Embrace. Learning and Interventions

How many of you are reading this with clenched jaw, or shoulders raised up, or while holding your breath?

Being aware of your body and your emotions help you live a healthier life.

Back in service in November. Thank you for your patience.

I wonder how long it will take for the government of maldives to realise that people with disabilities are humans too? They are not second class citizens. Parents are desperate for support. People are struggling to get basic needs. And the people with disabilities are screaming for support so they can have a better standard of living and quality of life.

So far it is very clear the governments ( past and current) have not thought properly about supporting the disability community of the country. Its just lip service. For example.. ramp to the toilet but the toilet door and the toilet space isn't big enough to fit the wheelchair. It is evident in the fact that we do not have proper data collected. Without data how is the government meant to know service areas or to create support services?

The policies that do exist aren't followed. For example the student's ICP is not shared with parents. This is unethical. It's not like these people do not know..because studying ethics is part of training and qualifications when you work with people. Why aren't there disability liaison offers in the schools, islands and atolls and in other service areas?

Health and education are not the only thing people with disabilities need. Every ministry should have a disability policy and how they are going to support the citizens with disabilities and their families. Services need to be accessible too.

People's perceptions play a huge role in providing support for the disabilities communities. To provide therapies to promote independent living is not "beykaaru" as described by one authority person when approached for funding. This is absolutely not okay. If this person who have previously sat in as board member for disabilities then how can this person say it is beykaaru? Again is this the true reflection of what they actually think of people with disabilities?

Let's not forget the amount of money generated by tourism. So instead of pocketing it.. how about we spend it to develop disability support workers, care workers, respite staff, liaison officers, teacher's aids, recreational support, etc.

Can we please implement and monitor the current policies that do exist. Also can all revelant service providers work together to bring better outcomes for the person.

I'm frustrated today. I'm frustrated at how bad it is for people with disabilities there. It is not ok to keep parents in the dark, uneducated about their children's rights..human rights.. just so they don't pressure the government and cause problems.

People with disabilities aren't second class citizens!

I will continue to advocate for people with disabilities and continue to educate the parents.

Embrace is closed till first of November. Thank you for your patience while I grieve the loss of my dad. 💚🩷

Thank you. ❤️🙏

Fun morning equally sharing hippos with snakes and zoo keepers.💚

Ministry of Education has a policy named Hurihaa Dharivarun Shaamilukoggen Thauleemu Dhinumuge Siyaasathu. I encourage all parents with children with disabilities to read this policy and get familiarised with the policy. The policy states that each child with a disability must have an Individualised Curriculum Plan (ICP). To advocate for your children, it will be very helpful to know this policy.
In addition, knowing what an IEP is and what a good IEP must have in order to support your child to achieve their full potential. This will help in advocating for your child and ensure your child’s ICP supports your child’s educational goals and needs and hold the teachers, schools and other relevant parties accountable.

Parents can help build perseverance by fighting the factors that discourage children and derail the development of perseverance. Child psychologist Michele Borba through her research found that the number one skill that predicts childrens’ success more than the IQ is perseverance.

This little 🌟 has been learning to count in 2s, making groups of 2s and linking the knowledge to multiplication by 2s. Absolutely love watching it all click in. 💚

This is Abbey's life. She was so loved and lived a life that every child living with a disability deserved. Her parents and siblings did a phenomenal job to make sure Abbey had a life that was meaningful and had as many life experiences as possible by taking her out into the community, participating in everything they did. Abbey's family is the perfect example of acceptance, inclusion and participation. They advocated for Abbey like champions. It definitely was not an easy journey but everyday they made the best of it. And by doing that, the family taught so many other's what was possible.

I encourage everyone to learn from this family and Abbey's journey so that your children may have the life they deserve. The courage and bravery this family is just beautiful.

Please follow Abbey's journey page. She may have left us but she leaves a legacy. Abbey's Legacy is for every family with a child with disability to learn from and to gain courage and strength and for everyone else to learn to support and include children with disabilities.

