Fencing: equity, inclusion and belonging

ongoing

The Project aims at developing the social inclusion of marginalized people at both institutional and non-formal level. According to the Council of the EU, sport has enormous value in the context of social inclusion and can be adapted and reorganised to facilitate access for marginalised people, such as those with disabilities. In addition to the difficulty of finding sports facilities offering specific services for people with disabilities and opportunities for them to integrate with able-bodied people, another problem preventing people with disabilities from actively participating in sporting activities is the absence of sports operators trained to prepare activities that manage to include and actively involve them. The practice of sport requires specific skills on the part of sports associations: disabled people need adequate facilities (with tools and places that are accessible for people with disabilities) and trainers who are able to understand their needs, which are different from those of able-bodied people. F.E.I.B. “Fencing: equity, inclusion and belonging” has the overall objective of promoting the integration of disabled people and fostering a society based on equality and tolerance through fencing. The choice of fencing as a sport to foster integration and promote tolerance and non-discrimination between disabled and able-bodied people serves the project objectives for the following reasons: fencing is, as a matter of fact, a sport that can be practiced by people with disabilities.