England blind footballer leads session on disability in sport to UCFB students

An international footballer from the England Blind Football Team took part in a UCFB lecture, seminar and practical session on disability in sport.

Azeem Amir, who has been a professional footballer since 2019, is an ambassador for multiple disability charities and organisations, and spoke to our students on disability within professional sports.

Azeem also conducts TEDTalks and recently launched Learn with ESS, which aims to educate schools, sports clubs and businesses about disability awareness.

Recently, he was included as part of the official England kit launch ahead of the 2024 European Championships.

Azeem is no stranger to UCFB, having been a panel member at our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference in Manchester in 2023.

Firstly was a lecture which looked at an overview on what disability means, and conversations around desensitising the subject.

There was also a look at what makes a good team member, which focus on communication, creativity and empathy, emphasising this within the world of disability, such as through braille or BSL.

A practical session followed, where students took part in blindfolded drills, working in teams to develop communication and co-operation through competitive games.

Azeem also led an introduction into blind football, doing some dribbling, passing and shooting practice with the sound balls.

Throughout the session, emphasis was made on what the students learnt and how they can link that to their job role.

They were then introduced to hearing-impaired awareness programme before a group discussion and powerful words from Azeem around gratitude.