I was so blessed to have met Abbey and may Abbey always rest in peace. 💜💜💜

A massive thank you to Abbey's mum Tash for giving me permission to make this post. Eternally grateful 💚🙏

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

💚💚💚💚💚💚MALDIVES 💚💚💚💚💚💚

I wanted to talk about people with disabilities and how as a community they can be supported to have a meaningful, healthy and happy life through acceptance, inclusion and working together.

There are children and adults with various types of disabilities in the country. These disabilities include, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing disorders, hearing impairment, vision impairment, language development disorders, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, rare genetical disorders, global development delay, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, Williams syndrome, Angelman syndrome to name a few.

Even though people have a disability, they have the same needs as people without disabilities. They want to be included, have dreams and aspirations, to have interpersonal relationships like friends and spouses, want to gain employment, be independent, want to learn and have physical development and movement, want to have access to leisure activities, want play sport, etc.

Being included is not only for education. Education is one area that has improved in the country. Inclusive education has given access to education to many who could not have access to this basic human right.

Health and education are not the only areas of needs that impacts the life of a person with disability. Accommodation, communication, vocation, transportation, interpersonal relationships, community access and participation, and recreation are just as important.

Currently, there is a reluctance by parents to bring their child/children with disability/disabilities especially severe or profound disability out into the community, because of the stigma attached to disability and/or lack of support within the community demonstrated through restrictions in accessibility to services and participation in activities.

The ability to have access to and participation in various activities and services within the community can be a source of empowerment for people with disabilities.

Some of the ways you can support are:

💚 Stop starring at children/adults with disabilities when they are out and about in the community. If you are curious, approach the parent/ care giver and ask politely what type of disability they have. This gives the parent/ care giver an opportunity and choice to educate you and advocate for their loved ones.

💚 If you are a parent of a child with disability, educate yourself as much as possible in the disability your child has. Education will allow you to support your child and their development and advocate for them. Parents can be the one of the best advocates for their children. Advocation will facilitate development of the much needed supports your child deserves through communicating the need for support services to relevant authorities, groups and services.

💚 When you see a child having a melt down in a public space or a school event, for example, waiting for the bus or at an extra curricular activity such as sports day and functions, offer your support by asking if there is anything you can do to help instead of whispering and gossiping about the situation. Melt downs can be a very stressful experience for both the parents and children. They need your kindness and not judgement.

💚 If you have an extended family member with a disability, or friends with a child with disability, educate yourself on the condition so you can be a support to your relatives and friends.

💚 If you are organising a dinner or a gathering ensure you make accommodations so the family member can participate in your event. Example are, ask your relative/friend if there are any particular food you can have for the relative or child with disability. Some might experience inability to control their impulse and want to touch things in your home that might be of value/sentimental to you and accidentally damage it, so ensure you remove it to a safer place. Allow your relative or the child to stim without making hurtful comments or starring.

💚If you plan an event outside of your home, think about accessibility of the venue, and ask the venue what accommodations they can provide for the person with disability. When people request for accommodation for people with disabilities at venues and the more often they do it, it provides owners the opportunity to think about people with disabilities and how their businesses can become an inclusive service.

💚 If you own a business that provides a service, make provisions to include people with disabilities. For example, if you provide physical health services such as group sports or exercise activities, make it an inclusive one. If you do not know how to do that, research and educate yourself on how to or ask for help from someone who knows about inclusion and how to create accommodations for people with disabilities.

💚If you are a professional working in the field of disabilities be willing to share your experiences in the feild and maintaining duty of care such as practicing confidentiality, collaborate with other professionals and to learn from one another. Psychologists, therapists, teachers, doctors, policy makers, community leaders, health care workers, advocates, etc all need to be able to work together with the common goal of developing the country in the feild of disabilities and continuously improving existing services. A person with disability will need support from several different types for professionals and service providers to have a meaningful and happy, healthy life.

As a community let's do better for people with disabilities.

For those who stuck through this long post, I really appreciate your time. Thank you for reading the whole post.

🙏💚

Classroom accommodations help children with disabilities or learning difficulties to achieve their educational goals. Here are some ways a teacher can provide classroom accommodations