In November too, one of our
students, Khaled, participated in the Special Olympics
Sports Tournament in Dubai and won a bronze medal in running, while
another one, Hani, won a gold medal in badminton.
Promoting public awareness
is one of the most crucial missions of the Friends of the Disabled
Association and we try to serve this mission in a variety of ways: this
month, two of our psychologists were invited, at two separate dates, on one
of the local TV channels, broadcasting internationally, to talk about
developmental disabilities (assessment and therapy) and the importance of
early intervention.
Moreover, Idad’s Director
(who is also a faculty member at the American University of
Beirut) initiated a catering service between Idad’s
Pastry-Production Section and AUB for small departmental receptions… During
those receptions where everybody expressed delight at the delicious buffet
prepared by our students under the supervision of their trainers, Idad
brochures were distributed to all guests to acquaint everyone to the skills
and potentials of mentally disabled people.
Our students at work with their supervisors
December is always a
very busy month at Idad : teachers and students were busy decorating
classes, lobbies and playgrounds with Christmas items, and of course, a
huge Christmas tree was placed right at the center of our large
reception hall, awaiting the visit of Santa Claus who did not miss his
appointment on the 23rd of December : a delightful Christmas
theatrical performance by the students was held in our “Waleed Ben Talal”
Theater/Auditorium, after which everyone was invited to our Cafeteria to
taste our Idad-baked “buches de Noel” (carefully prepared by our students in
the Vocational Pastry-Production Section, under the guidance and supervision
of our Idad Chef)…And then….Santa Claus ! Beautifully wrapped presents in
vivid colors were flying right, left and center, and it was absolutely
wonderful to see the happiness in the eyes of all our students, young and
old, as they were receiving and unwrapping their presents .
The month of December also
provided a good training opportunity for a group of nursing students from
Global University (Beirut) who came to Idad School throughout the month
to observe specific students, get acquainted with our therapeutic programs
and gather information for their research projects.
As part of our
public awareness promotion activities, we received a large group of
highschool students from the neighboring school of Carmel Saint Joseph,
just before our Christmas celebration: a big fun-party was held, and it was
simply great to see how our students interacted perfectly well with their
guests, chatting, laughing and dancing together.
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