NCCR Concludes Disability Lectures in Higher Al-Ramla School

Targeting 48 female students, the National Center for Community Rehabilitation concluded lectures about disability in Higher Al-Ramla School in Gaza. This comes as a part of the plan proposed by the Awareness Program at the center to the Directory of Education and which targets both Prep and secondary levels school students to enlighten them about disability. The lectures were held with the attendance of A'mal Hussein, special education supervisor in the Directory of Education, and 3 lady-teachers.

For 2 days and in the amount of 2 hours a day, the lectures tackled defining disability, its causes, types, ways of prevention, and the importance of considering the individual dissimilarities. Hani Abu Zaid, rehabilitation consultant in the NCCR, stated that considering the individual dissimilarities is the first step for the disabled on the way of having self-confidence, especially in the field of education, in addition to the psychological, social and physical aspects of the disabled; this can be done through preparing teachers to accept and understand the disabled positively and avoid commenting on their behavior which might cause negative psychological impacts on them, and preparing the students to deal with their disabled colleague without mocking or bias, basically for their right of living with dignity, not out of sympathy.

Additionally, Abu Zaid discussed the significant role of the educational advisor through psychologically preparing the disabled for the integration and to raise his self-confidence, providing the students and teachers with the needed skills to accept the disabled, reducing the negative stereotype of the disabled, finding the needed facilities for them, and working on providing them with education aiding materials. Abu Zaid insisted, also, on the importance of communication between the educational advisor, family and teachers to engage the disabled with the scholar activities and following him up.

It is worthy to mention that the students who attended the lectures were chosen randomly from the majority of the classes at the school, in order to form a small and aware society which will reveal the experience they acquired to the rest of the students, and then to their families.