Parents For Parents and Society!

The issue of disabled people is a public problem, but in Georgia it remains a problem of specific people and families, which in many cases exists outside society.

Person, family and society, separately and together, bear one common concept, because there is no family without individuals and society without families. If this community is healthy, it should respond to any challenge that comes from its constituents, who come from family. All the more, it should react strongly when it comes to the future of disabled people.

Today our guest is Maya Asakashvili - journalist, philologist, expert on the issues of people with disabilities, PhD candidate in special and inclusive education pedagogy. She is the author of a number of scientific works, newspaper publications, columns and radio programs in the direction of disabled people; Founder of the "Association for Helping Children with Hearing and Speech Impairment" (Parents' Union), director of the day center, founder of the social enterprise "Ray", head of many social projects, parent of a disabled person, human rights defender, and an active participant of the parents' movement, one of the leaders in the field of disabled people, the owner of a number of international certificates, international prizes and diplomas. Initiator of several legislative changes in the direction of persons with disabilities, founder of capacity system reform in Georgia. She worked in the education system for some years. She was a lecturer of the department of master's and doctoral programs of the Ilia State University and the director of the boarding school for disabled people. She has studied the experience of different countries, including Norway, the Netherlands and other countries, in the direction of inclusive education, vocational training, social entrepreneurship development and employment of disabled people and has made a significant contribution to the development of these directions. She works in the direction of strengthening social entrepreneurship and employment of disabled people, he has attended an entrepreneurial school in Brussels, Belgium.

She is a participant of various international projects and conferences within Erasmus+. Participant of the 8th World Congress of Norway - Striving for Perfect Citizenship. "IT" specialist of modern methods of working with people with intellectual disabilities using modern educational and therapeutic tools, was on a working visit to Poland. She works on advocacy of disabled people's rights, strengthening of parents, protection of women's rights, changing stereotypes and attitudes towards disabled people in society. She is a member of the coalition of non-governmental organizations working on the issues of disabled people and the network of parents, the council working on the issues of disabled people under the Tbilisi Mayor, the coalition of organizations working on children and youth issues, the women's coalition, the Georgian and European Social Enterprises Alliance.

For many years, Mrs. Maia has been working on the problems of disabled people, protecting and advocating their rights, changing society's attitude towards disabled people. She tells us about his past life, how her own son changed her life and even her profession, she tells us about the stereotypes observed in society towards people with disabilities, she shares with us her own experience, how she overcame the barrier, what a parent can do, and today she is trying, in her own way, to set a similar example. Parents with problems and society itself. 

How I overcame the barrier

The topic of society's attitude towards people with disabilities is always relevant, because we must honestly admit that, despite many changes, society is still not ready to accept people with disabilities. An impression is created as if society is separate and does not want to accept disabled people into its bosom.

Inclusive education processes have started and are irreversible. We, the parents, welcome this. Some years ago, thirty years ago, we would never have dreamed that our children would have the opportunity to be educated with their typically developing peers. Now this issue has been regulated by the Law on Education. By law, parents were given the opportunity to make a choice. They can decide for themselves what kind of education to give their children. The ongoing changes in the education system, reform, inclusive education are welcome, but the problem is that there is still stigma in the society towards people with disabilities.

I will tell you about my example, how I overcame the barrier? The birth of a child is a great happiness, you are already there for him, you try to create the best environment for him, you do everything for him, you even look for everything beautiful and colorful, but one day, when you feel the birth defects of your firstborn, the country falls on you, you experience the greatest pain, the question involuntarily arises - why? which bothers you all your life, you can't find an answer and yet you sing a lullaby to the little one, more heartfelt, sad, tearful, everything seems to disappear in this world, you get fear and hopelessness, the tormenting thought of running away from people, being locked in your own world.

My relationship with people with disabilities started after I had a child. That was 32 years ago, then I had not yet realized the future. The life of a cheerful, carefree girl was changed by tears, sadness, hopelessness, despair. No one told me the truth, over time I realized that together with the joy of motherhood, giving birth caused immeasurable pain. No one knew what I was going through waiting for the beloved word "Mother" to be uttered, how many times I had sleepless nights, I watched every movement of my child with unquenchable hope, but medicine also proved to be powerless.

As if it were yesterday, I remember the first sounds uttered by the divisions, de-da, joy, as if a spark of hope appeared, will Irakli be able to speak? - I understood him without words, although the society did not take our pain to heart in the slightest.

