{"id":16344,"date":"2022-12-09T14:19:12","date_gmt":"2022-12-09T14:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/?p=16344"},"modified":"2026-04-22T10:41:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T09:41:56","slug":"snozone-snow-sports-complex-disabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/blog\/snozone-snow-sports-complex-disabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Skiing, sledging and smiles: a day out at Snozone for disabled people with complex needs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This autumn, some of the people we support in Rotherham got to try out skiing and other snow sports at Snozone in Castleford. They were really excited, as they\u2019d never experienced snow sports before!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why snow sports?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Snow sports are a great sensory experience: you can feel the sharp cold air, the fast movement and the artificial snow itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sense has a strong partnership with Snozone, who have fundraised for Sense and worked closely with our charity shops in the north of England. They were kind enough to open their doors to our young people for a day in October. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having held some Family Days at Snozone in the past, we’ve seen the brilliant effect these activities can have on people’s confidence. The young people supported by our adult services were thrilled to have a go!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people we support had the chance to play in the snow with sledges and rubber rings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most excitingly, they got to try out the \u201csit ski\u201d: a type of ski with a seat, made especially for wheelchair users. They were supported by a fully qualified ski instructor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How we made the day accessible<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The people we took along to Snozone had complex needs. They wouldn\u2019t usually get to try something like snow sports. They\u2019d face so many barriers. These barriers include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Not having accessible transport to get to the venue.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Cost of sessions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Activities not being adapted to suit their needs (for example, not having access to a sit ski).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Lack of quiet spaces to relax in.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Staff not knowing how to coach disabled people with complex needs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    We worked with Snozone to remove these barriers. First of all, we started talking to Snozone to plan the event well in advance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    We made sure that the activities for the day were planned around the young people we support, and there was a quiet room available for the day. Snozone\u2019s instructors met with Sense staff and with the people we support to make sure they understood their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And of course, the session was free for everyone who took part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    An unforgettable day out<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In the end, it was such an incredible day. It gave everyone a lift in spirits, and was a real special treat for the young people to enjoy their new surroundings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The highlight was definitely seeing the young people try out the sit ski, along with the instructor, Jimmy. They all loved it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There\u2019s another similar session coming up soon at Snozone Castleford, and in future we\u2019re hoping to do more of this kind of special day out. Everyone should get the chance to try skiing and snow sports, including disabled people with complex needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Two<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This autumn, some of the people we support in Rotherham got to try out skiing and other snow sports at Snozone in Castleford.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":16347,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"display_author":[365],"class_list":["post-16344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","display_author-paul-downes"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16344\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16344"},{"taxonomy":"display_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/display_author?post=16344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}