International Day of People with Disabilities in Croatia

  • Our second graders and their teacher Dunja Mikulaj had a guest - Mrs Zadravec, who kindly told them a story about her life. She has used a wheelchair since she was thirteen - it was difficult for her at first but eventually she got used to it. She graduated at a faculty, works and has a family. The children had a chance to try moving in a wheelchair and walk with their eyes blindfolded, to see how disabled people must feel in their everyday activities. Our seventh graders watched a short film about a teenage girl with a disability. They also tackled the “disability etiquette” - how treat people with disabilities with respect. After the presentation pairs of pupils had a task to highlight the rules of good communication they find the most important. Here are some of them: Speak directly to a person with a disability, not to their companion; Respect their personal space; Offer your arm - don’t take theirs; Be specific when giving directions; Always ask before you help; Children with disabilities and interested in the same topics as all other children. The output is the film about the meeting in the second grade and the students’ activities there, also to be used in the future for educational purposes.