File photo of children participating in the Ability Friendly Program of Qatar Foundation
Doha, Qatar: The Ability Friendly Program of Qatar Foundation (QF) is steadily expanding, making a profound impact on individuals’ lives through sports.
This initiative directly reinforces QF’s dedication to the inclusive ethos that sports are accessible to all, thus fostering both sporting prowess and social cohesion, says Ryan Moignard, a Senior Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Special Needs Football Specialist, and Coach at Qatar Foundation’s Ability Friendly Program.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Moignard said the program, which offers sport-specific activities for children and adults with special needs and disabilities, continues to grow and attract an increased number of participants.
He said the program is focused on creating internationally recognised activities that provides the special needs community with opportunities to fulfil and unlock their potential through inclusive and accessible programs.
“Our dedicated Ability Friendly Programs offer inclusive opportunities for the special needs community to unlock their potential. Our internationally recognised initiative provides tailored sports and developmental activities,” he said. The Ability Friendly Program is a pre-university department within QF. Launched in 2018, it is a pioneering initiative aimed at promoting inclusivity and accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
“We have a variety of programs,” said Moignard, adding that initially it had only swimming and football programs for people with autism, but has now expanded to playball, meditation, and a movement program.
“We have around 150 to 200 participants on a weekly basis doing football, swimming, and playball. We also engage with a different variety of schools, and about 100 to 150 students take part in the activities,” he added.
Students aged 11 and above from Education City schools and universities, Qatar Foundation staff, and community members are included as volunteers.
The programme formed a new partnership in 2022 to train coaches at the Paris Saint-Germain Qatar Academy to support its inclusive sports courses – with an aim to provide more sporting and leisure opportunities for people across Qatar. The programme also offers education provision via disability awareness workshops and inclusion modules.
The workshops are designed to raise general awareness of how to support participants to access sports, while the modules are designed to develop coaches’ knowledge, skills, and experience in coaching ability-specific classes.
