The new Lazdynai swimming pool in Vilnius was decorated with an acorn, the symbol of the Paralympic team "Parateam". Stickers with the acorn mark are given to sports infrastructure facilities where everyone, regardless of disability, can play sports and watch competitions. Facilities across the country are linked by a virtual map and the free Parateam mobile app, where everyone can find disability-friendly sports infrastructure across the country.
The representatives of the Lithuanian Paralympic Committee emphasize that huge investments are not always needed to make everyone feel welcome in sports arenas. By providing the acorn, they advise facility managers on what can be done to make the environment even more friendly for people with both mobility and vision disabilities.
Ernestas Česonis stuck the acorn sticker in the Lazdynai pool, which opened its doors at the beginning of this year. The triathlete of the Lithuanian Paralympic team tests the pool himself every day - he has been training here for more than half a year. Here, E. Česonis laid the foundations for the World Championship, for which he is currently preparing.
"The impressions are only positive. On the sports side, I'm very happy to be able to swim in a 50 meter pool without having to look around to avoid disturbing other people. It improves the quality of training, I can focus on work. The pool does not have any barriers for people with mobility disabilities, such as turnstiles. The pool has a lift for the disabled," said the athlete, who is aiming for a ticket to the Paris Paralympic Games.
The athlete of the Lithuanian Paralympic team, who a year and a half ago pasted an acorn sticker on the capital's largest swimming pool, Fabijoniškii, was happy that the number of disability-friendly sports facilities in Vilnius is increasing.
"This acorn mark given to the Lazdynai Basin is very important to me. This is not only a sign that the object is friendly to people with different disabilities, but at the same time it is a very clear and loud message that Vilnius belongs to all of us, no matter how different we are", said Donalda Meiželytė, vice mayor of the capital, who helped put on the sticker.
The Paralympic acorn is traveling around Lithuania faster and faster. There are already 225 arenas, arenas, playgrounds, halls, which the municipalities have announced are adapted for sports for people with disabilities, all over the country. All of them are connected by a virtual map, it is integrated in the mobile app "Parateam", which can be used by owners of smartphones and tablets.
"This app is a convenient tool, we invite everyone who wants to do sports to try it. It is very gratifying that the large managers of the country's sports infrastructure are working to improve the experience for people with disabilities, this is important because it gives everyone the opportunity to be physically active and socialize.
We understand that most objects have flaws, so we first ask for kindness in taking even small steps that do not require special investment. Often less attention is paid to the visually impaired, and sometimes the lower and upper stairs painted in a contrasting color can help to find your way around. As a result, we always ask facility managers to correct deficiencies, we cooperate with experts - the Lithuanian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired", said Asta Narmontė, Secretary General of the Lithuanian Paralympic Committee.
"We are glad that the construction technical regulation obliges the builders to adapt the buildings not only for the physically but also for the visually impaired. However, some elements of this regulation are only of an advisory nature. For example, principles of universal design - contrasts, larger numbers - are recommended. Still, these are important things that greatly facilitate the lives of the blind and partially sighted, so we very much hope that when new buildings are built, these needs will already be listened to," said Paulius Kalvelis, chairman of the Lithuanian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired.
"The Parateam app is a convenient tool for a person with a disability to find out where he can play sports and what kind of sport he can choose. With this project, we aim to inform about the possibilities to be physically active and do sports, because precisely the lack of information is one of the main reasons for low physical activity.
In Lithuania, about a quarter of a million people have a disability. This is a significant part of society, we must strive for the greatest possible accessibility of sports infrastructure and inform people about the already existing opportunities", said the president of the Lithuanian Paralympic Committee, Paralympic champion Mindaugas Bilius.
