Goal of the event:
The main objective of this event was to raise awareness about students with disabilities that take part in mobility programmes. At the same time, we aimed to shed light on the resources and services that they can use, while giving prominence to their stories and the challenges they face. To do this, we held a few workshops on the sport ‘boccia’ (a Paralympic sport) and on sign language.
Short description of the event:
ESN en UV and ESN Valencia UPV organised together a super EA event during a full day, with more of 8 hours of training for ESNrs, students with disabilities, athletes and other members of the university community. The program was composed by the following sessions:
-Opening act. With the speech of the Dean of the Faculty of Sports (University of Valencia), the Director of the IRO (University of Valencia), the Director of the Service for the Inclusion of Disabled People (University of Valencia), the Representative of the ONCE Foundation and the local presidents of ESN en UV an ESN Valencia UPV.
-Opening Conference: “Mobility is for all” by the ONCE Foundation.
-Round table: “Inclusion of disabled students in the university” by a former erasmus with disability, two current erasmus with disabilities and a worker of the Service for the Inclusion of Disabled People (University of Valencia).
-Conference: “Overcoming limits” by Ricardo Ten, three times gold medal in the Paralympic Games, seven times World Champion and twelve times European Champion in swimming.
-Workshop on Boccia, a Paralympic Sport, by the Sports Club “Amics de la Boccia”.
-Workshop on sign language, by a professional worker of the Service for the Inclusion of Disabled People (University of Valencia).
-Closing speech by Sandra Alunda (National EA Coordinator of ESN Spain) and Samuel López (National President of ESN Spain).
How did your event go?:
Prior to this event, to make it possible, we as the Erasmus Student Network at the University of Valencia, contacted different public speakers, societies, foundations and institutions who wanted to actively participate in our awareness event. The Facultad de la Actividad Física y Ciencias del Deporte at the University of Valencia lent us their facilities ( the auditorium, the gym, and other resources). The staff were composed of ESN collaborators from UV and UPV who oversaw distributing badges, preparing the coffees, tending to the guests and participants and getting the room ready where the event was held.