Club Deportivo Discapacitados San Rafael

Adaptive sports and inclusive participation

Club Deportivo Discapacitados San Rafael is a sports organization focused on making athletics accessible to people with disabilities. It organizes adapted training, competitions, and therapeutic activities, with an inclusive approach that also involves family members and companions.

Sports and activities

The club offers several adapted disciplines:

• Wheelchair tennis: An individual sport that has been growing among people with disabilities.
• Power wheelchair hockey: A team sport suited to people with significant physical disabilities and cerebral palsy, played by teams of four.
• Table tennis: One of the club’s most popular activities, with a large number of participants.
• Swimming: A full-body activity that the club describes as helping address health problems and as being used in a range of therapies.
• Hydrotherapy: Therapeutic sessions in the water.

Annual summer swim program

One of the club’s best-known activities is an annual July swimming program for people with disabilities at the pool at Hospital San Rafael. It is open to all ages and ability levels. In 2016, it reached its 28th edition. The program includes a professional team—physical therapists, sports instructors, and a social educator—along with volunteers who provide one-on-one support. The club offers its own scholarship program to help make participation possible.

Therapeutic water activities and family support

The club runs a project combining aquatic activity based on the Halliwick method, used in hydrotherapy programs, with sessions tailored to each participant. It also organizes “Respir,” a mutual-support group for family members with help from a psychotherapist. The project is supported by Fundación Inocente-Inocente.

“Els Dracs” power wheelchair hockey team

In 2016, the club reached an agreement with Institut Guttmann to bring the “Els Dracs” power wheelchair hockey team, which practices in Badalona, into its organization. The team joined the existing team in Sabadell, with both retaining their autonomy. Families are involved in managing the team, which competes in tournaments.

Competitions and achievements

The club has earned sporting honors, including the 2015 Spanish Power Wheelchair Hockey Championship title at the 11th national championships. It has also participated in the Jocs Catalans and international wheelchair tennis tournaments.

Recognition

Honors include the 2014 Premi Jaume Ciurana for outstanding civic action in support of people, awarded by the Catalan Government’s Department of Social Welfare and Civic Action, and a 2016 award from Fundación Inocente-Inocente.

Contact

Phone: 93 611 60 47. Email: info@clubsanrafael.org. The club is also on Facebook and Twitter (@CEDSanRafael).