Disabled children integration
In the school year – 2001/2002, we started the realization of the great project " Disabled children integration in the mass school" This project is financed by "Open Society" Foundation Sofia. Every week, children from "K. Velichkov" Primary School in Patalenitza visited the children’s home for disabled children in Pazardjik. They were doing classes there in art, cooking, flower growing and sewing. At the same time 8 children from this home were visiting the school classes, from I to V class in "L. Karavelov" Primary School in Pazardjik. The children took part together in various initiatives: they organized a sport holiday, a Christmas celebration in "Elbrus" Restaurant, together with their friends from "L. Karavelov" Primary school, they visited "Nikola Furnadjiev" Library, "Mc Donald’s" Restaurant and the Art Gallery in Pazardjik. They were together in their pilgrim trip to Bachkovo Monastery.
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The model of the joint work turned out to be very useful. It helped many children and teachers from mass school to overcome some of the accumulated barriers between healthy and disabled people communications. And yet… The children and the teachers from ordinary schools do not know disabled people’s specific problems and how they can be solved and restricted. The healthy children often do not suspect that their disabled peers have unexpected abilities. The activities in various studios gave us the cue that it will be so good to gather the children from the three schools somewhere together. At the beginning of June we discussed the idea about a summer camp for children from Patalenitza and Disabled children’s home. The initiative and support from "Peace and Equity" Program in |
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Classes in Art and Philosophy studio
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Catholic relief services, came in time. The dreamt camp was reality. It was organized from 19 to 24 August 2002 in the beautiful town of Velingrad.The main goal of this initiative was the achievement of integration between healthy and disabled children out of their schools and families and creation of a model for reasonable leasure activities. This was achieved by healthy and disabled children involving in joint activities and in mixed groups /studios/ that work all the time together. In the end, they presented the "product" made by them which involved the efforts and contributions by the healthy the disabled children. They worked as teams in the studios where every member contributed to reach the general
"Speakers" team is presenting last news
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goal. The creative activities were grouped in several studios:
-Art and Philosophy Studio.
-Drama Studio.
The most experienced members of "Petrovden" Drama school Primary School in Patalenitza were involved in this drama studio. A wonderful play " Snow-white’s stepmother" was born in the camp. This play was performed very successfully in Pazardjik in October 2002. Two years later, in April 2004, the children pleased their fans with a new joint play " Fellow countrymen".
-"Speakers" Team;
-"Children’s rights" Studio;
-"With cameras in our hands" Studio.
The teachers in these studios were chosen very carefully. In each studio there was a resource educator from the disabled children's |
home who helped the children and the teachers. The children are already together; they have a mutual want to communicate.
Let us taught by them!
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