Northeast Passage Staff Present At International Conference In Qatar
By Keely Ames, Northeast Passage
May 14, 2008
UNH student Tyler Walker (left) gets ready to skate with a boy from Qatar during Northeast Passage's sled hockey clinic at The Shafallah Center in Doha. Photo courtesy of Cara Carr.
Late last month, two Northeast Passage staff members and one UNH student traveled
to the Middle East to present at an international forum on adaptive sports. Invited
by The Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs, Northeast Passage’s
Tom and Cara Carr and student Tyler Walker introduced the country of Qatar to
disability inclusion at the university level and brought the sport of sled hockey
to the region.
Northeast Passage, founded in 1990, is a nationally recognized leader in the
provision of innovative therapeutic recreation services. Northeast Passage
delivers disability-related health promotion and adapted sports programs throughout
New England. Northeast Passage is a program of UNH and is an affiliate of Disabled
Sports USA.
“We were thrilled to be invited to the Shafallah Center to present on
our work,” said Tom Carr, assistant director at Northeast Passage. “Being
able to talk about, and then show, the impact that therapeutic recreation can
have to an international audience was an amazing experience.”
The Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs was created at the request
of Her Highness Sheikhah Mozah, wife of His Highness, the Emir of Qatar, to
provide comprehensive services to children with disabilities. The center provides
diagnosis, evaluation, training and development services for children ages
3-21 with both cognitive and physical disabilities. The center focuses on education
and raising awareness.
For the past three years, The Shafallah Center has sponsored an international
forum that focuses on different issues within the disability community and
raises awareness among the citizens of Qatar. This year’s theme, “Sport
and Ability,” brought more than 250 delegates from 40 countries. For
three days, participants toured Doha and the center, attending workshops and
presentations.
Noted guests included Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister
Tony Blair, Bob and Suzanne Wright, founders of Autism Speaks, and First Lady
of Panama Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos. International Paralympic Committee
President Sir Philip Craven delivered the keynote address.
Northeast Passage was invited by The Shafallah Center to have an active role
in the forum. The Carrs and Walker presented “Fitting Disability into
the University Student-Athlete Model” and ran that nation’s first
sled hockey clinic for youth with disabilities. Tom and Cara Carr facilitated
purchasing sleds for The Shafallah Center and taught the staff about the equipment
and techniques for participation, so adaptive skating can be offered on a regular
basis.
Walker (’08 ) of Franconia is a member of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team
and has been mentoring a 5-year-old boy from Qatar with the same disability
as Walker. As disabilities are often hidden in that culture, the family contacted
Walker after researching online for resources. Walker traveled to Qatar in
December to meet with the family and was able to reconnect with them on this
most recent trip. Walker is a member of Northeast Passage’s Athlete Development
Center and co-presented with Tom Carr. He also participated in the sled hockey
demonstration.
“We hope to return and continue to help to move this country and the
region’s adaptive sports programs forward,” said Carr.
For more information on Northeast Passage, visit www.nepassage.org. For more
information on the Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs, visit
www.shafallah.org.
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