Families of children with disabilities denounce the lack of inclusion in Haría's summer camps

The families of several minors with disabilities from the municipality of Haría denounce their "concern" about the situation experienced since the start of the Municipal Summer Camp and request an urgent solution from the City Council that guarantees the participation of all children on equal terms. 

In this regard, they assure that their children present different support needs. Some are non-verbal minors and require augmentative and alternative communication systems, visual supports, emotional regulation tools, and planning based on activity anticipation. For them, knowing the environment, routines, and people who will accompany them beforehand "is not a detail, but a necessity to be able to participate safely."

During registration, they assure that they expressly requested that "their children remain at the CEIP of Arrieta, as it is the environment they know after the change in educational modality due to the lack of an enclave classroom in the municipality." However, "a few days before the start of the camp, we were informed of their transfer to the CEIP of Haría, without an adaptation period and without any family being previously convened to plan the incorporation of the minors or to know their needs."

On the first day of the camp, several of their children, they say, "suffered significant deregulation upon arriving in an unfamiliar environment." They state that "some monitors, to whom we want to publicly thank for their professionalism and humanity, tried to find solutions to help the minors by sending them to Arrieta, but the children could no longer stay at the center due to accumulated anxiety. We want to make it clear that our claim is not directed against them, but against the lack of planning and resources."

The families also verified the absence of fundamental supports, such as pictograms, visual schedules, sensory regulation materials, or planning adapted to the children's needs. "We believe that many of the situations experienced could have been avoided with adequate preparation," they point out.

According to reports, the camp serves approximately 100 minors, distributed between Haría and Arrieta, with six monitors in Haría and two in Arrieta. In addition to several minors with disabilities, children as young as 1 and 2 years old also participate, requiring constant supervision. "We are concerned that the staffing must simultaneously attend to minors with such different needs, guaranteeing their safety and well-being," they point out.

Adding to this concern, during the conversations held, parents were presented with the possibility that families themselves would seek aid from the Cabildo to finance the support their children need. In this regard, they understand that collaborating with the City Council "is part of our commitment, but we believe that the organization and provision of resources for a municipal public service corresponds to the administration and not to the families."

"For our children, this camp is much more than a childcare resource. It is the only opportunity they have during the summer to interact with the children of their town, as they study outside the municipality during the school year. It is also the only space where many siblings can spend the summer together," they defend.

Thanks to previous years' camps, they say their children have made friends, have been accepted and loved by the other children in the municipality. "That's why we ask ourselves: what has changed this year? We have never before experienced a situation like this, nor had we felt the need to stop bringing our children for fear that they would not be adequately cared for."

"We are not looking for culprits. We are looking for answers and solutions. We are not asking for special treatment. We ask that our children be able to enjoy the Municipal Summer Camp on equal terms, with the human and material support they need, and that the tender specifications be met. Our children do not need a different camp. They need a camp prepared for them," they declare.

Therefore, they request an urgent meeting with the families from the Haría City Council and the adoption of the necessary measures to guarantee real and effective inclusion.