People with disabilities, beyond their condition, must fight against society's perception of them, dismantling the myth that they are incapable of fending for themselves, as scientific advances and special education provide the necessary tools for their development and integration.
“We must continue to create special classrooms in regular schools, be aware that students are part of society; the more teachers we have in schools, the more tools we will have to make curricular adjustments according to the condition of each student,” she expressed.
The director of IPHE assured that the country has the number of specialized educators needed to meet the demand; therefore, her focus is more on strengthening training for all those involved in the integration process of people with some type of disability.
“As we provide these trainings and support to teachers in regular schools, we will have a more inclusive society,” she told Panamá América.
Although Sánchez considers that in recent years Panamanian society has had a historical cultural change regarding disability, work must be continuous; therefore, IPHE has sports and cultural programs whose objective is for students to develop other abilities that facilitate their inclusion process.
She mentioned that the negative opinions that exist around suffering from special conditions dissipate through education, because the more people are instructed on the subject, the greater the acceptance will be.
“Parents are strategic allies in the backbone of this process; without them we could not develop our institutional actions because what I do in the classroom I must take home, that is why they are also given the necessary tools to give continuity to the services and multiply the information,” she assured.
“We are taking firm steps towards a more equitable and prosperous Panama, fulfilling the mission of transforming lives, so the investment that this institution has is to guarantee a quality education for students,” she stressed.
She reiterated that allocating funds to special education will never be an expense, but an investment with a high social return that contributes to the creation of a more equitable and inclusive country.
In addition, the institution is present in more than 400 educational centers nationwide through special classrooms to promote the early integration of children with disabilities.
Karelia Sánchez, general director of the Panamanian Institute of Special Habilitation (IPHE), maintains that the word 'disability' is not synonymous with a limitation or barrier for a citizen to insert themselves into the community; on the contrary, they are completely useful and capable of doing whatever they set out to do.
She explained that in this process parents play an important role because they are the ones who know their children's conditions and can help them reach their maximum potential by following up on the specialists' therapies at home.
