While we have already discussed the importance of physical activity for Canadians with disabilities, it is often difficult to find day-to-day exercise families can participate in together. There are many leagues and local team sport opportunities for people with a disability to participate in, which helps increase weekly exercise, but oftentimes physical activities are a great way to have some family fun too.
Finding a sport or game involving physical activity the whole family can participate in together, whether each person is disabled or not, is hardly as daunting as it may seem. Many sports can simply be modified to accommodate disabilities. When you use your imagination, (and particularly, your kids’ imaginations) the sky is the limit when it comes to exercise and family fun!
Fortunately, we have a few tips to get you started from Bernie DeKoven, author of Junkyard Sports. DeKoven defines junkyard sports as sports utilizing unofficial equipment and unofficial rules. These games can be completely silly and goofy, while still incorporating physical activity. The games in this book are either already adapted to disability, or can be easily done. And all of them are designed for family fun.
Many people in the disability community have played, or at least heard of, wheelchair basketball. DeKoven invents a variation of this popular form of exercise entitled “Wheelchair Doubles Basketball.” In DeKoven’s variation, wheelchairs can either mean traditional wheelchairs, shopping carts, office chairs or any other rolling device you can sit in. Teams of two work together to bounce the ball across the court and into the basket; baskets in this game can be anything from a traditional basketball hoop to a trashcan. In this game, the wheeler position the wheels of the chair while the bouncer sits in the chair and bounce-passes to other bouncers. By creating this family fun version, disabled children and non-disabled children alike can play together. For the complete rules and instructions visit this website.
Some of the other physical activities and games listed in the book can be easily adapted for children with intellectual disabilities or moderate physical disabilities. Some of these games include:
–Ball Tag
–Stealing Sticks
–Catching the Dragon’s Tail
–Protecting Eggs
–Bear Pit
–Insect Soccer
–Fly Casting
–Scavenger Hunt
Whether your family tries out a few of the games listed above or invents your own versions of modified games, you can teach your children the fun associated with exercise and spend some quality time laughing together as a family. Oftentimes, children with disabilities do not get enough sufficient physical activity due to barriers and limitations. DeKoven shows, in his book, how your family can easily overcome these barriers with a little junk and a lot of imagination. Try out his book today or see what family fun exercises your family can invent together!
Image made available by Chrisdonia on Flickr through Creative Common License
*Please note: All research for this article is compiled from direct and third party sources. Mention of programs, organizations and companies does not imply support of The National Benefit Authority. Pictures are for creative purposes only; they are not intended to sell or promote products for NBC and belong to the accredited individual, organization or company.
It’s wonderful to see this post. I, of course, as author of Junkyard Sports, am always delighted whenever I learn about someone who has benefited from my book. But I am especially gratified when the ideas in the book are applied to differently abled people. Because traditional sports are not designed to accommodate people with a broad range of skills and abilities, the sports themselves all too often serve as a barrier to enjoyable participation in physical activities. The Junkyard Sports approach, which focuses on adapting a game to the players, the environment and available materials provides access to virtually endless opportunities to celebrate whatever abilities we have – to celebrate our differences and similarities, our bodies and our community, and most of all, our abilities to have fun together – abilities which are far richer and more varied, which include humor and imagination, creativity and spontaneity.
You’ll find plenty of opportunities to explore these abilities as described in the book and online, on the Junkyard Sports Website.
Thanks so much for reading the blog and leaving us with these inspiring thoughts, Bernie. We’ve already benefited so much from your creativity and zest for life. With excitement, we look forward to your future work and contributions to the disabled community.