Despite the passing of enough time, they look at my son with surprise, in his presence they ask awkward questions - is he hearing? What do the doctors say? is there any help etc. These are questions that parents should not ask, especially in the presence of their children.

Many times the heart is hurt by the strict, tactless attitude of the society, sometimes a person with disabilities has become an object of ridicule, which is a very painful feeling for a parent, but the society does not realize that everything happens in life, we are not immune from unpleasant events, that tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, any person may be in a similar situation. To fall into a position to acquire a limited opportunity for himself. There are many examples of this, and the society should treat this topic very carefully.

Thirty-two years ago, I could not have imagined that I, as a parent, would come into contact with disabled people. One part of society thinks that people with disabilities have no right to joy or happiness. They believe that they should be separate, isolated in separate schools, separate meeting places, cafes, bars, restaurants, etc. I'm not talking about the unadapted environment that creates a series of obstacles not only in the direction of their integration into society, which is so fashionable to mention in our society, but also in everyday elementary conditions, such as leaving the house, entering a store and buying bread. I am saying anything about how inaccessible it is for them to even enter any institution.

I want to say that just laying a ramp is not integration. Community mentality is the main problem. Integration is acceptance of society, how and in what form it will accept people with disabilities. Some years ago, when I, quite young, inexperienced, stood at the crossroads, faced with uncertainty, when I did not know how to get out of this difficult situation, I did not know what to do, where and how to start, there was not a single person, not even an organization or institution that would help me to get out of the worst situation. In the meantime, precious time passed, and during this period I realized that the most important thing for my son was to communicate with society, and that is where the cold, to say the least, uncivil attitude of society began.

The first reaction of the community was that when I decided to send my child to the kindergarten, the kindergarten manager explained to me that there are special institutions for "such children" and my son could not be accepted - so the kindergarten's doors were closed. I didn't know what to do anymore, there was no point in answering the garden manager, I remember how I hid the tears that came out of the office so that the child wouldn't see. At that time, the word "inclusion" did not exist in our country, they did not even know its meaning. The kindergarten manager refused to accept us in the kindergarten because my son was disabled. This was the first shock after the birth of my child. Then we were transferred to a special kindergarten located in Gldani district. It was very difficult for him to be on his own, but I left him anyway. It was the first time my son was in his little community on his own, and I watched his presence and behavior from afar.

As I mentioned above, there was no institution, organization, not even a counseling center that would give advice to new parents. Then I realized that the society did not care about people like me, it was not at all interested in our fate. You can imagine how happily any pregnant woman is waiting for the day when her first child will come to this country. With him, his father, family, a large circle of relatives and friends are waiting for joy, and then, after the birth, everyone is shocked because the child was born with a physical or mental disability. After a while, my husband tragically passed away and I was left completely alone in the face of a young, inexperienced life, which was accompanied by the most difficult situation, as they say, I was trying to find my way. I searched and read relevant literature to get as much information and learn as possible about my son's disease. I was bothering doctors, teachers, social workers with many questions... I was doing this because I wanted to help my son more and alleviate his condition. In the meantime, preschool age has passed and it is time to enter school. It was a very painful and very uncertain period for me. At that time, there was a medical pedagogic commission, which divided children into different schools according to their ability. At that time, as I mentioned above, they didn't even know the meaning of the word "inclusion", there was no inclusive education and the door of the general education school was closed for "such children".

My son was assigned to one of the auxiliary schools, where it turned out to be a very heavy contingent, so I transferred him to public school 193. As time passed, going to school brought him great success. What is success for us? After school he continued to go to the day care center where he was taught independent living skills, participated in making various products, worked on developing her academic and functional skills, he was very happy because he learned needlework so she could help others herself, amazingly kind, with charming and positive qualities, became self-confident, proactive, worked hard, felt like a full-fledged person, and in this way he was connected to society. He brought great joy to both family members and friends. But all this was preceded by the strict protest of specialists for my son's education. They told me - "You know what, your son will not be able to study, he has a pension from the state and it is not necessary for him to get an education." Keep him at home - he has a pension and why are you bothering him, let him to be for himself and you will also rest." Nevertheless, I did not believe these people and still brought him to school, trying to be with his peers as long as possible. Into his new world, which he desperately needed, and you know what I got out of this endeavor? - He developed a culture of listening, he was happy to come to the school where Irakli and his friends studied. He attended classes where he learned a lot, made friends with whom he interacted and knew that he was a full member of society. He learned the rules of behavior, completed the task, developed a great sense of responsibility, maybe he could not overcome the program completely, but he was integrated into society, developed social skills. If I believed in "my well-wishers" and locked me in the house, would he learn all of the above, would he have friends, would anyone know of his existence, except for a narrow circle that counts a few people? - no of course! And that's why I would like to appeal to those new parents who are facing a similar problem - under no circumstances lock their children in their families, take them to school, give them the opportunity to get an education, definitely take them out of their families, take them to the cinema, theater, parties, concerts, various cultural events and wherever They will be given the opportunity to take them... Some hide their disabled children so that even their relatives and friends do not know about their existence. They are ashamed, embarrassed about it and afraid of damaging "their prestige". They do not realize that God has given them a gift in the form of their child. If the family doesn't recognize and accept him for who he is, then how will the larger society accept him? Therefore, first of all, the socialization of a child with disabilities should start from his own family, only after that his integration into the society takes place. Those parents who accept and accept the child as he is, carefully monitor his reactions, enjoy his every active action, achieve great results.

