'Umoya Sports': Delhi Resident Uses Sports As Tool To Empower Children With Special Needs

A Delhi resident, Aditya KV, a Teach for India fellow in New Delhi, decided to give up his corporate job and focus on enacting more significant change. He founded 'Umoya Sports' in 2017 to empower one million students with and without special needs.

The Umoya team identified three challenges that specifically affect Children with Disabilities (CwD): a lack of high-quality in-school programs that offer differently-abled students holistic development, a lack of social skill development and social integration of CwD due to social stigmas and misconceptions about disabilities, and the physical and mental health issues faced by CwD as a result of their frequent exclusion from sports and physical education in schools and the community.

The first step in Umoya's plan to address these issues was to develop year-long programs that enhance children's basic movement and play while teaching them the fundamentals of sports. Additionally, under the umbrella of the educational program known as 'Adapted Physical Education,' they modify their current programs for the differently-abled.

Aditya KV stated, "We analyse the child, identify the existing skill sets, strengths, and areas for progress, and then customise the program activities so that the activity is skill appropriate and relevant for the child."

Creating Opportunities For Children With Special Needs

Aditya had four challenged kids who were frequently excluded from activities or sports in his class, impacting their emotional, social, and academic well-being. He chose to use sports to help these youngsters since he is an avid athlete and feels that his time spent on the basketball court and football field gave him priceless life lessons.

Aditya first started a football program for his class, and towards the end of the year, he noticed a visible difference in all of the kids' attitudes, not just those of four students.

It was observed that the children were becoming more amiable and open. An inclusive environment was created via sports. That experience opened Aditya's eyes to the obstacles disabled kids faced in Delhi NCR and how sports could help them.

He explained that rather than produce future Tendulkars and Ronaldos, their goal is to create an opportunity for children with disabilities to participate in sports, develop life skills, gain confidence, and lead independent and fulfilling lives.

Producing Inclusive Sporting Events

'Umoya' plans to collaborate to produce inclusive sporting events that unite people with and without challenges. The Sportability Academy at New Delhi's Modern School is one instance of this, reported the Times Of India.

Since its founding five years ago, Umoya has directly or indirectly impacted over 12,000 children. Most recently, a pilot program in Mumbai and Bengaluru was introduced. According to Aditya, their ultimate goal is to see the day when every child has equal access to the 'Right to Play', regardless of their (dis)ability, gender, religion, or socioeconomic background.

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