Another active wheelchair will be available for sports courses at the integrative Sophie Scholl School in Giessen in future - a donation and good deed by Stadtwerke Giessen in its anniversary year.
Recognising differences between people, valuing them and not excluding anyone - this is the concept on which the integrative Giessen sports club "Ohne Norm in Form" (ONIF) is based. First Chairwoman Angela Nolte explains: "Clubs play an important role in social interaction. For around 20 years, our programme has enabled people with and without disabilities to come together to do sport." In the various courses, members meet once a week for swimming, walking, gymnastics and dancing.
Since autumn 2012, the ONIF association has been offering a course at the inclusive Sophie Scholl School in Giessen: Rollisport for children with and without walking disabilities. Together, the girls and boys of primary school age learn how to overcome obstacles in a wheelchair and master challenging courses. Volleyball and "wheelchair" basketball are also popular. The weekly course is run by Vincenza Dechert, an employee at Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) in the Customer Services department and a member of the ONIF association together with her daughter for a year now. She explains her commitment: "I've been a sports and fitness trainer in studios and clubs for a long time. So I came up with the idea of acquiring a licence for wheelchair sports and offering a course at Sophie-Scholl-Schule, where my daughter attends fourth grade."
A new active wheelchair donated
Children with and without walking disabilities take part in the afternoon course to do sport together. The ONIF association provides the wheelchairs for the girls and boys without disabilities. When looking for the 75 good deeds of Stadtwerke Giessen in its anniversary year, Vincenza Dechert suggested donating a new active wheelchair to "Ohne Norm in Form". On Wednesday 6 November, she presented Angela Nolte with the symbolic donation cheque. The first chairwoman of the ONIF association made it clear why she considers this support to be important: "Integration and inclusion require personal commitment above all, but they also cost money. We are therefore very grateful to Stadtwerke Gießen for helping us in our endeavour to strengthen social cohesion in Gießen and the region."