Disabled sports star inspires
International Day for Disabled People has been celebrated in Warwickshire with a host of events, including an inspirational talk from TV and sports star Ade Adepitan.
This event was organised by Warwickshire County Council’s Disability Staff Network to demonstrate the services available in the county, highlight the abilities of disabled people and acknowledge some of the barriers faced by them.
The event was open to the residents of Warwickshire and employees of the county council.
Cllr Heather Timms, the county’s Portfolio Holder for Corporate Services, said: “Recognising the issues faced by disabled people is not something we should only do one day a year, and thanks to events like this where we can see just what is happening throughout the year to improve the lives of many of our Warwickshire residents.”
Cllr Timms was joined by Ade Adepitan to opened the event. Ade is a familiar face on the BBC, not only from his starring role in the wheelchair basketball idents in between programmes, but also on other progammes and as a commentator at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. Ade was a member of the GB wheelchair basketball team that won bronze at the Athens Paralympics in 2004.
Specialist services including WCC services and external providers Dyslexia Action, Warwickshire Association for the Blind, Take a Break, Warwickshire Relate exhibited on the day and Sainsbury’s and Boots in Warwick sponsored raffle prizes for the ‘Accessibility Survey ‘ and ‘Awareness Raising Quiz’, which was presented to everyone on entry.