Categorie: Comunicate

https://www.facebook.com/LeiasiDavid/ 

“The rights of children with disabilities are the mission and creed of our organization. Beyond the fight for these rights, beyond numbers and statistics, files in court and painful cases of abuse and discrimination, beyond all these are the CHILDREN.

Our work is about them and for them. So, this time, we chose to tell their story, the way it is, seen through their heart and our adult eyes. No mincing words, no hidden agendas.

You are probably used to read vehement messages and tough stands against the injustices faced daily by children with disabilities, just because they are different. 

You are probably used to seeing sanctions and moral compensations, as is only right when you fight for a cause.

And we will keep doing this.

Now, however, we wish to show you what is behind our fight. Why the fight cannot stop and why every day is a promise we do our best to honor.

Leia and David is the story of twin siblings. Their story is a mirror for us.

I wonder how many will have the courage to look in it.

But I know that those who will are good and courageous people of positive change.

Together we will discover, step by step, the story of the two children.

Thank you, dear friends, and I invite you to join us!”

Mădălina TURZA, CEDCD president

More details here: https://www.facebook.com/LeiasiDavid/

„Leia and David” is a campaign of the European Center for the Rights of Children with Disabilities as part of the Project OPEN SPECIAL SCHOOLS – Steps towards equity in education, financed by Open Society Foundations – Human Rights Initiative.

*Campaign illustrated by Dan Ungureanu.

Bucharest, February 16^th, 2016 – The European Centre for the Rights of Children with Disabilities (CEDCD) releases today the resources and promotion of inclusive education platform – www.educatieincluziva.info, developed through the project “Open the Special Schools – Steps towards equity in education”, financed by Open Society Foundations – Human Rights Initiative.

The platform www.educatieincluziva.info is the first instrument in Romania dedicated to the promotion of inclusive education on a national level, which includes theoretical, legal and practical information about inclusive education. The meaning of inclusive education, which are the main legislative benchmarks regulating inclusive education, a series of resources useful for parents and teachers in view of promoting and implementing inclusive measures in education.

Inclusive education is a vast concept, which not only is it addressed to children/people with disabilities, but also refers to every student category, regardless of their disability type, ethnicity, social membership or vulnerable category.

Inclusive education is not compatible with segregation, involving the isolation of students on different criteria in special schools.

Inclusive education consists of ensuring optimal learning conditions adapted to the needs of each student in an inclusive environment, under equitable conditions, respectively in mass-schools with adequate support if necessary.

Romania has the obligation to implement the inclusive education and to make a phased transition from a segregated system to an inclusive one through the international legislation our country is part in. From the perspective of disability, by ratifying the UN “Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” (Law no. 221/2010), 24^th article, Romania assumed to implement inclusive education.

The platform www.educatieincluziva.info also contains a section dedicated to Romanian special schools. Here, parents and interested people can find relevant information about special schools, resulted from the first national research initiated by CEDCD about the Romanian special education system, resulting in the study “Isolated Among Us – Dimensions of children with special educational needs’ participation in the Romanian educational system”, a platform of evaluation of the special schools designed for the parents of children with disabilities, testimonials from parents and a section dedicated to independent reports about special schools based on information collected from parents.

The section destined to special schools represents an initiative of transparency of special schools and of providing and gathering information on this subject in order to give parents the opportunity to make an informed decision when choosing the type of school their child will go to.

“It is still deeply buried in Romanian people’s minds the idea that <<specialized institutions>>, more specifically special schools, represent the best solution for children with disabilities. This is due to the fact that most people believe that children in special schools benefit from specialists, adapted methods and technologies. Unfortunately, the reality looks different. In most of the cases, special schools have no specialists, no innovative methods, no adequate therapies, being only some kind of places to store children. Many times, serious abuses are added, such as sedation or physical, psychological or emotional aggression (see Tileagd school in Bihor).

But beyond the lack of quality and resources, the separation of children is principally wrong and discriminatory. Never will a child who spent 10 years in a special school where he did no more than coloring be able to live independently in the society. This has been proved in Western Europe and the United States, where due to inclusive education, the majority of adults with disabilities  are independent people and social contributors.” States Mădălina TURZA, CEDCD President.

Additionally, the www.educatieincluziva.info platform represents a speaking-tube of the Alliance for Inclusive Education, which gathers all the nongovernmental organizations and individuals supporting and promoting inclusive education.

