Madrid | December 3, 2015
The program La Tarde de COPE, directed and presented by Ángel Expósito, wanted to commemorate the International Day of Disability with the people of the Envera Group, who had the opportunity to tell their daily lives, their stories of overcoming and their experiences in a society in which equal opportunities are still a pending issue. Grupo Envera assists 2,000 people a year in its assistance centers.
The interviewees, users and professionals of our centers in Colmenar Viejo, explained their personal vision of the world of disability and also their dedications.
Adrián, a teacher and worker at the occupational center in Colmenar Viejo, defines his work as an educator as "especially gratifying (...) Any positive detail in the day to day is an achievement for us".
Marypaz lives in Grupo Envera's 45-year-old senior residence and told how well she gets along with her peers and her favorite activities, "Drawing, sports and singing."
Yolanda started working at the Special Employment Center in Madrid and then moved to the Colmenar Viejo Center. In these CEEs, where nearly 500 people with disabilities are employed, she performs handling tasks such as cartoning the cutlery that Iberia offers on its airplanes or the airline's laundry, which is one of our main employers.
Héctor, a declared Real Madrid supporter and heavy metal music lover, is 26 years old and is in the job placement group where he participates in sports and leisure workshops.
We could not miss in the round of interviews representation of our athletes: Ainoha, who plays basketball as a point guard, is also a worker of the CEE of Colmenar.
José (21 years old) and Álvaro (23), spent part of their secondary school years in Grupo Envera's classrooms in Madrid. "In high school, some are treated differently than others. And me, because they saw me as the odd one out or the special one, they discriminated against me a little, both the students and the teachers who go with the smartest ones. It was hard for me to get my ESO and they sent me to another center," said José, who has now taken several professional courses and is preparing for public employment examinations.
For his part, Álvaro has already entered the world of work, in the service sector, as a security assistant at Circo Price: "For my first job, I've gotten along very well and I've had a good relationship with everyone. They have helped me with everything that was difficult for me." Before working, Álvaro took courses with Envera in the Initial Professional Qualification Program (PCPI) for Administrative Assistant and Data Management and Digitization.
Eduardo, who also participates in the occupational center, is collaborating in the preparation of the living Bethlehem: "We do everything, we prepare the forks, blankets...".
The interviews ended with the intervention of Manuel, another of the technicians in socio-labor integration, who told us about how they live their work: "When you meet a group you start to normalize and you realize that there is not so much difference. Vocation is what tells you to continue or leave." Both Adrián and Manuel also spoke about the social ignorance and positive discrimination that exists towards the disability collective.
These interviews were conducted in the studios of Radio Terrícola where, taking advantage of Angel's visit, the workshop kids were also able to interview the presenter. Here you can download the interview.