Para Sport Against Stigma is a four-year project hat looks at how representation, education and communication in Para sport can challenge stigma associated with disability in Sub-Sarhan Africa. One part of PSAS focuses on Athlete Development and will see the International Paralympic Committee to deliver a programme to support National Paralympic Committees in Malawi, Ghana and Zambia to develop Para sport. As part of the Athlete Development focus, Para-Powerlifters who represented Ghana and Zambia at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, along with their coaches, took the opportunity to visit and work with researchers and practitioners from Loughborough University and the International Paralympic Association.
Tokyo Paralympics aired to 49 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa for the very first time. In this video we hear from Emmanuel Nii Tetteh Oku, a Paralifter representing Ghana at the games. Emmanuel discusses his return from the games and the impact of the TV coverage, specifically in relation to stigma. Reflecting on his experiences, Emmanuel discusses his pride in representing his country and the confidence and freedom that Assistive Technology and Para Sport has given him. He also discssed being a role model in his community, and inspiring others with disabilities to follow a Para Sport route.
I’mPOSSIBLE is an education programme to spread the Paralympic values and the vision of the Paralympic Movement to young people throughout the world. Through education of inclusion and the Paralympic values, I’mPOSSIBLE aims to challenge and change the perceptions of how young people perceive people with an impairment. This toolkit has been adapted to fit the local context of Ghana as part of AT2030's Para Sport Against Stigma project.
In this blog, Nyasha Mharakurwa, a wheelchair tennis player and London 2012 Paralympian from Zimbabwe, Stacy Konadu Mensah, a wheelchair tennis player from Ghana, and Patrick Yaw Obeng, a para-athlete from Ghana share their reflections and experiences of barriers to assistive technology access and how Para sports can help break down these barriers for disabled people in Africa.