On the same road

Franco is a very intelligent and committed guy. His favorite subjects are those of science and logic-mathematics. Perhaps in mathematics he is even the best in his class of him, the fourth scientific high school.
Franco is a deaf boy. For this reason he has difficulties in communication, which are manifested in a particular way in the literary disciplines.

With Franco we were able to experience how a theoretically correct context as the school turns into a trap full of small and creeping injustices: his potential risks vanish because after all he is already good and - since there are no resources - he does not need too many hours of support or LIS (Italian Sign Language) educators. But if the care of deficiencies and difficulties is a duty, so must be the care of excellence.
Meeting students like Franco, we immediately realized the inadequacy of traditional models of interpreting disability.

In the capability approach we have identified an effective model, finding in it extremely useful elements to create a relationship with guys like him. The capacity model, born in an economic context, has been promoted in numerous areas, including that of human development, quality of life and the strengthening of the freedoms of all people, even in situations of disability. The disabled person also has the right to self-determination, to develop their own life plan and therefore be the architect of their own destiny. It is a revolutionary way of conceiving disability: the disabled person has always been hetero-direct because they are naturally considered incapable of being autonomous.

The capability approach overturns the perspective: from an early age, everyone must be educated to reflect, to choose with respect to their aspirations.
It is true, however, that the disabled person may have reduced chances of pursuing his or her goals compared to another person, even if he has the same amount of goods and resources.
Various internal, environmental and social conversion factors obviously influence this dynamic. Disability is therefore seen as a lack of capability as there is a marked limitation of the horizon of available opportunities.
The disability is therefore not in the subject and does not coincide with an impairment, but arises from the interaction between the individual's health condition and the environmental and social context.
Like every individual, the disabled person does not coincide with illness or disability, he is a person with will and dignity, who has the right to fulfill himself and develop a life plan. The task of the institutions is to create the conditions for everyone to be able to freely and voluntarily express themselves.

In this perspective, even fragility can manifest a certain strength, provoking positive effects in the people who meet it. There are two ways to deal with an alleged "fragility" in the classroom: you can remain indifferent or you can choose to live with special classmates, facing together all the hardships that this entails.
This second path becomes a great opportunity for sharing, if students and teachers choose to live it together and as protagonists.
Accepting this opportunity expands the capabilities not only of the person considered weaker or frail, but also of all the people who find themselves walking with them. By doing so, the well-being not only of people with disabilities is increased, but of the whole social context that lives with them.

Giacomo says a few words, he does not always tolerate program changes and has the "ability" to devise the most unthinkable ways of disturbing everyone to express his discomfort. The effort of the classmates to accompany Giacomo to welcome the changes more serenely, for example by warning in advance that during the day there will be a substitute or that the class will move for an activity, is a great result. The children learn to have a look that includes everyone, allowing everyone to experience the school day as fully as possible. Maria is a great talker! Sometimes it is really difficult to have her cooperation for a bit of silence or a low tone of voice.

Attention from a classmate helps to calm the situation: "You can't talk to me now, but you can sit next to me and we will be close". How did this meeting come about? The years spent together in the classroom favored the development of a certain sensitivity of the classmates and made Maria mature: everyone understood the importance of making some effort so that we can feel good together. Luca struggles to follow the lessons with topics that are too complicated for him, he often gets distracted and closes himself in his thoughts. He loves looking after plants and vegetables and for this reason he chose an agricultural institute. In fifth grade he plans a job in a nursery. But he is it is necessary to reach the nursery by bus.

Mom doesn't know how to help him and he doesn't really want to go with her.
A small group of companions guide him to learn the important steps to take a bus safely; with patience and simplicity.

The stories of Franco, Giacomo, Maria and Luca are different but beautiful stories, to be treated and not overlooked.
The work of a teacher - and support in particular - can help young people like them to enhance the gifts and talents they possess, but which risk not being sufficiently cultivated.
One day a colleague of ours, a support teacher, overwhelmed us with her enthusiasm.
Her not hers was an easy enthusiasm: the colleague in question had a long professional experience behind her and had worked with rather difficult guys to accompany.
And yet, so much positivity arose from the fact that she had discovered - she would say about her - in the support activity the true essence of teaching. She told us that the human and professional satisfaction she felt was greater than anything she had experienced previously.

It was difficult for us to remain indifferent in the face of so much motivation.
We understood that a good teacher is characterized not only by the necessary disciplinary skills, but by his emotional and relational competence. It is possible to communicate and transmit authentically only when what is taught is placed in a perspective of meaning and motivation, when the one who communicates is authoritative because he is an adult who wants to be with the children and who gets involved in order to make them learn . Then the boys also accept the severity.
Descartes, in his third maxim of his provisional morality, writes: "to overcome myself rather than luck, and to change my desires rather than the order of the world." We do not claim to change the world but we would like to modify at least the square meter in which we live in order to transform the small injustices we encounter together with others into opportunities for peace and justice.

Valentina Turinetto and Renato Bonomo
NP November 2021