be formed under the Disabled Application and Research Center of SDU,right after the Center starts working fully.
The results of the project will be shared through an e-book written in Turkish,English and the native languages of the partners.After the translation of it is done it will be loaded to the web site,mailed to relevant institutions and loaded to various databases and libraries.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 77450 Eur

Project Coordinator

SULEYMAN DEMIREL UNIVERSITY & Country: TR

Project Partners

• ISPARTA GENÇLİK VE SPOR İL MÜDÜRLÜGÜ
• C4G – CONSULTING AND TRAINING NETWORK, LDA
• ASOCIATIA ESPERANDO
• Akademia Humanistyczno-Ekonomiczna w Lodzi
• Rightchallenge – Associação
• FUNDACION UNIVERSITARIA SAN ANTONIO