Index
People with disabilities are part of our daily lives and the time that they had to live inmates in their homes is gone due to the lack of structure to receive them. Of course, much remains to be done, but clearly we see progress in solving mainly the difficulties of children with physical disabilities.
Nowadays it is very common to see people with visual impairments walking on the streets, people with hearing impairments working in establishments and companies and, although there are certain difficulties for children with physical disabilities , we see them attending schools with all the other children.
Having a Disabled Child
Having a child with a physical disability is certainly not an easy task, but the upbringing has become much more positive with the advances we have seen. It is not by chance that even today the prejudice against these children has already diminished and tends to become a thing of the past.
Social inclusion to help deal with the difficulties of children with physical disabilities is now part of the reality of schools in the world and has become more and more common also in Brazil.
What is Considered Physical Disability in Children?
According to Unicef, one in every 20 children in the world suffers from some form of physical disability, severe or moderate, which amounts to around 93 million children worldwide . By definition, physical disability is configured as a limitation that leads to difficulties in the coordination, locomotion or speech of a child.
Therefore, any child who falls within this definition, having been born this way or acquired the problem during their lifetime, is considered to be a child with a physical disability.
Main Difficulties of Children with Physical Disabilities
Children with physical disabilities face different types of challenges every day, however, the help of parents is essential for them to be able to learn to face some difficulties, while institutions such as schools also need to adapt to them so that they do not feel excluded. of the group. The main difficulties encountered by children with physical disabilities are:
- Locomotion
- Social Difficulties
Locomotion
Depending on the child’s type of disability, school can be a major obstacle course for them. If we talk about children who use wheelchairs, for example, it is still possible to find several places where accessibility is very poor or even non-existent.
Although there are laws for this system to work, government schools are often the first places where the difficulties of children with physical disabilities will become more evident, such as going up and down stairs , for example.
Children who need crutches can also encounter problems in places where there are no ramps or elevators and often need help from friends or local staff to get around.
In cases like this, where there are no forms of accessibility for the child within the school, it is of utmost importance that the parents pay attention so that the child receives the appropriate treatment within the school, so that he does not feel excluded or offended . For that, it is necessary that the pedagogical work done in there also addresses these issues.
Social Difficulties of Children with Physical Disabilities
The difficulties of children with social physical disabilities are also directly related to the way in which parents deal with disabilities in order for them to relate to others. The biggest tip is not to treat them differently , unless she really needs it.
It is clear that the child needs to be aware of his limitations, but often the overprotection of the parents makes the child feel abnormal and excluded from a social circle, which can harm his formation.
It is best to allow the child to grow up with other children in a common school, disabled or not, but also to have contact with others who have the same type of disability or who also suffer from the same types of problems.
This makes the child, from a young age, aware of his reality without thinking that he cannot be an integral part of society. Of course, this is part of a process of social inclusion that depends not only on the parents and that can often be long, but that is almost always effective.
Inclusion of Children with Physical Disabilities
The inclusion of children with physical disabilities in all sectors of society is not a new agenda, but one that has been discussed and worked on constantly in order to build a better society.
Government Inclusion
Inclusion must undoubtedly begin with the government. Encouraging and supporting parents to give the right directions for raising their children is essential, as not everyone has a sense of how to deal with the difficulties of children with physical disabilities.
But it is also extremely important to know the main points defended by the institutions that fight for the social inclusion of children with physical disabilities. Some of them are:
- Combating prejudice
- Eliminate barriers that prevent inclusion as in public transport, schools and hospitals.
- Involve children and adolescents with physical disabilities in decision-making with regard to them.
- Supporting families
- Apply the concepts of inclusive health and inclusive education
It is clear that many of these points are more developed in certain parts of the world than in others. Speaking of Brazil, in particular, we know that in large cities the inclusion of children in places such as public transport and schools is greater than in cities further away from large centers and that the difficulties of children with physical disabilities are greater where there is not this type of access.
Even so, we can see a clear improvement over what was a few years ago and the hope is that this evolution will continue.
Social Inclusion of Disabled People at School
Children with physical disabilities have the same rights to education as any other, although for them, they are often denied for lack of resources for them to study.
The global recommendation is that children do not study in special schools that segregate them from society, but, as already mentioned, be raised like other children in order to feel an important part and with the same rights as others.
It is clear that for the education of children with some kind of physical disability to be ideal, many things need to work together: Cultural institutions, public policies and, of course, the creation of parents, who are a fundamental part for the physical disability to be a less and less problem in your children’s lives.
See also: Braille – The Words at the Fingertips
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
