To celebrate its 26th birthday, teachers and directors of the Center for Alternative Activities for People with Disabilities entertained the students with refreshments, snacks, puppets, shows, videos and even a coffee concert.
The Center for Alternative Activities for People with Disabilities (CAAD) of the city of Ushuaia celebrated its twenty-sixth birthday. CAAD director Fernanda Gaillard described the institute as a “youth school” in an interview with FM Masters.
The anniversary was celebrated with breakfast and refreshments in the Garden Room of the Club from 12-10 p.m. Gaillard commented: “We did a cafe concert for our students. The teachers looked after the boys, we served them breakfast, snacks. Their own classmates put together different numbers and presented a show with Adolfo Kiya, who is a professor at the Clown Academy.Apart from this, a puppet show was performed and videos of other workshops were shared.
The director stressed that the intention was to share a special moment with the students, inviting students from the special school and the Integral Education School as well. In this regard, he expressed: “There is a lot, a lot, a lot of work from the beginning. Reviewing what we have been working on in recent years as an organization, we realized that we have come a long way and have many new projects.
The CAAD welcomes nominations from 167 people, ranging in age from 3 to 68, being the oldest person. It is open to both disabled and non-disabled people.
In recent times, a sign language workshop has been developed, which has experienced an increasing demand from the general public. Gaillard emphasized that CAAD is an inclusive space that seeks to promote the expansion of inclusion in general.
The Director highlighted that the CAAD caters to the needs of 167 persons with and without disabilities through the Ministry of Education. Some people need more attention than others, so they try to provide control and support to the families that are part of the institution.
Gaillard affirmed that work is being done to improve the quality of life for students and that actions are being taken to make the community “a more accessible place for everyone.” He celebrated the spread and growing support emanating from various places to achieve a community free of barriers.
The CAAD school’s aides were in charge of organizing a lottery to raise funds. Gaillard noted the importance of having allies in schools and commended the commitment of parents and teachers in running the center.
This raffle with over 41 prizes will be drawn on May 31 and will be worth 1,500 pesos. It can be purchased at the CAAD, through social networks or “from a family member of teachers or students”. The funds raised will go a long way in continuing the activities of the centre, he said.
With regard to the new building, the Director noted the existence of a tender and the difficulty arising from the budget overrun. However, he expressed his confidence in resolving the situation, “since many will be working on it.”
According to Gaillard, this is something the institution really needs, because “there are more and more students and more needs.” Although adjusting to the space is sometimes difficult, “they are committed to finding a solution,” he concluded.
