In the Urals, children with disabilities are taught how to do the housekeeping
Classes for children and their parents have started in the “Blagoye delo” NGO in October. Families are helped to do the housekeeping together, to jettison “a person with a disability equals a consumer” model and to get the opportunity to cope with housekeeping issues by oneself.
In a course of the year, the supervisors of the organization will work with the project participants, visually showing the children how to cook, how to go shopping, and how to clean. All these skills are a part of a usual life of any person, but children with disabilities master them with great difficulty. Someone finds it difficult to coordinate movements, others are struggling to remember the order of actions. It is also challenging for parents who usually want to make life easier for their children and subsequently do everything for them, or do not understand what words and actions to use in order to help their child memorize the skills they have acquired. Therefore, the classes of the “Blagoye delo” are aimed at working with the family as a team.
“We explain parents how to interact with children, how to foster the necessary skills. They observe, and at home they confirm the result. The situation when someone wants tea, and mom brings it right away is wrong. We want that a person with a disability grows up not just as a consumer, but as a self-sufficient person.”
Alyona Romanova, the project supervisor
Seven parents with children age from six are taking part in that program now. This is a new experience for the “Blagoye delo”, because initially the supported living project was developed for adults with disabilities. A new area emerged due to the parents’ request for classes with the kids.
“I’m concerned about the future, how she will cope with everything without us. Whether she will be able to live without us. For us she is a child forever, and I want to live as long as it is possible. Our task is to teach her the skills of everyday life so that she can be self-sufficient without anyone’s help. It’s difficult, but it’s possible,” says the mother of seven—year-old Lisa. They attend the “Blagoye delo” classes together.
The project was supported by the Administration of the Novouralsk City District. It had provided an apartment for classes free of charge, as the participation in the project is free for families.