NARCIE’s 1st Disability Awareness Quiz Competition

Today the Ministry of Education’s National Resource Center for Inclusive Education (NARCIE) held the first ever Disability Awareness Quiz Competition. Six district finalists participated and after the extra reserve round, Christina Aldana of Holy Redeemer Primary School took first place. Erlette Thomas of NARCIE says that the aim is to spread awareness and foster acceptance of people with special needs.

Erlette Thomas, Professional Development Manager, NARCIE

“Today we are having a disability awareness competition and the purpose of this competition is for the public to learn more about people with special needs and also for them to learn to appreciate them and to live among them.”

Andrea Polanco

Erlette Thomas

“Ms. Thomas, I see the competition has ended and it went all the way to the extra reserve round. Did you all expect that the competition would progress this far?”

Erlette Thomas

“Well we were prepared because of the eliminations that we have had in the districts, the students were really there and they knew all the questions, so we were prepared for today.”

Andrea Polanco

“So it’s the first time that you’re holding this competition, can we expect to see it again next year?”

Erlette Thomas

“Hopefully, this is our first try and the reception we got from the districts was very good, so that is a reason for us to want to do it again.”

Enrique Ayuso

Enrique Ayuso, Vice Principal, Louisiana Government School

“The children were not aware that there are children in the regular classroom that are special needs children. Even at my school where we are at, they don’t notice that there are children among them who are included children, they are special children. And during this competition we got to share with them, for them to be aware that there are children with special needs who are in the regular classroom and some that are at the special centers. So the whole awareness, not only for the participants but for all the children who participated in the preparation for this competition.”

Coming up on Thursday is the annual Finger Spelling Bee, which will feature students with hearing impairment.