SIDO Year 1 Annual Report (March 2008 - February 2009)

Sligo all Stars Special Olympics BasketballSligo All Stars Basketball Club with support from the local SIDO have set up anew Special Olympics Basketball Club for adults and young people with anintellectual disability. The club trains every Sunday morning at the Mercy Collegegym, the home of the Sligo All Stars Basketball Club. The sessions are deliveredby qualified basketball coaches from the club and up to 12 people of all ages withan intellectual are participating regularly. Although some of the players hadpreviously experienced basketball through some of their services/schools, thenew Special Olympics Basketball Club provides the opportunity to not onlypractice their individual skills under the guidance of experienced coaches but tolearn the basic rules of the game and to begin thinking about teamwork andcommunication. It is planned to continue with the club with an aim to increasingnumbers in September 2009.Mullaghmore Sailing Club ‘Open Skies’ Inclusive Sailing ProgrammeA Sailing programme for people with physical and sensory disabilities has been inoperation now since 2006. This social inclusion programme is supported by a number oflocal agencies including the HSE Physical and Sensory Department, SSRP, IWA SligoBranch, Sligo County Council, Sligo Leader Partnership Company and MullaghmoreSailing Club. The summer based programme involved 10 adults and 10 young peoplewith physical and sensory disabilities participating in a week long sailing camp eachsummer with a view to joining the club and taking up the sport of sailing on a moreregular basis. To date, four individuals (two adults/two young people) who participated inthe summer programme have joined the sailing club. Through funding from Sligo CountyCouncil, Sligo Borough Council and Sligo Leader Partnership Company a number ofspecially adapted boats were purchased by the club, along with the extension of theslipway, the building of ramps to make the slipway more accessible and the inclusion ofa potable hoist/safety harness to assist individuals getting on and off the boats. Therewere also a number of life jackets and wet suits purchased for use during theprogammes. The programme is viewed a positive step towards integration and socialinclusion as both able bodied and those with a disability participate together. The SIDOnow sits on a steering committee whose role is to work towards sustaining the sailingproject in the future.16