This Olympic year has seen the arrival in Russia of the "Dream Ski: Mountains of Equal Opportunities" program. Conceived in the U.S., the project aims to give children with disabilities a chance to rehabilitate through mountain skiing. RBTH presents the video stories of two program's participnts, Maksim and Dasha.
The idea to bring the program to Moscow belongs to Sergei and Natalya Belogolovtsev, who for the past 25 years have brought up a son with a complex form of cerebral palsy. They initiated training for Russian ski instructors to work with the disabled. Even a short training course has a good therapeutic effect : a child with cerebral palsy, for instance, improves his or her posture, gait, coordination, and, of course, mood.
In January 2014, individual classes for children with disabilities became a reality. Today, the Russian version of the “Dream Ski” program includes 5 ski centers, 10 trainers, and 23 children. These children were given a chance to feel strong, equal, and happy .
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