Holiday fun for children with disabilities

2023-06-08 02:01:00

The integration of children and young people with disabilities has improved only slightly.

The motto for the anniversary holiday camp is: “A journey to fairytale land,” says Sabine Seidl. She is hosting the camp for the 20th time. “We’re pretty much fully booked for the three weeks.” This is not surprising, since this offer is the only one in the district for children and young people with and without disabilities. Many of them have been with us for years. The program for the children once more includes exciting experiences with storytellers, drumming workshops, trained dancers, horseback riding, forest education, swimming, climbing and much more.

“We are also very grateful to the communities and mayors who always give us quarters,” says Seidl. This year the children will once once more find a place in the new middle school in Werfen. The holiday camps were once initiated by Seidl out of a personal emergency: “For children with disabilities, it strengthens them when they are challenged, and for parents it is essential support.” The happy and loving interaction between the children is touching. “Initial reservations are quickly replaced by a great togetherness in the many daily activities.”

However, Seidl would like to see many more offers for young people with disabilities over the rest of the year. Integration, that’s mostly just a catchphrase, according to her criticism: “People with disabilities are mostly invisible in care all year round and hardly take part in our lives. Inclusion doesn’t happen because there is no integration at all.”
Fortunately, Seidl is also repeatedly supported by sponsors for the integrative holiday camp: “The state finances the caregivers and the municipalities support the participating children with disabilities. In addition, there is a deductible for the parents, which we use to pay for the bus or taxi for our activities.”

In any case, it will be exciting weeks once more for her many “regular children” (from July 17th to August 4th). “I am pleased that sensitive pedagogical supervisors from the Educational Institute for Elementary Education (BAfEP) are helping out once more.”

Incidentally, her daughter Alica was there at the first holiday camp as a baby; now she runs the camp together with another graduate of the school.

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