On Friday, 18 fourth-grade students from La Condamine school in Monaco welcomed their blind and visually impaired peers from Nice. This event, initially scheduled for April, was part of the Week of Inclusive Education, originally planned for January.
The students from Groupe Scolaire Le Château in Nice, a school specializing in education for children with disabilities, traveled to Monaco for a day of activities designed to promote inclusion. The day was divided into two segments: a morning session dedicated to playing torball, a unique ball sport adapted for both sighted and visually impaired players, and an afternoon filled with hands-on workshops to create musical instruments in celebration of the Fête de la Musique.
The highlight of the day was torball, a relatively unknown sport that La Condamine students had been practicing throughout the year, even organizing a tournament among their classes. In torball, the audience must remain as silent as at Roland-Garros due to the bell inside the ball, which players rely on to locate it while wearing blindfolds.
Although some parts of the game may seem slow, torball requires intense concentration as players position themselves to block the ball and prevent goals. The Monaco students were thrilled to share this experience with their Nice counterparts, all while maintaining their competitive spirit.
Camille, 10, expressed his enthusiasm, "I love this sport, especially the competition!"
Some students were deeply invested in the event, showing visible disappointment when they lost. While emotions ran high during the matches, the goal for the supervising staff was different.
This event was a continuation of the Week of Inclusive Education held in January. Pascale Bellingeri, the principal of La Condamine, explained, "My goal was to raise our students' awareness of diversity and inclusion, especially with ULIS students integrated into traditional classes. That’s why I wanted to organize this Inclusive Education Week, introducing each grade to different forms of disabilities, so our students from first to fifth grade know how to respond to various disability-related situations."
The day was filled with kindness and connection. Beyond the sports aspect, Charlie, a 12-year-old student from École du Château, appreciated the social interactions. "I liked torball, but mostly I'm happy because I made new friends," she said.
This meeting, the first between the two schools, aimed to bring together young people regardless of their differences. "For everyone, it was a discovery and a new way to engage in sports under different sensory conditions," said Cécile Borriglione, a fourth-grade teacher at La Condamine.
Torball training sessions, which began last year at La Condamine, were also held this year at Les Révoires school and Cours Saint-Maur.
Torball is an inclusive sport designed for blind and visually impaired individuals. Created in Germany in the 1950s for war veterans, it was introduced in France in the 1970s.
The game involves two teams of three players using a sound-emitting ball to score goals by throwing it under three cords stretched 40 cm above the ground. The sport enhances listening skills and coordination.
Accessible to everyone, including sighted players with blindfolds, torball promotes inclusion and raises awareness of the abilities of people with disabilities. There are currently over 300 registered players in France.