It is now many years, forty-two to be exact, since the French master Claude Combe accepted in his dojo some boys down. Since then the movement "judo / disability" has undergone a tremendous expansion throughout Europe and is enriched with experience ranging from simple activities gym competitions genuine.
Moreover interventions ranging from the most affected people who have disorders associated both physical and mental persona done enough autonomous, albeit with mental retardation of varying magnitudes and learning problems.
The Judo allows still be useful to any level because, thanks to its values and psychomotor socializzanti allows course in collaboration with other educational interventions, to maintain, if not improve, the remaining abilities.
But not only mentally disabled, because in Europe there is also a lot of attention to physical disabilities and experience in this sense does not count. Finally, disability linked to blindness is not an obstacle to the practice of Judo, so much so that blind and visually impaired hypo participate through Ibsa, Paralympic Games.
Of course the appearance sports / racing can not be extended to all and should be instrumental in order to the above purposes of improving the residual skills and autonomy.
In other words the experience sports / racing only if needed, when needed and who can serve!
In France, for example, the national championship held by the "Handysport" in collaboration with the Federation of Judo, drew about four hundred judoisti from all over the country but it is certainly not all interventions "judo / disability" under way in France.
In conclusion, I can say that the Judo over the years has proved very useful tool in educational interventions of people with mental problems and physical disabilities.
Giorgio Sozzi