Walking for Charity

Our Conductive Education centre was well represented at The Second Charity Walk in Nürnberg last weekend.

Last year our integrated conductive Kindergarten benefited when they received a donation of some of the money raised at the first charity walk which was spent on play equipment for their garden. Last year conductors were unable to attend the walk itself, but our Association had been well represented by walkers and runners from other departments..

This year knowing that the Association, and quite possibling one of the conductive groups, was to benefit once again from the  money raised at the walk we made a huge effort to take part with some of our clients. Most of the children had prior arrangements for the weekend but we had a great response from the adults who attend our conductive evening groups. 

We assisted five wheelchair users to make their travel arrangements to get to the meeting place and with three conductors and several other members of our association who were to be running, walking or pushing wheelchair users,  we were really well represented and ready for the start. 

It was rather cold on race day but the rain stayed away long enough and the sun even appeared as we ran or walked. Lunch was served in the dry beneath one of the bridges that span Nürnberg's River Pegnitz and its meadowland.

The organisers of the walk were so incredibly kind to us and our clients. They spontaneously set up a new category so that wheelchair users could be included in the medal ceremony at the end.

We stayed for lunch and met some very interesting people; fellow walkers and runners who we hope will visit us in our conductive groups in the future to see what use we make of their very welcome donations.

PS 

Although it looks like it in the photo that heads this page I did not jog. I was the partner of one of the wheelchair users and although I did try to quicken the pace along the route we moved along at walking pace most of the way.

Cerebral palsy and ideas

'Pen felt on brown paper bags' at an exhibition of works by adults with disability at Norwich City Library.

Ideas from around the world

Funding for disability allocated so that there can be access to Conductive Education for all who would like it – this is one of the things wished for on the ideas list on the  World Cerebral Palsy Day website –

http://www.worldcpday.org/

The first world cerebral palsy day was at the beginning of this week, on 4 September, which was also day six of the Paralympic Games.

I imagine that the world that those Paralympians are living in at the moment, in London, is very far removed from the worlds of many of the people who have shared their ideas on the World Cerebral Palsy Day website. Ideas that they believe, if turned into reality, would make their lives better.   

 

No flashing cameras, roof-raising cheers, or gold, silver and bronze medals, for those who have submitted ideas that include waterproof joysticks for motorized wheelchairs, canopies, bras that do up one-handed, and the development of a worldwide education system for teaching children with cerebral palsy! 

Although no medals are being awarded, when the voting finishes at the end of this month one of the ideas will be a winner and it will be seen through to fruition during the next year.

Many of the ideas on the site would certainly benefit many people with a disability, whether cerebral palsy or otherwise, be they Paralympic sportsmen and sportswomen or not.

Perhaps there will be someone out there who will be inspired to develop some of the others ideas, those that do not make it to the top spot. Maybe for example the video made by a physiotherapist from Sri Lanka will catch someone’s attention and more people will take up the baton and continue along the road to developing a worldwide education method for children with CP!

World Cerebral Palsy Day and Conductive Education

There are one or two ideas on the list that deal with conductive education. In fact a couple of them have already received several votes.

I have included one of these ideas below, the one about allocation of funding. Something mentioned in it interests me very much and I would love to hear more about it.

‘Conductive Education provides valuable supports and training to kids with cerebral palsy during their early development stage. This program exists in Australia but due to the limitation of funding and also the lack of emphasis by the government, it has not been widely used. Hence kids do not receive the maximum benefit from Conductive Education. I have come across Countries where Conductive Education is being used as their main source of early education (from pre-school to primary) for CP kids and significant benefits can be seen. I have a kid with CP and have seen the benefit my child has gained from conductive education. I would like to see the government allocate its funding for disability more effectively in areas such as Conductive Education.’

I agree. I too would love to see funding allocated, for both children and adult, so that clients can access Conductive Education. It would be nice to see it being done in England and in Germany and in other countries in the world too, as well as in Australia.

I wonder where the writer of this idea has —

‘…come across Countries where Conductive Education is being used as their main source of early education (from pre-school to primary) for CP kids and significant benefits can be seen.’

I do hope that, if this idea wins enough votes to come in first, we will get to hear how these other countries have made this possible, and which countries they actually are. Even in Norway, where there is government funding for Conductive Education, it is a very separate part of the children’s main education.

Perhaps some of you can tell me more about this.

Where is what this idea-writer wishes for Australia actually happening?