I want to return to the topic of society's attitude. My son loved to play with the neighborhood kids, especially little Niniko. He was also treated with great care. Once during the game, Aremare was deafened by the screams of a woman who got caught... "How many times has grandma told you, Irakli is sick, he can't speak, never dare to play with him." The children were amazed. Tears welled up in Irakli's eyes, upon hearing these words, I ran like a madman, I held the child in my heart: don't be afraid, mother, I will not oppress you, killing a person is not the only sin, "to curse with the tongue" is a greater blasphemy, I mumbled and we left the place.

Also important is the role of school readiness in accepting students with disabilities and ensuring their education. - At present, the law of Georgia gives everyone an equal opportunity to receive education... parents were given the opportunity to choose, principals do not have the right to deny a child admission to school because of his disability, which is very good and welcome, but the main thing here is to create a friendly environment for children with disabilities, where will be provided with appropriate services, i.e. The school building will be adapted for them, the pedagogy and students will be prepared, the environment will be adapted to their needs with appropriate teaching methodology and individual study plans. Often there is a negative reaction from parents because they do not want children with disabilities to study together with their healthy children.

I would like to address such parents, exceptional teachers and reassure them that limited ability is not contagious. If they believe me, I will say that kindness, philanthropy, support and the feeling of perceiving and grasping the plight of others are contagious. Do not, by your involuntary behavior, teach your children or students to despise another person, for example, because of a physical or other limitation, which then gives rise to many unworthy qualities.

There is still a trend that favors their isolation from society. I will give one example that happened to me. After passing the competition by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, I was sent to St. To fill the vacant position of a director in one of the public schools of the central district of Tbilisi. When I presented my election program to the employees, one of the components of which was inclusive education, and they learned that I had a child with disabilities, there was a negative reaction. They refused to elect me as a principal, on the grounds that the newly elected principal would bring disabled people to the school, turning the school into a school for disabled people. This was the mentality of the teachers of this school at that time. To tell you the truth, my ambition was not to become a principal, I wanted to introduce inclusive education in public schools, which is again a part of state policy. Moreover, to give more meaning to the election of the director, during the presentation of my program, I brought my friends from the NGO Coalition for Independent Living to that public school. School teachers, who saw so many disabled people together, who were shown a film about a successful disabled person who is an active member of society today, bluntly said in a discussion that disabled people should not be in public organizations (i.e. school), but separately. They must be in the building. Outraged by this fact, one person with disabilities, who has made a great contribution to the development of the movement of people with disabilities in the country, shouted - ladies! I want to live with you and why are you building a separate building for me, although this cry did not yield any results. Here, such curiosities happened often, it's a pity that these people serve the cause of education, I didn't take a video at that time, the public would have seen a tragicomic program, where the main role was played by education workers, those teachers who themselves should have been the epitome of tolerance, acceptance, humanity and many kindnesses. A train and a propagandist.

By this I mean that society did not accept me once again because I had a child with disabilities. Society did not accept my friends, successful people with disabilities, did not understand what they came for, what they wanted to say to them.

