"A real shame."

With these words María José Retamero defines the situation that she has been going through since more than a year ago she requested a sign language interpreter so that her daughter, with a hearing disability, can follow classes at the school in Seville where she she is schooled. The territorial Delegation of Education has not yet granted the San Antonio María Claret concerted center this figure, which makes it difficult for the minor to continue with her learning on equal terms with the rest of the children in the class.

Retamero considers that in the department headed by Miguel Ángel Arauz "they pass the ball from one to another", which prevents the inclusion that is so much touted by public administrations. "To achieve it, resources are needed," claims this mother, who is willing to go wherever she wants as long as her daughter's education is not affected. "I plan to demonstrate if they don't meet my demand," she warns.

The situation of this minor is already in the Prosecutor's Office for Minors with Disabilities, where Retamero presented the case of her daughter on August 1. This mother's patience had been exhausted after the numerous procedures undertaken since October 2022. Since March, the student had received a schooling opinion from the educational guidance team of the aforementioned territorial delegation. It recognized the minor's right to have a sign language interpreter in the classroom where she receives classes daily.

"Administrative silence"

This document was used for the San Antonio María Claret School to claim this figure. The response given by the Education Delegation itself is that the request had fallen out of time, so there was no choice but to wait for the allegations period, contemplated this year in July. Since then, according to Retamero, they have only obtained "administrative silence."

The lack of this service aggravates the situation of her daughter, who has moved on to the second year of primary school, when the concepts being handled are more complicated for her to understand. Until now this student - who suffers from a 66% hearing and motor disability - had used a hearing aid that, connected to an FM radio, allowed her to follow classes with a certain normality. Sufficient for the Infant stage, but she becomes deficient for the knowledge taught in Primary, hence last year, when starting this cycle, she will demand a resource of signs.

"At the time they offered me a curricular adaptation, but I refused. My daughter only needs that figure, nothing more," insists this mother. "She is a girl with a lot of self-esteem and a very hard worker," says Retamero, who remembers the years she has been fighting to achieve the advancement and inclusion of the minor. "When I was born they told me that she would remain like a vegetable and there she is, studying in the conventional classroom of a school," defends this mother, who emphasizes her idea: "I am not going to allow anyone to cut my daughter's wings." .

"They're not going to shut me up"
A path that has not been without difficulties. María José - who does not want to be in photos - had to ask for a reduction in working hours to take care of her daughter. "I am not the first mother to suffer this administrative silence. In front of me there have been many who have been bored," laments Retamero, who demands the help of the public system for children with this type of disability. "Families cannot waste energy in requesting resources that must be given, because we need that effort to care for our children in their daily lives," she adds.

"It has cost me a lot to get here and now they are not going to silence me," warns this mother, who will demonstrate for "an education under equal conditions" for her daughter if she does not receive a response from the Board in the coming days.

The Department of Educational Development and Vocational Training, when asked by this newspaper, has been blunt. "The charter schools are responsible for the personnel to be hired." With this phrase, the department directed by Patricia del Pozo clarifies that the case of the Claret student who has been waiting for a sign language interpreter for a year falls within the powers of said subsidized center, whose legal and economic regime is different from a public one. . .

In this sense, the Ministry specifies that when a public school needs to expand its staff, it is the Board that is in charge of providing it. This is not the case with the concerted ones, whose private ownership corresponds to the contracting. To this end, the agreements with the regional administration contemplate two payments: one to cover teaching salaries and another complementary payment for professionals not included in said group.

It is to this second that the sign language interpreter that María José Retamero claims for her daughter belongs and that, according to Education, the school should have included within the budget granted to it by the Board.

The department recalls that Claret has, in terms of Special Education, three integration support units. This year, another unit for multi-deficient students has been added to them. The allegation presented in recent months demanded an economic expansion for the support units, where the figure demanded by Retamero would have a place.

LET'S FIGHT FOR AN EQUALITARIAN EDUCATION FOR ALL...IT IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT!! INCLUSION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES BY PROVIDING RESOURCES FOR THEIR BEST DEVELOPMENT.

We only want signatures to spread the news!!

Thank you so much