In Italy, the piloting phase was conducted by Anziani e non solo and involved a diverse group of participants: they ranged in age from 25 to 84, with an average age of 39; while in terms of professional background, the group was highly heterogeneous, with educators made up the largest share (34%), followed by psychologists, informal caregivers, occupational therapist, one healthcare professional, and one public health assistant. This mix of profiles provided a wide range of perspectives on how the course could be used in practice.
This diversity offered valuable perspectives on how the course could be applied in different contexts.
To maximize participation, the launch of the pilot combined targeted outreach (emails and SMS to professionals) with social media promotion. Two introductory online sessions were also held to guide participants.
The piloting results show that the e-learning course had a strong educational impact, increasing knowledge and reducing the gap between different learners’ levels. Participants particularly valued the integration of interactive activities after theoretical sections; the graphics of the course were considered attractive and user-friendly; additional resources were highly rated as practical.

​Let’s see some comment by the participants:

• “The interactive activities and graphics are excellent, great job!”
• “The extra resources really enrich the course.”
• “I appreciated the combination of theory with practical examples and reflections.”

While the overall feedback was overwhelmingly positive, participants also suggested enhancements to make the course more inclusive and engaging as adding narrated audio video to improve accessibility and offering a summary of the content.
A few participants also noted that some teaching materials could be better adapted for people with specific needs, such as those with dyslexia.
Overall, the course was widely described as clear, well-structured, and highly effective, with near-unanimous satisfaction among participants. One professional even expressed interest in using the course as part of a collaboration with an instructor working with young people with intellectual disabilities. Another appreciated feature was the flexible structure, which allows participants to choose modules in any order and proceed at their own pace.

The French comedian Artus released his first comedy, “Un pti’t truc en plus” (a little something extra) on the 1st of May 2024. This comedy focuses on the touching escapade of two escaped bank robbers, a son (Artus) and his father (Clovis Cornillac), who take refuge in a holiday camp for young disabled adults, posing as a resident and his carer. This comedy takes the approach of laughing with disabled people rather than at their expense.

Even though Artus had to deal with difficulties such as the fact that many brands refused to dress the film team for the Cannes Film Festival, the film was a real success.
​
The comedy had the best start of the year in three days, with some 500,000 admissions, ahead of Dune. Part Two and Kung Fu Panda 4. At the end of its eighth weekend in theatres (end of June), the comedy written and directed by Artus attracted 7,728,212 admissions.
"It's an immense source of pride for me and a historic moment", writes Stanislas Carmont, one of the eleven amateur actors with disabilities who star in the film - Le Monde (15 of May 2024)

​Photo by GR Stocks on Unsplash 

When Les Bazennes[1] opened in 2019, some of its residents asked for the opportunity to practise adapted dance. A professional from Les Bazennes contacted one of her partners to suggest the idea. This led to the creation of a dance troupe. Residents of Les Bazennes and other disabled people from outside the home, joined the group.
​
In June 2022, the troupe took part in an evening of hip-hop dance performances mixing all levels and ages. Among other things, this helped to promote and highlight inclusion, but it also gave the dancers a chance to express themselves.

During the evening, Nicolas HAYNAU, a specialist educator working in Les Bazennes, got in touch with the head of the hip-hop dance association to propose the idea of setting up a hip-hop dance troupe with the local residents. The project immediately appealed to the association's referent, and that's how this new partnership with Collectif Square 630 was born.

This troupe has chosen the stage name of "No Limits", two young experienced hip-hop dancers give classes every Friday evening from 6pm to 7pm. In June 2023, "No Limits" were able to take their first steps on stage among the other dance troupes of the association, to the acclaim of the audience, after a lot of hard work by our residents and their educators. The partnership was renewed in September 2023. The project is making good progress.
A new performance took place on 14 and 15 June 2024

.....

[1] Les Bazennes is a Residential Home welcoming and accommodating 49 adults with disabilities, the majority of whom are mentally disabled (different stages: moderate, severe and serious). Some residents have impaired personality and communication, or autistic disorders, motor and sensory impairments.

The ageing process presents challenges for everyone; however these challenges are particularly pressing for individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (PwID). Due to the added difficulties they face in integrating with society, and their tendency to be situated on the fringes of social networks, their ability to participate effectively in society is often hindered.

Promoting active ageing for People with Intellectual Disabilities through physical activities

The ActivAbility project emphasises the significance of physical activities in promoting the inclusion of older individuals with disabilities in society. By participating in activities, they can alleviate some of the daily challenges they face, as these activities not only keep their minds and bodies active, but also provide opportunities to expand their social networks.
In harmony with the European priorities on inclusion and diversity, the project reinforces these objectives by:

• Increasing the awareness of professionals and nonprofessional caregivers working with ageing PwID about the importance of physical activities for the latter

• Advocating for physical activities as a means to enhance the quality of life and foster social inclusion for PwID .

