By Pauline Joy M. Gutierrez
“Disability recognizes no boundaries. It can happen to anyone regardless of their class, religion, or gender.” So underscores Yakap, a documentary directed by Danny Añonuevo and produced on behalf of the Center for Possibilities (CFP) Foundation.
With a running time that’s just a little under an hour, the documentary centers on the lives of three people: Gelli, AJ and Kevin, all diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Yakap opens with a simple clip of a mother talking about her daughter, who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Her dialogue is raw and honest, her expression is open, and everything plays out with authenticity. As the movie develops, different frames that show a more in-depth look at each of the characters’ personal stories begin to emerge.
The film gradually develops from an unassuming real-life narrative to a sociocultural exploration of an issue concerning society as a whole: coming to terms with the stigma surrounding disabilities and embracing these differences by cultivating a community of compassion and acceptance.
“More than a movie, we’re presenting profiles of true courage. It is the courage of the children whose disabilities are the only reality they’ve ever known—and who live their lives the only way they know how, despite the curious stares, the pointing fingers and hidden smiles—as well as the courage of parents and family members who may have grown up thinking normal was everything, but ended up learning that different can be the new normal,” says Dolores Cheng, founder of CFP.
Founded two years ago, the vision and mission of the CFP continues to revolve around inclusion. Its primary aim is to spread awareness and encourage the population, at large, to recognize people with special needs as part of the community. It also seeks to help families cope with the challenges of living with relatives with disabilities, as well as nurture the potentials of these individuals so they can rise above their supposed limitations.
“The foundation was really a part of my personal journey. My son Andreas, who is now 22 years old, was diagnosed at age 3 with global development delay. At the time, I wanted to understand what it meant to raise a child with special needs.” According to Dolores, there were no support groups for this particular type of disability, so she went through a phase where she didn’t know where to go, who to see, where to find and what she needed to know. “Everyone I knew hid it or did not address the elephant in the room; they never recognized my son and his disability for what it was. So I thought maybe if I formed a group of my own, I would be able to sound the call to other people who might be in the same boat and need some help. I wanted to provide a support system to parents,” says Dolores, recounting her efforts in setting up the CFP.
Dolores says in the interim, the CFP has pioneered in setting up special-education (SPED) centers for indigent communities whose children with special needs remain undiagnosed and untreated. The CFP runs a SPED center in Sagada, Mountain Province, and later this year it hopes to open another center in Norzagaray, Bulacan. Other centers in Sorsogon and Tacloban, meanwhile, are set to open by 2018.
These SPED centers will be operated by a teacher trained in the SPED division of Reach International School, and will be provided with stimulating materials, equipment and learning tools that can be used to teach children the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.
“In many parts of the country, especially in remote areas, there is no government center dedicated to the identification, recognition, much less support and treatment for persons with special needs. Many special children are physically mature but have cognitive and behavioral challenges, so it is imperative that we create centers of learning that can teach them some skills with which they can live with some form of independence and dignity,” Dolores says. Enrollment in the SPED center is free, so it helps alleviate the cost of taking care of special children for the families. These centers will also include parent support groups.
Today the CFP continues to lobby and work for an inclusive environment where all differently abled individuals are treated with compassion and care. As Dolores likes to say, “What better way to welcome them than with an embrace?”