Contact: 

Mădălina TURZA

Email: madalina.turza@cedcd.ro

Mob: 0737545955                                                                                                                                

Fax: 021/7952465

Bucharest, February 8^th, 2016. Today, the European Centre for the Rights of Children with Disabilities (CEDCD) filed a complaint at the National Council for Combating Discrimination against the humiliating and degrading treatment endured by a 14 year old boy, attending 5^th grade at “Ion Creangă” Secondary School no. 13 in Botoșani, and by his parents.

Andrei is a 14-year-old pupil with Down Syndrome, attending 5^th grade. According to existing laws, he is certified to attend mass schooling. Although he successfully graduated from primary school, once he started 5th grade, his and his parents’ life became a nightmare. Since September 2015, the geography teacher, who is also a school inspector and mother of one of Andrei’s classmates, started pressuring the parents and the child, so Andrei would be expelled or transferred to a special school.

The teacher/inspector organized the other students’ parents against Andrei, by collecting signatures for his expulsion from school, and intimidated other teachers, by threatening them with inspections, so they would not allow Andrei to pass their classes. She managed to persuade the Romanian language teacher to fail Andrei and has permanently promoted hate-speech against Andrei in class, at parents and teachers’ meetings and in public.

Equally, the geography teacher/inspector refused to collaborate with the support teacher nominated by the Special Commission CJRAE of ISJ Botosani and flatly rejected the adapted curriculum created by the support teacher.

Furthermore, the geography teacher/inspector threatened the parents and adopted a degrading and hostile behavior towards them, after they filed a notice to ISJ Botosani regarding the repeated abuses and discrimination endured by their son in Secondary School no. 13. This fact is extremely serious, representing an aggravated form of discrimination – victimization.

One of the teacher’s favourite expressions referring to Andrei is that “she is disgusted by him”. Moreover, she has chosen to make false statements and spread stereotypes among parents and teachers, promoting the idea that Andrei “must be taken to a special school”, that “his classmates will have to suffer too” or that “he is incapable” etc.

The class teacher and the headmaster have taken a passive stance, fearing the influence of the geography teacher/inspector.

Andrei has been deeply traumatized by the psychological abuses and the hostile and intimidating environment, becoming more and more reserved.

In this case, CEDCD pursued a complaint against the geography teacher/inspector, the allied and/or passive teachers and the parents who offended, humiliated, instigated and demanded Andrei’s exclusion from school.

“The fact that such a discriminatory and abusive attitude, devoid of any professional conduct, still finds its place in Romanian schools is deeply revolting. Beyond the fact that the teacher/inspector’s is discriminating, harassing and humiliating a child, her behavior falls within the scope of criminal-law, due to both incitement to discrimination and abuse of office. We will take all necessary steps, so everyone who has infringed Andrei’s rights will deal with the legal consequences, including those parents who refuse to respect the right to education and dignity of children with disabilities,” stated Madalina Turza, CEDCD President.

Contact person:
Madalina TURZA

Email: madalina.turza@cedcd.ro

Mob: 0737545955                                                                                                                                

Fax: 021/7952465

Bucharest, February 8^th, 2016: European Centre for the Rights of Children qith Disabilities (CEDCD) launches today the project “No Child Kept Apart – Steps towards Equity in Education”, financed by Open Society Foundation – Human Rights Initiative.

The first national research on the Romanian special educational system conceived by CEDCD in 2015 revealed the fact that more than 30.000 children with disabilities, children belonging to the Rome community or children from disadvantaged backgrounds are isolated in special schools, while approximately 18.000 others do not even go to school.

Considering:

– the lack of rehabilitation and early intervention services, the poor quality of the educational services offered in special schools,

– the lack of adapted didactic materials, assistive technologies, flexible curriculum and adequate training of special and mass schools teachers,

– the persistant existence of abuses and other types of restrictions in special schools,

-the over 100 million euros spent by the state on a special educational system that produces socially assisted people in a proportion of 96%,

– the misleading data and information about the situation of the education of children with disabilities that the romanian authorities present to the international fora,

CEDCD continues to promote the right to an inclusive education for all children. Consequently, through the “No Child Kept Apart – Steps towards equity in education” project, we will develop the following action lines:

• Creating the first online platform for advocacy and inclusive education educatieincluziva.info;
• Coagulating the Aliance for Inclusive Education;
• Proposing directive lines for desegregation in education and an inclusive education model – “minimally restrictive environment”, on the basis of information given by the theachers who work in the system;
• Reporting to the UN “Convention on the Righs of Persons with Disabilities” Committee on the situation of children with disabilities isolated in special schools;
• An evaluation platform of the special schools from the perspective of the parents of children with disabilities;
• Advising and representing in court cases of abuse and discrimination against children with disabilities;
• Running a national campain promoting inclusive education.

