MODELS FOR TEACHING THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD (I-IV grade). (9) TOPIC: RIGHT TO SPECIAL CARE FOR DISABLED CHILDREN

SOME IDEAS FOR TEACHING THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

(9) TOPIC:

RIGHT TO SPECIAL CARE FOR DISABLED CHILDREN

“1) State Parties recognise that a mentally or physically disabled child should enjoy a full and decent life, in conditions which ensure dignity, promote self-reliance and facilitate the child’s active participation in the community.

3) Recognising the special needs of the disabled child, assistance…shall be designed to ensure that the disabled child has effective access to and receives education, training, health care services ,rehabilitation services, preparation for employment and recreation opportunities in a manner conducive to the child’s achieving the fullest possible social integration and individual development, including his or her cultural and spiritual development...”
(Article 23 from “The Convention on the Rights of the Child”)

ACTIVITY

“The different senses”

Aims:

Pupils to be placed in a situation and a state close to the ones that their disabled peers experience. (Children that suffer from malfunction of the visual, auditory and locomotory system)

Students will gain experience and first orientation as to the problems which their peers encounter in communication, learning/knowledge and having an independent way of life.

Procedure:
(1) ”Go along the path!”

Divide the students into pairs and blindfold one of each pair of pupils. Arrange an improvised “path” with hurdles (e.g. chairs)and show the participants who can see the route along which they have to lead their partners. The rule is: “those who see” to lead through the hurdles their “ blind” partners taking them by the hand and facilitate their movement at the most - by giving them verbal instructions and protecting them against hurting themselves.

After all pairs have passed ask “the seeing” and “the blind“ to swap so that each participant can feel the difference between leading a blind man and being led when you can’t see.

After finishing the game ask the students the following questions:

How did you feel while you were being led and you couldn’t see where you were going?
And how did you feel while you had to lead your “blind” partners ?

(2) “Mimes”

Ask one of the pupils to go out. Explain to the rest that their task is to negotiate between themselves what they had to tell him only by miming and gestures as well as to take a decision who is going to do what. The one who is going to make the announcement has the right to move his/her lips but without making a sound. The task of the student who has to understand /decode the message is to orientate himself/herself not just by gestures and mimes but by the movement of the lips as well.

This game can have another variant as well that constitutes in several participants together trying to convey the message by gestures and mimes.

After the game you can turn to the students with the following questions:

How did you feel when you couldn’t understand what they wanted to tell us and you had to lip-read?
Did you feel in a different way when you had to explain only through mimes and gestures?

(3) “The disobedient hand”

Read a short sentence to your pupils using your own discretion? Ask them to write it in their exercise books with the hand which they usually don’t use in writing.

Ask them questions:

Was it difficult to write with your other hand? Why?
Did you feel in a different way when you had to use the hand that is less skilful in writing?

After playing those games recap with the help of the following questions:

Was it difficult for you to follow the rules of this game? Why? Did you feel in a different way while playing the games?
In what way are these games more different than the others that you usually play?
Why do we feel more different when we can’t see, can’t hear or we can’t use our hands and feet/legs as we would like to?