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One wonders how to live on $842.00 per mth and not even mid month only .28cents after tnriyg for months with my case worker giving false info I finally found out by taking my dental card to an oral surgeon’s office that I am covered to have a tooh extraction for a root canal gone bad which was done years ago and the college of physicians did not find the dentist wrong at the time I’m paying back a debt I know nothing about first an annoynmous person wrote to the Halton region that I worked in regions Durham Peel and Halton and move on collecting monies of course there was no merit to this lie my neighbours who I believe really did do the bad deed because their story broke in the oakville beaver that the man committed fraud $100,000 and the wife $5,000 both on disability he used fictituous names and collected disabilitylied about his income on his housing application this same man threatened me in winter that he would bury me in the snow slandered mygood name with inuendos in the complex KARMA yes I’ve since called ODSP to let them know that if the only way to get an audit done on my file by filing a law suit against the gov’t then this is what I will do I move heaven and earth to prove my innoncence Years ago I was told by a detective to go to the peel police or else he’ll come get me this same ridiculous debt have been on my file for years the only t o get rid of it is to sue I’ll be using my NBA cheque for this I’ve also filed with the HumanRights because Halton claimed that I am overhoused after 12 years my son is married and gone I’ve had to go into counselling in spite of a 27 year wait for housing I am still being harassed What about those who cheated the system and made it bad for others who has legitimate disabilities That couple still lives next door and the tax payers dollars will pay for his Lawyer on the 27th call this justice I think not This is great for venting and to put pressure on the powers that be I write to all Ministers and eventually they do reply including the Premier I will not stop until I get some form of justice my family have all worked hard in this country and the new immigrants are treated better than us I will speak out Nardia
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I am living a very dsireespng life trying to deal with all the stress of my unhappy childhood memories alone.i grew up in a alcahol,abusive home,with lot of drinking,and fighting between my parents.i seen things that would scare a child to death,i live daily with flash backs of those terrible memories,it caused me to live my whole life elliminating the happy events in my life because i felt guility doing the things that i enjoyed most,or even going out of the house,and leaving my children at home with my ex husband for a short while,for example to go to a bingo game for two hours because i felt like i was not taking proper care of my children as i was left home alone lots of times,when i was a child,because my mom,and dad would go out alot drinking,and i would be petrafied waiting for them to come home because i knew what was going to happen.i have Fybromyalgia,with all the nasty side effects that go with that disease.i suffer real bad headaches from a deteriating disk in my neck,i have osteoartritis in my hands,feet,and knees.i am waiting to see an orthopedic surgeon,most likely for surgery.i have chronic fatigue so bad i can barely get out of bed in the mornings,and i have to lay down in the middle of the day or i won’t survive.i have suicidal thoughts alot,i feel like i have nothing to live for,i am useless.with the pain i am experiencing all the time,life is not happy for me.i was getting an Ontario Disability support for twelve years,and got denied in feb of this year,because someone reported me as living with an ex boyfriend,which was far from true,now i have no income at all,except twenty two dollars from Canada pension,and a few dollars from my children for personal things,that is very stressful on me as well.i recently applied for a Canada pension disability,and am hoping that i will get some help to get rid of some of the stress that i am going through.i also have a leaky valve in my heart,which requires alot of attension.i am hoping that the government can help me,what do you think stressed
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I had the same problem for years, alugothh I opted to not have cable or telephone. They are conveniences, not necessities, at least to me. Can you get into low income housing? That takes forever, believe me, I know. I never did get in, but I did go through a program for stopping the violence’ and they were wonderful enough to help me with low income housing for a 2 year period I know I was very fortunate. I don’t know where you live, but in one BC community that I lived in, they had a program, (I cannot remember the name of it maybe food box?) where you gave them $10.00, once a month, and a week later they called and you picked up a large full BOX of whatever fruit and veggies were in season. So, say, if they had 20 participants, and I am sure they had far more, that would be $200. worth of fruits and veggies, bought bulk and divied out to the 20. Also, aside from the food bank, (and I fully agree with you there), a lot of communities also have soup kitchens. I didn’t go there, as I felt I had enough, but it was just me I had to take care of. I am also a diabetic, and you are right, it is VERY difficult to eat a proper diet when you cannot afford the proper foods.If you let go of the cable, that would put a lot of $$ towards food. Go to a thrift store and get movies, and a machine that works too. Anyhow, just ideas.
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