State carries out action against ableism for students of the state education network

The government of Pará, through the State Secretariat for Social Assistance, Labor, Employment and Income (Seaster), has launched a campaign against ableism in schools of the state education network. Managed by Seaster, the initiative is coordinated by the Integrated Center for Inclusion and Citizenship (Ciic), and the first action took place at Dom Pedro II School, located in the Marco neighborhood in Belém.

The activity brought together the school community and addressed everyday situations. The speakers highlighted how common expressions can be prejudiced and how they should be combated in daily life.

According to educator Suzana Santos, responsible for the lecture, the main focus of the campaign is to raise awareness among students and clarify that certain behaviors can negatively impact the lives of people with some type of disability.

“Our goal with this lecture is to raise awareness in the school community regarding ableism. It is a very present theme that goes unnoticed in ableist speech, which is quite normalized in our society. We came to reinforce the importance of inclusion in all social spaces, to combat bullying and prejudice against people with disabilities,” emphasized Suzana Santos.

Dom Pedro II School has a Specialized Educational Service (AEE) room for students with disabilities. However, many students avoid attending it due to prejudice and the embarrassment of being seen in the space.

Professor Gabriel Gaby emphasized the relevance of the action in combating prejudice in the school environment.

“First of all, we thank the partnership and Ciic, because we, like all schools, face situations related to this type of prejudice. Often, the student, due to lack of clarification, brings this offensive and pejorative vocabulary from home. Therefore, it is essential that they receive proper instructions that show that students with disabilities do have the capacity for activities. Some are ashamed to attend the AEE room for fear of retaliation. I believe this lecture will be beneficial for everyone,” said the professor.

“I liked the lecture because I was able to learn things I had no idea about before. There are words and jokes that we use without thinking and that can indeed be offensive. I want to take this to my family and friends so that we start to respect everyone around us more,” said student Carla Santana.

Services offered

The Government of Pará, through Seaster, manages Ciic, a reference unit in promoting integrated public policies aimed at people with disabilities. The space offers various free services, such as the Central for Sign Language Interpretation of Pará (Cilpa), which serves deaf people from the capital and the interior of the State, in addition to a post of the National Employment System (Sine) and services in the areas of health and psychosocial support, in partnership with the State Secretariat of Health (Sespa).

Ciic is located at Avenida Almirante Barroso, nº 1765, between Travessas Angustura and Barão do Triunfo, in the Marco neighborhood in Belém.

*Collaboration from Matheus Gomes - Ascom/Seaster