With an initial investment of more than 600 thousand pesos, Jardín Bepensa unveiled spaces and adaptations for people with disabilities. These include access ramps to the basketball court, the Zumba area, benches, and specific games, such as a wheelchair lift. At the same time, Mapatón was launched, an application that can be found at teletón.org, where Jardín Bepensa is listed nationally as an accessible place.
The president of the Bepensa Foundation, Fernando Ponce Díaz, noted that the park is growing every day and strengthening its facilities. “For us, it is extremely important because of the importance of inclusion and for people with disabilities to be able to come more often to have fun and enjoy themselves with their families.”
Carlos Sáenz Castillo, Director General of the Sports Institute (IDEY), stated that "today is a historic day." He explained that IDEY is seeking inclusion not only in Mérida but also throughout the state.
"As a Sports Institute, we have adopted and worked daily to implement projects, both institutionally and through partnerships, that benefit people with disabilities," said René Ledesma Abdala, administrator of the Yucatán Paralympic Center and head of the Adaptive Sports and Seniors Department.
He added, thanking the Bepensa Foundation for its involvement in enabling people with disabilities to access more activities. "They have a remodeling project that they will be implementing step by step to provide more accessible parking closer to the areas."
He commented that a few months ago, the first edition of the Basketball League for Inclusion was launched, which also included the Bepensa Foundation, and included 21 teams, 14 of which were from the interior of the state.
He also announced that they have just signed an agreement with Marista University through which four high-performance Yucatecan athletes will receive a 100 percent scholarship and a fifth for an athlete with a disability.
During the event, a basketball game was held between teams featuring young people with disabilities, as well as an inclusive Zumba class.
During the event, a basketball game was held between teams featuring young people with disabilities, as well as an inclusive Zumba class.
Also present at the reopening event were Claudia Ponce Miranda, director of Crit Yucatán; Lizette Zepeda Hernández, head of the Training and Outreach Department, representing María Teresa Vázquez Baqueiro, general director of the Institute for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities of the State of Yucatán (IIPEDEY); Carlos Martín Briceño, director of the Bepensa Foundation; and Jorge Esteban Abud, director of Outreach and Sports Units at Idey.
Source: La Jornada Maya
