Madrid | June 17, 2022
The Vocational Training Center EFA Valdemilanos in Colmenar Viejo lived this Tuesday an exciting day, especially for the participants of the project "The daily reality of inclusion in people with disabilities, studying in the company and learning in the school", one of the 30 best and innovative initiatives in Spain awarded by CaixaBank Dualiza, which has allowed its students to live, in first person, the daily life of people with intellectual disabilities in Envera.
Thanks to this initiative, over the past few weeks FP students of EFA Valdemilanos have joined the activities that beneficiaries and professionals Envera developed in its Comprehensive Disability Center. Meanwhile, people with intellectual disabilities and those responsible for the various Envera Assistance Services have visited Valdemilanos to talk to their students of the challenges they face every day to move towards equal opportunities and social and labor inclusion, always with the firm conviction that "people with intellectual disabilities occupy their place in the world with dignity", as they say from Envera.
A project that has culminated with this meeting in the EFA Valdemilanos and that has allowed all parties involved to know the project in depth. Thus, the educational center was visited by the coordinator of the Central Zone of Caixa Bank Dualiza, Eva María Aguado; the head of the Social Area of Caixabank, Vanesa González; the director of the Business Area of CaixaBank, África Vegas; the director of Envera's Assistance Services, Ana Magalló; the coordinator of Envera for People with Great Support Needs, Rosa María Ollero; and the general director of Efas Castilla La Mancha and Madrid, Pedro Barahona. All of them were accompanied by the director, Sara Reguilón; the teacher responsible for the award-winning project, María Isabel Sánchez Rufo; and students from the center.
This initiative, which, according to Sánchez Rufo, "is having a great impact both academically and socially", aims to make visible and work for a society involved in the rights and dignity of the person regardless of physical, sensory or cognitive diversity. "We intend to train our students to look after the interests and defense of people with disabilities," stressed the teacher.
For her part, Eva María Aguado pointed out to the students that "it is essential" that, as future Technicians to help people in situations of dependency, not only are prepared academically, but have developed that sensitivity "so special that are showing throughout the project". He also thanked Envera, partner of this project and that since it was born of the company Iberia in 1.977 works for people with intellectual disabilities achieve full inclusion, have been involved and participate daily in this "wonderful way with such a delicate material such as people".
The students, the main protagonists, recounted some of the experiences lived throughout the program, the lessons learned together with Envera's professionals and people with disabilities, and thanked, between tears and applause, the realization of the project and the involvement of all those present.
