NGO teaches kids with disability how to socialize

DUMAGUETE CITY—Seven-year-old Gabriel “Gabby” Micompal smiles at everyone, addresses elder people either as Ate or Kuya and sings to his heart’s content. The  latest in his repertoire is the inspirational song, “May Bukas Pa (There is Still Tomorrow).”

Gabby is no ordinary child. He has cerebral palsy, an abnormal development or damage in one or more parts of the brain that control muscle tone and movement. But the disability has not stopped him from enjoying the company of other children as a Grade 2 pupil of Dumaguete City Central School.

His favorite subject is English, according to his mother, Januaria. He is adept at some techie gadgets like the laptop, iPad and mp3 player.

His capacity to easily grasp information and his ability to share them with others surprise his mother.

“He likes to have a laptop or mp3 player so he can listen to music,” said Januaria, 54.

Gabby and his mother, a native of Surigao, live under the roof of The Great Physician Rehabilitation Foundation Inc. (GPRehab), a nongovernment organization based in Dumagute City.

The NGO welcomed them in 2005 when Gabby was about a year old. Januaria, a single mother, gave birth to Gabby when she was 46, an event that literally changed her conservative life.

Abandoned

Januaria had been taking various jobs in Manila, which enabled her to save enough money to put up a business.

Then she fell in love with a married man who left her upon learning that she was carrying his child.

Afraid to go home to Mindanao, she asked the help of her niece who lives in Mabinay town, Negros Oriental.

Her niece welcomed her.

She gave birth to Gabby two months earlier than the expected date. The infant was put inside an incubator for two-and-a-half months and was under intensive care. The hospital bills piled up and reached more than P300,000, depleting her savings.

When she ran out of money, Januaria took out the last of her belongings—a ring.  “It was one of those rings I bought when I had money. I went to the pawnshop and the lady told me my ring is worth P2,000. I cried in happiness because it was the exact amount I needed,” she narrates.

Financial assistance and emotional encouragement from friends and a Negros-based philanthropist helped her cope with her situation.

Exception

In 2005, she heard about GPRehab and its free services for people with disabilities.

The GPRehab was established in 2000 to provide free physical, occupational and special education services to differently abled children and adults like Gabby in Negros Oriental.

But it did not accept children below 5 years old at that time. But Januaria and Gabby’s story tugged the heartstrings of the trustees and officers of GPRehab. They allowed the mother and son to live in the GPRehab center in Barangay Calindagan, Dumaguete City.

At least 30 children are under the care of GPRehab but they don’t stay inside the center. They are given transportation allowance to go to the center where they can have their speech, occupational and physical therapy, among others.

Only Gabby and Januaria were allowed to live in the center with the staff members because they are indigents and don’t have relatives in the city.

The mother and son could not also live with Januaria’s niece in Mabinay because the town is 70 kilometers away from Dumaguete.

Heartwarming

Gabby is studying in a public elementary school where children labeled as “normal” by society see him as a functional individual, able to perform activities like them.

One of GPRehab’s beneficiaries is Dave Ryan, a 12-year-old boy with autism. He is one of the outstanding students in Bacong Elementary School.

Vivien Alaban, 9, is deaf but she socializes well with children of her age.

Another GPRehab beneficiary, Abigail is blind and yet she goes to Liptong Elementary School. She is well-loved by her classmates, says her mother Eliza Alviola. A teacher for the blind goes to the school to monitor Abigail’s progress including converting reading materials to Braille.

Abigail lost her sense of sight when she was five because of brain tumor. Eliza went as far as St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City to save Abigail’s vision.

But the doctors told her that they could not give assurance that Abigail’s vision would be restored after the operation. Worse, she could die during the operation.

“I love my child and I want to do everything in my power to help her live a normal life but it was beyond my control … My husband and I decided, Abigail will not have the operation,” she says.

In August 2003, two months after they came home from Manila, Abigail lost her vision. But Abigail is not a picture of a bitter child. She is graduating next year and looks forward to high school. She wants to take up Computer Science in college.

Productive

“Our wish is for her to grow up as a productive member of society. We don’t like the image of blind children walking in the street begging for money. We wish to make Abigail happy and successful in the future,” says Eliza.

The children of GPRehab were active participants during the Inquirer Read-Along session held on July 2 at the World Bank Knowledge for Development Center in Silliman University in Dumaguete.

The Jollibee mascot joined the children after the Read-Along proper. The mothers were equally surprised at seeing the children hug the mascot and take pictures. Jollibee also provided the afternoon snacks.

Stories of Gabby, Abigail, Dave and Vivien prove that children with disabilities can be productive and functional members of society.

The future is bright for these children when they are given opportunities to develop themselves, says GPRehab executive director Analou Suan.

Suan says the organization fights for these children’s inclusion in societal activities, among which is enrolling the children in normal schools and letting them participate in storytelling sessions.

Mothers, children with disabilities and the staff of GPRehab parade on the streets every chance they have to further raise awareness about these children and the roles they can perform in society.

“We all know that inclusion does not come automatically … The best way to let the child put to use all of the skills that he has learned is to educate the community so they will give him the respect and trust that he needs,” she notes.