Promoting disability equality training in our schools

The educational pack Holoq (Links) published by the National Commission Persons with Disability (KNPD) was recently reissued in its second edition. The pack is aimed at teachers in both primary and secondary schools to use with their students to raise awareness about disability issues.

The pack was launched during a three-day in-service training (INSET) course that KNPD organized with the collaboration of the Education Division. The publication as well as the INSET course were funded by the European Union's Community Action Programme to Combat Discrimination.

Disability is a cross-curricular issue and can be presented through different subjects, for instance PSD, Social Studies, languages and others. Holoq is designed in a way that provides a variety of exercises that can be used in various types of lessons. Moreover, it targets different levels and can be used in the last years of primary schools and the early years of secondary schools.

Holoq comprises of six booklets aimed at students, as well as a teacher's guide. Students get the opportunity to learn about disabled people as whole persons, while at the same time focusing on issues that are specific to different impairment groups.

The first introductory booklet, entitled Ghinni Mhux Lestili (help me, don't prepare everything for me), focuses on two main themes. The first being the fact that we are all different, thus disabled people are not special but are different in the way that everybody else is. The second being the fact that giving support to disabled people is a duty not an act of charity.

This theme is taken up again in the last booklet, Holoq Differenti (Different links) which provides the opportunity to summarise what students have learnt in the other booklets, and then focuses on the importance of supporting disabled people to have a better quality of life, moving away from the idea that giving money to charity is enough.

There are also four booklets, each representing a child with a different impairment (mobility, visual, hearing and intellectual). Students learn about each child's likes and dislikes, and their strengths and needs. The contents of each booklet gives a rights-based message, while focusing on issues that are relevant to the different impairment groups. The child then introduces himself or herself, followed by a series of information sheets, exercises and games that teachers can use to convey the message of disability equality.

Aktar Indipendenti (More Independent) is about Kevin, a boy with mobility impairment. Wheelchair-users are often made dependent on other people because of physical obstacles in their environment. The booklet gives information about how the physical environment can be made more accessible.

Tkellem Maghha u Mhux Fuqha (Talk To Her Not About Her) is about Rita, a girl with hearing impairment. People with hearing impairment can easily be left out of social groups because they cannot easily follow spoken conversations, especially in groups. There is also information and exercises about how to communicate using signs.

Irrid Nasal! Ghinni Mhux Tfixkilni (I Need To Get There - Help Me, Don't Hinder Me) is about a visually impaired boy called Stefan. People with visual impairments can also find difficulties with physical obstacles that get in the way when they need to get from one place to another. They meet obstacles in accessing written information, which can be removed in different ways, including by using Braille, a topic which is dealt with in this booklet.

Ma Tridx Tkun Gharef . . . Biex Taghmel Habib (You Don't Have To Be Brainy . . . To Make Friends) is about a boy with intellectual impairment called Mark. People with intellectual impairment can easily be ostracised because others think it needs a great effort to be their friend. Therefore, the focus in this booklet is on looking at the abilities of people with intellectual impairments, not only their perceived inabilities, and learning how to explain things in a simple way that can be understood by one and all.

A common characteristic in each of these four booklets is a sheet with comic strips that raise various issues teachers can use as a starting point to a discussion, or as basis for further exercises, such as an essay, or role play. There is also information about famous disabled people and the biological aspect of different impairments. These sheets can be used by teachers in different lessons and for different purposes, for example, for a comprehension exercise.

While the use of the six Holoq booklets and the teacher's guide can be easily integrated within lessons for different subjects, they can also be used when schools organise events that are aimed at raising awareness about social matters, including those related to disabled people. Such activities should be based on the principles of disability equality training (DET), that is training in which disabled people play an active role.

KNPD has been delivering DET for the past 15 years, and since 2004, it has also started a DET programme in schools. Those schools which are interested to learn more about this programme can send an email to helpdesk@knpd.org.

Copies of Holoq have been distributed to all schools in Malta and Gozo and are available free of charge from KNPD's offices. A soft copy of this publication will soon be also available from the KNPD website www.knpd.org.

Mr Camilleri is KNDP Chairman and Ms Callus is Manager.