Integrating children with disabilities and investing their free time during vacation
Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS) organized the 31st session of the summer center, which will run until the third of next August at Al-Wafaa School for Capacity Development - Al-Ramla branch, with the participation of 68 children with disabilities. Male and female students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities, autistic spectrum disorder, hearing impairment, severe disabilities, and multiple disabilities are the center's target audience. A large group of disabled volunteers and college students organizes the summer center’s activities.
SCHS has made it a priority to plan successful summer programs for kids with disabilities, enlisting their brothers and friends. It seeks to provide a welcoming environment for their integration and introduction of their skills, to boost their self-confidence, and to instill the idea of utilizing their leisure time in productive and advantageous activities.
"The highlight of this year's summer caravan 2022-2023 is the diversity of participating disabilities and ages, including severe disabilities," said Mr. Mahmoud Fathi, Workshop Supervisor. They were supported by numerous workshops, including sensory workshops. While working to create a dynamic and engaging atmosphere, it is important to construct an environment that meets their demands. The sensory workshop, which has a quiet place and a variety of tools and materials to fulfill the sensory demands of pupils, was inspired by this.
Mr. Islam Saliha Musharraf stated that the session was centered on creating straightforward sensory aides using recycled materials with the help of the students themselves. The ultimate objective is for the students to have a good time, learn something, and overcome any obstacles by attending to their needs, taking into consideration the individual variations among them, and engaging in fun and worthwhile activities as part of the summer caravan's activities.
The Summer Center's General Supervisor, Ms. Maymouna Hussein, reaffirmed the center's goal of helping students with disabilities spend their free time in a way that fits their preferences and requirements. Additionally, it seeks to engage volunteers, inspire them to work with disabled individuals, and strengthen self-advocates by giving them the opportunity to take part in planning seminars and events.
She said, "During the summer center (four weeks) period, many helpful themes were assigned, separated into Knowledge Week, Nutrition Week, Environment Week, Science and Innovation Week. Workshops and events are held each week to further the week's objectives.
For instance, during "Nutrition Week," students attended seminars to learn about healthy and unhealthy foods. They learned the way to prepare healthy foods, and way to create the aesthetically pleasing healthy cuisine.
The Sharjah Heritage Institute offered both a session on gypsum and a workshop on traditional games. A session on building catapults and Zumba were sponsored by Emerson Electric. Dubai Police offered riding lessons, while Apple offered programming workshops. The summer camp also offered a range of weekly classes, including Taekwondo and riding training at the Sharjah Equestrian Club. This year, the center concentrated on workshops relating to contemporary technology, such as workshops on robots and programming.
She went on to say that the summer caravan is working well with a number of public and private organizations, including the Sharjah Equestrian Club, Dubai Police, Sharjah Museums Authority, Sharjah Institute for Heritage, Ajman X, Emerson Corporation, Apple Inc., and Fun Zone, to provide activities and outings for the center's students. Sharjah Asset management is another source of assistance, in addition to Emirates Cities Foundation Industrial.