This project will be going on for 12 months and will benefit from the support of experts in education, human rights, communication and law.

The European Centre for the Rights of Children with Disabilities (CEDCD) launches a contest for young, talented illustrators who wish to make a positive contribution in the society we live in through their painstaking work.

1. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We wish to select a talented illustrator, who can bring to life a true story for a national campaign, which will be launched by our organization this year.

Technical details, concept and brief will be provided through e-mail.

2. CONTEST REQUIREMENTS

• Application deadline: February 10^th, 2016, 20:00.
• The application consists of an e-mail expressing your intention to participate in the contest and at least 3 illustration references (examples) from your portfolio.
• Details on the campaign concept will be provided upon request.
• Until February 15^th, 2016, you will be invited to create a representative sketch for one of the elements of the campaign concept, which will be sent in JPG or PNG from, by e-mail.
• The winner will be announced by e-mail on February 18th, 2016.
• The prize consists of USD 500.
• Benefits: we know the prize will not make up for the creative contribution the illustrator brings to our campaign, so our gratitude will manifest itself especially by promoting the illustrator in every campaign material, on CEDCD website and social media, working with a young team and taking part in a cause that will raise the voice of over 70000 children with disabilities, finding themselves on the edge of hope and oblivion.

You can send your application, ask for the brief or further information to the following address:

Madalina Turza – e-mail: madalina.turza@cedcd.ro ;

Phone number: 0737545955.

Bucharest, December 10^th, 2015. International Human Rights Day brings a victory for the rights of children with disabilities – a civil fine for the kindergarten that discriminated and harassed Răducu.

The National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD) has released its final statement in Radu’s case, who was subject to humiliating and degrading treatment in the kindergarten he was attending, represented in the case by the European Center for the Rights of Children with Disabilities (CEDCD).

Radu is 5 years old and was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. For many years, his parents have made major efforts for his recovery in a private therapy center. In 2014, Radu was declared suited for mass education by experts and doctors. He is having a spectacular evolution, being verbal and independent in his basic needs.

In September 2014, his mother has enrolled him in Kindergarten no.224, informing the kindergarten personnel about Radu’s situation. Furthermore, she discussed with Radu’s teacher about her child, explaining the major progress the child has made and offering her support for little aspects regarding his attention deficit or his hyperactivity. From the beginning, the teacher’s attitude was hostile, telling the mother that the child “should not be in kindergarten, because of his problems … he can’t sit still … isn’t focused … and if you don’t leave, I will.”

From October 2014 to the beginning of 2015, things have gotten worse, the child was subject to humiliating treatment, did not receive support and necessary adjustments, while the parents were under constant pressure to withdraw their child from kindergarten. In this regard, the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Pre–university Education (ARACIP), informed by CEDCD, established the absence of adaptation measures and the failure to comply with mandatory standards regarding the education of a preschooler with special educational needs.

Although the teacher had resigned from kindergarten, shortly after our organization informed the responsible authorities, the National Council for Combating Discrimination found that little Radu was both discriminated and harassed, in the sense that “a series of the child’s rights have been violated, among which may firstly be mentioned THE RIGHT TO DIGNITY AND THE RIGHT TO QUALITY EDUCATION … by creating an INTIMIDATING, HOSTILE AND DEGRADING ENVIRONMENT for the child”.

“The decision of CNCD in the case of little Radu is very important for the case-law on the matter, not only because it imposes a fine and establishes the discrimination and harassment, but because it introduces the obligation for quality education, as is stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. An important victory for all  children with disabilities and for Răducu and his family.

We hereby salute the decision of CNCD, but we express our concern regarding the individual opinion of three members of the Management Board, who support and promote a medical perspective which stigmatizes and is in in clear breach with the provisions of the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, pleading so called danger represented by a child of only 5 years of age, whose alleged acts would probably not be considered a problem, if it wasn’t for his disability (pushing, throwing toys, damaging sanitary objects)”, states Madalina Turza, president of CEDCD.

Contact person:

Madalina TURZA

Email: madalina.turza@cedcd.ro

Mob: 0737545955                                                                                                                                

Fax: 021/7952465