SASLED project

“Sports activities for people with specific learning disorders ” (SASLED) is a “Partnership for collaboration” project whose main objective is to promote social inclusion and equal opportunities in sports, through greater participation in sports activities by adolescents and young people with specific learning disorders (SLD).

It involves 7 partners from 5 European countries : ASD Running Matera  – project coordinator (Italy), Fundacion Universitaria San Antonio (UCAM), (Spain), Associazione Italiana di Promozione Sociale per la Ricerca e l’intervento sui Disturbi di Apprendimento (AID), European Dyslexia Association, International Organisation for Specific Learning Disabilities (EDA) (Belgium), Dyslexia Association of Ireland (DAI) (Ireland), Asociatia Bucuresti Pentru Copii Dislexici (ABPCD) (Romania), Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Sport Club Basilicata (SCB) (Italy). The project lasted 24 months starting from 01/01/2023 and ended on 31/12/2024.

The aim of the project is to start a sustainable and continuous learning path that connects educators, social workers, coaches, volunteers, residential structures, associations, NGOs and Foundations, in a greater involvement in sport and educational activities of people with specific learning disorders (SLD).

Training sessions and sport events with young people with SLD took place in each partner country during the European Week of Sport 2024. Dissemination seminars and webinars were organised in each country and many other dissemination activities related to the project took place. These activities were carried out in associations and schools by educators, coaches and sport volunteers who were trained during the project.

Specific objectives

The SASLED Project has the main objective of encouraging social inclusion and equal opportunities in sports, through greater participation in sports by adolescents and young people with specific learning disorders (SLD).

The project has the following specific objectives:

  • Strengthen the use of sport as a tool for social inclusion and raise awareness of the potential of Sport in the treatment of SLD people;
  • Train educators, parents and sports volunteers in better awareness and adequate skills to use sport as a pedagogical tool to foster the social inclusion of “vulnerable” target groups, such as people with SLD;
  • offer learning opportunities (being a coach) to young people of local origin who would increase their level of skills regarding social inclusion through sport and therefore their future job opportunities ;
  • programs for the promotion and incentive of sports activities for people with SLD;
  • Increase stakeholder knowledge on EU, national, regional and local policies on best practice in teaching and social inclusion through sport:
  • collaborate with European institutions and EU Member States to safeguard and promote sport for people with SLD

Work performed and main achievements

The project activities have been divided into 5 work packages which include the following activities:

WP1: Project management and coordination activities: General coordination and project management, Transnational and on-line meetings, monitoring and evaluation, Financial management

WP2: Survey on the knowledge of the integrated sports method for SLD and on sports methods for social inclusion: Fact-finding survey, database/report with data analysis and evaluation

WP3: Guidelines “SLD, sport & physical activity”: Guidelines “SLD, sport & physical activity”, Creation of simplified information material for teachers, educators, parents , sports volunteers, ecc

WP4 E-learning platform -Teaching activities: creation of the e-learning platform and the carrying out of training activities for teachers, educators, sports volunteers, ecc.

WP5: Impact and dissemination: Dissemination, exploitation and marketing strategies, Initial and final conference, Communication material, Promotional video, Project website, sport events, exploitation and sustainability plan, Informative newsletter, training sessions for people with SLD

Final results:

  • Investigation of the current situation (survey)
  • Guidelines ” SLD, sport & physical activity ” containing the best training practices
  • E-learning platform for the training of educators, teacher and sport volunteers (https://elearning-sldandsport.hsh.it/)
  • Training certificate for the on-line course “SLD sports operators”
  • Local training workshops, seminars, webinars and conferences
  • Awareness raising events in 5 partner countries during the EWoS 2024
  • Communication materials in the partner languages
  • Communication activities: launch events, publications, promotional videos, newsletter, ecc
  • Dissemination activities
  • Initial and final conferences

For more information on the project activities: runningmatera@gmail.com

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.