A total of 11 project staff and 62 Barangay Health Workers or BHWs from Pateros, Paranaque and Taguig participated in the “Training on Understanding and Supporting Parents of Children with Disabilities” held at the Audio Visual Room of Max’s Restaurant, Quezon City Circle last December 04, 2014.
The training aimed to educate the BHWs on handling children with different disabilities as they work with the parents and families of CWDs. Different speakers from academe, government, private and non-government organizations were invited to share their expertise on topics such as: Causes of Disabilities, Seeking Support & Referral System, Rights of Children with Disabilities, and Responding to Issues and Concerns of Parents of CWDs.
A special message was given by the Chairperson of LCDPFI, Ms. Lourdes Reyes. She said that all the hard work and challenges of the workers come from the passion for the sake of the children with special needs. “Saludo ako sa inyo, malaking halaga niyo sa ciudad natin, sa ibang tao at sa Panginoon…”, she added.One of the highlights of the training was the sharing of Ms. Lian Del Valle on establishing the referral system for Children with Austism initiated by ASP Laguna Chapter. She discussed the Autism A.L.A.R.M. as guide to understand the support needed for children with Autism. According to her, “Ang autism ay laganap” or Austism is Prevalent, Barangay Health Workers or Community Leaders should Listen to Parents (Makinig sa Magulang because parents generally do give accurate and quality information. It is also important to Act Early or “Kumilos ng Maaga” to identify problems early. For early intervention or enrollment to a local school program, Referal to professionals should be immediate. Monitoring or “Magmanman” should take place in the referral system which include activities such as: Follow-ups, advocacy for families, surveillance and education.
The participants were also given an opportunity to share their experiences of having a child with disability. One of the parents said that “…noong una hindi namin pinapalabas ng bahay kasi ayaw namin mabully, lagi ko kasama ang anak ko noong bata pa siya, ngayon 16 years old na siya hinahayaan namin mabuhay ng normal…”After facilitating the activity, Ms. Victoria Ramos, Vice President of ASP- Laguna Cluster, said to the group that she understands the situation of the parents because she also has a son (young adult) with disability.
Certificate of Appreciation were given to all the guest speakers before the end of the training. The participants also received certificate of participation for attending the training.