The League of Welfare Organizations for the Disabled (LWOD) is organizing a scuba-diving training program for physically challenged people in order to increase their participation in outdoor recreational activities.
The LWOD said a total of 15 disabled people will be trained together with volunteer workers by professional scuba divers in the two-month program with an aim to receive scuba-diving licenses at the end of the training.
Government statistics show that only 2.6 percent of disabled people in Taiwan participate in outdoor recreational activities, the LWOD said. The main obstacles to their participation include unfriendly designs of activity venues and a lack of resources.
This is the first time that the LWOD has organized scuba-diving training for Taiwan’s physically challenged citizens.
Registration for the training program will run until July 20. Potential trainees will be interviewed and assessed by doctors and trainers between July 26 and 27, and the group of 15 trainees will be announced Aug. 1.
The training will place from Aug. 9 to Sept. 7, and the exam leading to the licenses will be held on Sept. 21, according to the LWOD.
