The Ministry of Education, The Inspiration Center, and other organizations are celebrating National Disability Week, or Disability Awareness Week, under the theme: “The Future is Accessible”. It started on Sunday, December 1, 2019 and ends on Friday, December 6, 2019. On the week’s second day, Monday, December 2, 2019, the Ministry through its Education Support Unit started a two-day conference for educators at the Radisson under the theme: “Inclusive Education: Embracing Diversity.” The idea of the conference, and Disability Week itself, was to ensure that all persons in Belize, including those living with disabilities, have equal opportunities for work, play, health, and success.
At the conference, there were a host of topics focused on including progressing toward an inclusive education system; child friendly schools; supporting students with challenging behavior; using curriculum to respond to student diversity; mindfulness in schools; and inclusion in early childhood education. It was among those topics that principals and other school administrators held discussions to better understand the needs of children with special needs as well as understanding where the curriculum is lacking and what it is that they can do. But becoming a more inclusive country requires more than input from persons in the education system, it also requires parents playing an active role in their children’s lives.
That is exactly what the parents and guardians who utilize the services of The Inspiration Center (TIC) in Belize City do. TIC is an NGO which provides various forms of therapy and other health services to children with disabilities but also actively engages the children’s families. One way that TIC engages the children and their families is through the annual publication of the children’s calendar and the Inspiration Center Agenda. This year’s edition, and TIC’s 10th publication of the calendar, was launched on Wednesday, December 4, 2019 as a part of Disability Week. TIC initially started the project as a summer program but has since used the calendar to address and eradicate the very real discrimination against children with disabilities. Through the publication, children from across the country are given an opportunity to showcase their artistic ability, regardless of their disabilities or special needs. Twelve brave girls and boys with ranging disabilities and between the ages of four to ten years were featured in this year’s publication and were gathered together with their families at TIC for the launch.
Proceeds from the calendar and agenda are what help to keep the doors of TIC open. TIC was gifted a check of $17,500 from McNab Visual Strategies, various ministries of the Government of Belize (GOB), RF&G, the Belize Police Department (BPD), and the Embassy of Taiwan in Belize. Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Belize, H.E. Remus Chen, was at the launch and says that his Government remains committed to offering its assistance to TIC’s efforts in eradicating discrimination against disabilities.
Starting at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 5, 2019, a Disability Awareness Walk will be held through the streets of Belize from the Memorial Park to Yarborough Greens. Finally, Disability Week culminates with an all-day Special Olympics on Friday, December 6, 2019.
