Local services
On the occasion of the International World Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Municipal Social Service of Debrecen Municipality, in cooperation with the “Mozgás-Öröm” Sports Association, organised the 21st edition of the sport game on the 4th of December 2024.
At the beginning of the event, held at the Pósa Street Centre of the Debrecen Institute of Primary Care and Health Promotion (Daefi), Diána Széles, Deputy Mayor of Debrecen, emphasised in her welcome speech that people with disabilities should not only be thought of on one World Day, but every day. We should also think of parents for whom every small achievement in the education of their children with special needs is a great joy and of great value. And we must also think of the professionals, including the staff of the Municipal Social Services, who help the parents concerned every day, who see their profession as a service and who put their heart and soul into their work. If we think about and care for those who live with help and those who lend a hand to them, we should do so with love, and we can be sure that we will receive this love in return. This occasion clearly demonstrates this, when competition and movement create community between those living with assistance and their helpers.
Lajos Lengyel, President of the Hungarian Special Olympics Association, recalled that the UN General Assembly decided to celebrate the World Day of Persons with Disabilities in 1992, following earlier precedents. Speaking about the work of the Hungarian Special Olympics Association, he said that every year they organise 100-120 events in the country, showing what people with disabilities can do, whether in the field of sport or culture. Sport and physical activity are very important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They are proud to show that people with disablement can do the same as anyone else. It is worth reflecting on which is the greater achievement, to become an Olympic champion for a so-called “able-bodied” athlete, or to become a Special Olympic champion for an assisted living person who has to overcome his or her own problems every day and then concentrate on competing. Lajos Lengyel expressed his hope that the moment would soon come when we would no longer distinguish between the Olympics, the Paralympics and the Special Olympics, and that they would all be of equal value to us. He also hopes that more and more people with special needs in and around Debrecen will become Special Olympians, because their achievements are an example to all.
Csaba Papp, Director of the Debrecen Primary Care and Health Development Institute and Chairman of the City Assembly’s Health and Social Affairs Committee, highlighted the importance of care in his welcoming speech and thanked the parents of the young people living with the help for this care. As he put it, “ they are the real special Olympians, the real heroes, because with their children they received a great gift, and at the same time a great task, they must continuously take care of them with love and a smile throughout their lives.” According to Csaba Papp, those living with assistance should not be pitied, because their world is also happy and joyful and together with them, our world is colorful, beautiful, and round.
Lajosné Nagy, the head of the Debrecen Municipal Social Service, said that the people living with assistance are supported in their units in Ifjúság Street and Mester Street with a total of 110 beds, and they provide them with a number of programs. The minors are received from Hajdú-Bihar county and the adults from Debrecen. The aim of this sports event, which is now in its 21st year, is to support acceptance and inclusion, to show people how active people living with help can be, how enthusiastically and with what dedication they can participate in a pleasant and enjoyable programme, which in this case also promotes a healthy lifestyle. And to show that people with special needs can do a lot and that they really only need help with what is absolutely necessary.
The event was also graced by the presence of the Archbishop-Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Hajdúdorog, Metropolitan Philip Kocsis, as the Ambassador of the Hungarian Special Olympics Association.
The welcome speeches were followed by a dance performance by the Napsugár group of the Municipal Social Service of the Municipality of Debrecen, and then the children with special needs, their parents, relatives and helpers competed in teams to solve tasks that evoked the seasons.
Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu
