To mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities earlier in December, Fulham FC Foundation hosted a blind football workshop to raise awareness of the challenges faced by those with a disability and the ways in which football has overcome these barriers.
Katy Shephard, Fulham FC Foundation's Disability Development Manager, came and delivered a half-hour interactive football session to our Chessington Kicks participants at Chessington Sports Centre on 30th November. Throughout the workshop, players were introduced to the rules of blind football and were able to put their skills to the test with the use of goggles and footballs designed particularly for those with impaired vision.
The FA states that in the UK there are 9.4 million people with a long-standing limiting disability, illness or condition. Their plan is to deliver various opportunities for people with a disability to participate and excel through football. Through this workshop, Fulham FC Foundation wanted to highlight the ways in which football can be accessible for those with disability whilst educating and promoting their rights.
"The young people put themselves in the shoes of a blind footballer for the evening and played under the blindfold, which brought a new found sense of empathy and understanding to the group.
"They all engaged in the session really well, asked some great, open and honest questions, and were really interested to hear about the opportunities for people to represent their country that are blind. I was really pleased with the behaviour and attitude of the group to try something new.” - Katy Shephard, Disability Development Manager, Fulham FC Foundation
"It was fantastic to have Katy come and share her knowledge about blind football towards our Kicks participants. The participants were highly engaged in experiencing the difficulty of not being able to see the football or goal! This is really important as it allows our participants to understand the high skill levels disabled footballers have, and admire the barriers those with a disability have had to overcome." - Jack Roberts, Youth Engagement Officer
Find out more about Fulham's work supporting people with disabilities through Fulham FC Foundation
