1. For consideration

2. It is said that the physically handicapped are tolerated in the society but the reality is a bit different. We would rather call it “pseudotolerance”.

3. SOME OF THE PROBLEMS OF THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED  lack of interaction, some healthy people do not form relationship with the physically handicapped, they avoid such people  the families with a physically handicapped member are left alone, they have to deal with such situation by themselves, they have to struggle with no help from others  lots of us know a person on a wheelchair, some of us have colleagues on a wheelchair but do we try to help such a person? Do we take them for a walk from time to time? Do we visit them and spend the time together? We know these people but we tend to avoid them.  The physically handicapped usually have no real friends. They usually spend the time at home and can only see the world and the other people faces through the window. They can see other children playing from the distance and have no possibility to get involved and participate in the game. The physically handicapped are isolated and can not take active part in the play.

4.  The families with a physically handicapped person are helpless as it is very difficult to take care of such person all day, day by day. A handicapped person becomes a “problem”….a burden. In the long term, the families become tired with the situation. They do not pay so much attention to the handicapped person and do not spend so much time together. The handicapped person feel very often lonely. What can be done to change “pseudotolerance” into a real tolerance in which the physically handicapped people are not isolated but are active in the society?

5. My room is like a “cage” for me. I can see the world and other people only through the window.

6. I can see through the window other children playing but noone comes to visit me and play with me although they know me and know I am at home.

7. Healthy children dream about simple but real things, whereas my dreams are not simple and not real – I wish I could walk.

8. But maybe some day my dream would come true and any of these children playing outside would come to me, take my hand and say: “Let’s go out….let’s go and play in the playground”.

9. Then, I wouldn’t have to look at other children through the window from the distance.

10. But, I would join other children and play with them. After all, I’m the same person as they. It’s not my fault I’m on the wheelchair. I’m not furniture that can be all the time in the room.

11. In our school there are children with mild or severe mental impairment, as well as, children both mentally and physically handicapped. One of the main disorders is cerebral palsy so the children are all the time on the wheelchair. In such situation they do not go to school but they have individual lessons at home. The teacher comes to such a child every day but very often he/she is the only person the handicapped child has contact with. It increases the isolation of such people. Because of the fact that such children are not only physically but also mentally handicapped they hardly have any friends. Healthy children reject handicapped children and often avoid them. What can be done to change people’s attitude towards people with mental and physical impairment

12. A story of a boy with cerebral palsy. He can’t move his legs and arms. He’s going to spend all his life on a wheelchair. Are such people accepted in society? How can we help them? I am rarely home alone. My mum organised it perfectly…always having someone to stay with me when she’s at work. In the morning, there are four of us at home: me, mum, my older brother and my sister. We eat breakfast. Well, they eat and I am fed by mum because I’m not able to eat by myself. I’m not even able to bite food so everything I eat must be in very small pieces not requiring biting. I prefer to be fed by my sister since she always gives me a napkin and then clean my face. When my brother feeds me he never clean my face after eating because he’s usually in a hurry and wants to go and play football. So, then, I stay for a long time with my dirty face, which is not comfortable. After breakfast, they usually take me by the window so that I can look at other people, some dogs running, children playing. I can see the faces of other people laughing. I spend most of the time at home. Sometimes I go for a walk outside…well, they take me for a walk since I can’t walk and move my legs and arms. I can read but I can’t move the pages of the book. When my mum comes back home from work she is too tired to read with me. In the evening she has to bath me which is not an easy task. I’m thirteen so I’m quite heavy now and it’s difficult to move me. I can’t do anything by myself, I’m dependent on others. I know it’s not easy for them to take care of me…but what can I do?

13. Zespol Szkol Specjalnych n o 3 in Bytom fromPoland Students from the Primary School n o 17 by Zespol Szkol Specjalnych n o 3 in Bytom fromPoland thank you for your kind attention

14. „The project was carried out with the financial help of the European Commission. The publication reflect only the stand of its author and the European Commission do not take responsibility for the content included.”