Instituto para Niños Ciegos y Sordos (Institute for Deaf and Blind Children)
How do you provide appropriate stimulation to children with visual and hearing limitations? Best practices for children with disabilities suggest that their development depends on timely and appropriate care, both in care facilities and at home. The Instituto para Niños Ciegos y Sordos recognizes that families are the key element of the educational process and for the inclusion of children, and it provides families with training to improve the quality of life in the home. It is an innovative program that, through inclusion and assistance from caregivers, allows the children to reach their potential and develop properly. The center offers comprehensive services – health, nutrition, and education – that meet the needs of each child.
Problematic
Parents, caregivers, and teachers of children in low-income situations with visual and hearing limitations do not have the tools to promote these children’s proper development. In addition, schools and care centers often do not have materials directed towards children with visual and hearing disabilities. This situation limits early stimulation experiences and affects the comprehensive development of the children. In the long term, the limitations in terms of language and development can result in low self-esteem, social exclusion, unemployment, and illiteracy, and can also affect emotional health.
Solution
The Instituto para Niños Ciegos y Sordos has an early childhood program focused on children with visual and hearing limitations. The children attend early stimulation sessions together with their parents and caregivers. The services provided by the center are comprehensive, including health, rehabilitation, nutrititon, and education, and aim to promote motor, cognitive, language, and social development. The families also receive training to improve the quality of life of the children in the home. The program looks to help the children develop independence and autonomy, and the sessions are designed to stimulate sensory channels to differentiate objects and situations and to explore the environment. Initiatives such as this institute are inspiring, and they encourage approaching the disability of the children as an opportunity to build more inclusive societies and understand that each individual has a special potential to develop.
Evaluation and Impact
No information available.