ABILYMPICS

Worldwide three major organizations

organize events for persons with disabilities :
Special Olympics – games and sports with focus on
mentally challenged.
Paralympics – games and sports mainly for persons with
locomotor disabilities.
Abilympics – Abilympics are Olympics with a
difference. Abilympics is a combination of the words
Ability and Olympics. These are vocational skills
competitions for persons with all disabilities. The focus is
to showcase the abilities not the disabilities.
International Abilympics are held once in four
years in different parts of the world under the
aegis of International Abilympic Federation
(IAF) & Rehabilitation International.

Members of IAF participate in the

International Abilympics. GRF has recently
become a member of IAF.
The International Abilympics were held in 1981 in Japan for the

first time to commemorate the United Nations International Year for

Disabled Persons. The second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth,

seventh, eighth Abilympics were held in Colombia, Hong Kong,

Australia, Czech Republic, India, Japan and South Korea respectively.

The Abilympics in India were
introduced by Amar Jyoti
Charitable Trust.
14 contestants participated in
5th International Abilympics
(IA) held in Prague in 2000
where India’s bid to hold 6th
IA was accepted.
1400 participants from 33 countries participated in
45 events in 6th International Abilympics held in
India in 2003. India won 30 medals (7 gold, 8 silver
and 15 bronze).
Mission Statement
The Mission of Abilympics is to create
public awareness and nurture the
productive talents of persons with
disabilities by providing them
opportunities to acquire and enhance
their vocational skills to achieve
economic independence.
Objectives

 Discover, nurture and showcase the

potential and talents of persons with disabilities
and promote economic self-reliance.
 Sensitise and create awareness among
government, the corporate sector and society at
large about the productive skills of persons
with disabilities.
 Expose persons with disabilities to the
relevant and latest trends in technologies in
their respective areas.

Ensure involvement of the government, the

corporate sector and NGOs in the economic
upliftment of the disabled.

 Promote international friendship through

exchange of knowledge and programmes.
Who can participate
•A person with any disability.
•He / She should be 15 years and above, for senior
abilympics and below 15 for junior abilympics
•He / She can participate in a maximum of two
contests if the date and time do not clash.
•No outside person is permitted to assist the
contestants in any way. In case a contestant needs
some help due to his / her disability, the organisers
provide the necessary assistance
 National Abilympics Association Mauritius
LIST OF ACTIVITIES UPDATED (23.04.13)
[Senior Competition - >15yrs]

Activity Code Name of Activity NGOs undertaking activity

ADSP, TEDPB, MMHA, Centre Lois Lagesse STH Handicapped,
001 Basket Making
Lizie dan la main, CWA,
002 Jewellery making ADSP, APEIM, Centre Lois Lagesse, TEDPB
003 Beading works Centre Lois Lagesse, MMHA, liziedan la main
004 Wood carving/Coconut carving MMHA,STH Hand,
005 Painting (on paper) ADSP, APEIM, STH handicapped, FIH, CWA
006 Fabric painting ADSP, STH handicapped
007 Cake decoration APEIM,FIH, CWA
008 Bakery APEIM,FIH
009 Dress making
010 Floral arrangement STH Hand.,
011 Crochet works Centre Lois Lagesse
012 Embroidery ADSP, STH hand, CWA
013 Basic typing skills Centre Lois Lagesse, ADSP, liziedan la main
014 Clay/Modeling Centre Lois Lagesse, liziedan la main
015 Candle Decoration ADSP, APEIM, Lois Lagesse
 [Junior Competition - <15yrs]

Activity Code Name of Activity NGOs undertaking activity

016 Card Making ADSP, CWA

017 Beading works ADSP, APEIM, CWA

018 Painting (on paper) ADSP

019 Singing (vocal)/Occidental/sega Liziedan la main, ,FIH

020 Music (Instrumental) Lois Lagesse

NOTE: To be able to carry out an activity at the Abilympics level, there should be at least 5 participants from
3 institutions.
 CONTEST – CATEGORIES
V1 Furniture Making – V11 Photography – Outdoor
Advanced V12 Poster Design
V2 Furniture Making - Basic V13 Silk Hand Painting
V3 Basket Making V14 Tailoring Men’s
V4 Jewellery Making V15 Dress Making –
V5 CAD - Machinery Advanced
V6 CAD-Architecture V16 Dress Making - Basic
V7 Wood Carving V17 Electronic Circuit
V8 Tie & Dye Connection & Technique
V9 Artificial Limb Making V18 Electronic Assembly &
V10 Photography – Studio Testing
V19 Bicycle Assembly
V20 Cake Decoration
V21 English Text Processing V31 Block Printing on Fabric
V22 Desktop Publishing V32 Dress Making – Basic
V23 Computer Programming V33 Painting oil on canvas
V24 Data Processing – Basic
Leisure &Living Skills
V25 Data Processing –
L1 Pottery
Advance
L2 Hand Knitting
V26 PC Assembly
L3 Embroidery
V27 Creating Web Pages
L4 Waste Reuse
V28 Floral Arrangement
L5 Crochet Work
V29 CNC Turning
L6 Painting (Water Colours)
V30 Cake Decoration
on paper
The list includes tasks for each disability e.g.

Visually Impaired – Computer Assembly,

computer programming, cane technology,
knitting etc.
Intellectually Challenged – word processing,
painting, dress making – basic, bead work,
block printing etc.
Speech & Hearing Impaired - need a sign
language interpreter.
Judges, Convenors and Technical Assistants are
identified from Industry, Technical and
Educational Institutes. An orientation
programme is organised to familiarise them with
the tasks and explain their role and the
methodology of assessment of the contestants.

A 3 to 5 member Jury is constituted to deal with

any appeal against the judgement.
The contests are judged entirely on
professional merit and not on the measure
of the disability of the contestant. No
concession is made for severity of
disability.
Benefits
• Abilympics provide an opportunity to
participants to upgrade their skills and learn
about employment opportunities though
networking with other disability organisations
and potential employers.
• Facilitates Mainstreaming
• Helps understanding about job potential and
employability.
• Creates awareness in the society about the
abilities of the disabled.
• Brings about Convergence of Resources
between government/academic/professional
institutions, industry, NGOs etc..
• Helps in creating barrier-free environment.
• Generates international friendship.
 Training & Employment Generation
• Involvement of academicians, professionals, institutions,
and industry.
• Identification of jobs, skill development initiative
schemes in consultation with Government/ Industry.
• Raise awareness among the employers including giving
them incentive for employment of persons with
disabilities.
• Provide incentives to medal winners in National and International
abilympics.
 Membership
IAF - Global Rainbow Foundation

National
• Individual membership
 Annual membership
 Life membership

• Institutional membership
 Annual membership
 Life membership
The hardest thing to overcome is
not physical disability but the
mental condition which it
induces.