Sport helps intellectually handicapped — expert

Press, 12 April 1982, Page 5

Sport helps intellectually handicapped — expert

Breaking down oldfashioned attitudes towards the intellectually’ handicapped is the main aim of a visiting Rotary Foundation awardee. Mrs Dottie Fitzgerald. Another is to get New Zealand to send a team to the next special Olympics for the intellectually handicapped. To those ends Mrs Fitzgerald. who is a specialist in recreation therapy, has given 201 speeches since arriving in New Zealand nine months ago. She was in Christchurch this week to give a few more, and to share her methods of helping intellectually handicapped children with parents and teachers.

Parachutes, bean-bags, and skipping ropes are the tools of her trade. Mrs Fitzgerald specialises in teaching handicapped children to play sport and games. ’ ' Unlike “normal” children, the intellectually handicapped need to be shown how to play. Unless they are shown how, and shown the right way, they tend not to do it, Mrs Fitzgerald says. Through play their ability to think, communicate, move, socialise, and co-ordinate themselves can improve. Mrs Fitzgerald said that many people thought that because a child was intellec-

tually handicapped they cannot enjoy or succeed in’sport. “That is nonsense. They get as much out of being involved as anyone else.” Many people may be surprised to. know that the world high jump record for intellectually handicapped people is just under 2m, not far short of what “normal” people have achieved. Special programmes are needed to achieve such successes. Mrs Fitzgerald has worked in Wellington to set up two programmes to serve as models for other centres. One is called “play to

grow." and it is for parents with children aged under eight. Its purpose is to show parents and intellectually handicapped children the techniques of recreation therapy.

The other is the "special Olympics" programme for children aged more than eight who have intelligence quotients less than 75.

The latter programme is sponsored by the Kennedy Foundation of America. Every four years the intellectually handicapped from 39 countries take part in

special Olympics as a part of the programme. Mrs Fitzgerald aims to see that New Zealand becomes the fortieth.

She could have gone to London or Paris on the Rotary award. She chose New Zealand because she found out that recreation therapy was almost unheard of in New Zealand, and New Zealanders did not take part in the special Olympics.

Mrs Fitzgerald hopes that the legacy of her visit will be that both’those situations are reversed.