• Advancing the theoretical understanding of the specified target groups regarding the benefits derived from engaging in physical activities.  

• Improving the practical skills of the target groups about how to develop a physical activity programme and tailor it to the needs of PwID.  

• Developing new methodologies that can be used by the target group in order to implement physical activities initiatives.  

• Innovating learning resources designed for professionals and non-professional caregivers working with ageing PwID .

The report stimulating awareness about the importance of physical activities for PwID

The first result developed within the ActivAbility project is a transnational report on the practice of physical activities by people with intellectual disabilities in the countries of the organisations participating in the ActivAbility project: Romania, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, and France.
The report is based on desk research on good practices regarding and laws and policies put into place in the consortium countries and on field research in the form of 90 semi-directed interviews with people with intellectual disabilities and social and sports professionals working with this population.​

A warm greeting from Dublin!
​
We are excited to share with you the exciting moments of the recent meeting of the Erasmus+ ActivAbility project partners, held on 7 and 8 November in the beautiful city of Dublin. Special thanks to REDIAL for their warm hospitality!

The project is dedicated to promoting active ageing of people with intellectual disabilities through physical activity. During the meeting, the partners had the opportunity to meet in person, exchange ideas and experiences and plan the next steps of the project. A valuable moment to create a more inclusive future!
Among the expected results, a transnational report will soon be available on the current situation from the perspective of legislation and action on active ageing for people with intellectual disabilities. It will soon be available in all languages of the partnership, providing a global perspective on the challenges and opportunities associated with this topic.

Looking forward, the next step of the project will be the creation of a manual dedicated to caregivers, a valuable tool that will provide resources and support for the development of interventions and actions to support physical activity for PwIDs.

A sincere thank you to all partners who contributed to the success of this meeting and to REDIAL for its warm welcome. Together, we are building something precious!

Last May, the danse company “Tous en scène” composed of residents with intellectual disabilities and educators from Afeji’s residential home Les Bazennes[1] won the national handidanse competition. This competition gathered almost a thousand dancers from all over France!
 
The "Tous en scène" group, made up of 10 dancers (7 people with intellectual disabilities and 3 professionals) completed the "Dance & Disability" training course at the AVIO Academy, a benchmark in the field of dance and inclusion. They even won the "coup de coeur 2023" prize, awarded by Cécile AVIO, founder of the French national Federation of Handidanse.
 
"I cried because I was so happy", "we danced really well", "when are we going back on stage?", said Mélissa, Chloé and Alicia, dancers from the "Tous en scène" group, with pride and happiness.
 
Congratulations to Inès, Mélisse, Chloé, Alicia, Clément, Nicolas, Manuelle, Laura, Johanna and Katy!
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[1] Les Bazennes is a Residential Home welcoming and accommoding 49 adults with disabilities, the majority of whom are mentally disabled (different stages: moderate, severe and serious). Some residents have impaired personality and communication, or autistic disorders, motor and sensory impairements.
 

In June 2023, Afeji Hauts-de-France, our French partner, organised the second edition of its Olympic and Paralympic Games.
 
More than 500 supported people from Afeji’s establishments and partner associations took part in this inclusive sports’ event.
 
People of all ages and physical conditions were able to discover and practice a wide range of sports, including soccer, gymnastics, boccia, rugby, basketball, kinball, cardiogoal, archery and blowpipe (for the people with disabilities).
 
The event had multiple objectives:

• Discover adapted sport and parasport for all kinds of disabilities;
• Using sport as a tool for healthy ageing and well-being;
• Sharing together moments of fun, inclusiveness and festivity.

​

During the “Afeji Santé” event organized by Afeji Hauts-De-France on the 16th of March, Afeji’s ActivAbility team conducted 14 interviews with members of the project’s target groups:

• 6 with people with intellectual disabilities
• 8 with professionals (including professionals specialized in adapted sports)

​The interviews were centred around the types of physical activities practiced by people with intellectual disabilities, the feelings they evoke among this public as well as their benefits. Professionals also expressed their needs and the difficulties they encountered during the implementation of physical activities.

Answers collected during these interviews will be of great help to write a national report of the practice of physical activities by people with intellectual disabilities in France. This report will then be used, with national reports written by the other ActivAbility partners, to produce a transnational report that will help raise awareness on active ageing for people with intellectual disabilities through the practice of physical abilities. These interviews will also be helpful for the next steps of the project: the creation of an online manual and an e-learning course with digital solutions for active ageing of people with intellectual disabilities.