I remember introducing the #DrawDisability campaign to Pantao Elementary School, a rural school in my hometown in the Philippines, sometime in February 2015. The response from the children and teachers was overwhelmingly positive. They were grateful as the campaign helped transformed their perspectives about disability and inclusion.
But more was still needed to educate the community. This was the reason why I decided to continue the campaign by inviting more elementary schools to participate.
On July 20, 2016, I organized a one-day #DrawDisability campaign as part of the celebration of the 38th National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPR) Week on July 17-23, 2016. The event was supported in by the Department of Education Calatrava 2 District and the municipal government of Calatrava through the Municipal Social Welfare and Development (MSWD) office.
Twenty three (23) children without disabilities (between ages 10 and 12) from public elementary schools joined the event. Their teachers, who served as their coaches or mentors, accompanied them.
The event utilized the #DrawDisability Guidelines for Teachers. It kicked off by asking the children to reflect on their feelings and thoughts every time they hear ‘disability’. The children then explored the different types of disabilities through picture analyses. Furthermore, they were given the opportunity to interact with children with disabilities specifically those with blindness, hearing impairment, autism, Down syndrome, and intellectual disability.
The main drawing activity was then introduced. Children were asked to create an artwork on the theme: ‘Pagpa-apil sa batang may kapansanan sa regular nga tunghaan’ (Including a child with a disability in a regular classroom). These are some of their outputs:
The whole event was ended by a message from the Calatrava 2 district supervisor, Ms. Myline Cornel. She shared, ‘We are grateful that this campaign is in our district. We hope to sustain this by providing more opportunities for regular children to learn more about disability and inclusion’.
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