There is another issue that the society must look into and draw appropriate conclusions. The fact is that a large part of society considers the problem of disabled people to be only a problem of those families who have a disabled family member. I have personally encountered many times the indifferent attitude of society towards the problems of disabled people. Some years ago, when I worked as a journalist in one of the authoritative newspapers of our country, I wrote and covered social topics, including those related to limited opportunities, thus I wanted to bring forward the existing problems, to show the society the possibilities of these people, and there I faced very big obstacles as a journalist. I remember that they once explained to me in the editorial office - "Did you bring the material about disabled people again?" - Remember, this is not a "newspaper of disabled people". They believed that I was writing because it was my and my family's problem, not the public one that was being discussed now. And I think that the media has the main role in changing the public's vision and attitude. The role of a journalist is important, how he will deliver the mentioned topic to the public. If all mass media are not energetically involved in bringing these issues to the public, if this topic does not occupy a proper place in the information space, only the training of journalists, which is very often organized on this topic, will not be informative. Trainings should be given to editors, heads of information services, so that after that they take into account the relevance of this topic in the priorities of the information space. All media outlets should have their own strategy for widely covering this issue and the results will not be delayed. If people with disabilities are seen as poor, hungry and needy, they will certainly become objects of charity. And if we show the public their talent, creative abilities, we present them as spiritually elevated individuals who can do worldly affairs, how a disabled person overcame the difficulties faced by him and is a successful businessman today, how he became a successful artist or a father of many children who is a successful person today. etc. If these people are considered from such a position, then the society will see that they were also ordinary people, accordingly, it will take an adequate attitude towards them and will definitely accept them.

I must remind the public that the President of the United States of America, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was paralyzed and used a wheelchair, the genius composer Beethoven was deaf, and the professor Stephen Hawking, who is a scientist of modern cosmology and physics, later worked at the Oxford University chair where Isaac Newton himself worked. He was a theoretician and the author of the greatest discoveries. This is a small number of people who left an indelible mark in the history of mankind.

Naturally, as a parent and a person who is deeply aware of these issues, I do not wish anyone to be in a similar situation, but I also want to remind the public that everything happens in life. A completely healthy and happy person today may become a disabled person tomorrow due to an accident. Everyone should know that limited opportunity is a social problem, not a private one, so everyone should be involved in this work, even for tomorrow, for a better future.

People with disabilities and love

A certain part of the society believes that people with disabilities do not have the right to create a family, to love or to continue their parents' (meaning single parents) life, etc. The limited opportunity seems to be a kind of hindrance even for the parent. Some people believe that if you have one child with a different ability, all your next children will be affected by the same condition as well, such a view is wrong. In some cases, such parents are looked upon as "lepers". Due to the condition of their children, many parents have even become victims of domestic violence, they are discriminated against on both sides - why? As a parent, I was heartbroken when they asked me tactlessly about my son's future - will your son be able to get married? Why he can't. Who made it a point to put an end to the feelings of differently able people? Who can take away the right to happiness? To take away the right, even in the dose that they perceive this world? Who ended the life of those parents who want to start a family a second time despite their child's different abilities?

Dear parents, don't take it as a tragedy that your child is different. Don't put an end to your life, accept reality, accept and love your child as he is, life is not over, it goes on, life is beautiful.

If a person has certain limitations, it does not mean that he should not create a family, it does not mean that he does not have the right to love, happiness and establish his place in this country, on the contrary, society should try to help and support them in this regard. . In addition, we parents often have to justify ourselves to the public. The question arises - why should I justify myself in front of someone? - This is incomprehensible to me. When I go out in order and they notice a smile on my face, they give me a surprised look, a part of society thought that because I had a child with disabilities, I must be sad. If this smile is accompanied by the orderliness characteristic of a woman, they believe that someone as carefree and cheerful as me will not walk freely this country. All this was the result of great will and great efforts. Only God knows what fire was burning in my heart, but I never made anyone uncomfortable with my attitude. My problem is only mine and I had no right to hurt anyone else. And I humbly want to appeal to those new parents who are facing similar problems and are looking for ways to overcome it - find strength in your head and suppress all the negative emotions that your child's condition causes. You must be able to do this because, first of all, it is necessary again and again for your child, for his future. Of course, like all people, I have my human weaknesses. When I was lonely and the pain that I carried so secretly, sometimes I even cried bitterly, but when I saw the widened eyes of my son standing on top of me and his emotions, my face would immediately fill with a smile, I would forget everything and I would be in a "good" mood. I didn't have the right to see my son or anyone else with tears in his eyes, because Irakli only needed a calm, balanced, positive mother, always standing, smiling, with this kind of behavior I tried to create a happy world for him.

fight with yourself

Parents are often troubled by the feeling that they have been punished by God for some crime and ask the question - why? why me anyway and they consider themselves unhappy. After realizing my situation for many years, I consider that I was a happy person that Irakli was given to me by God because he chose me to do a good deed not only for my son, but for all disabled people and their parents. This is the greatest power, grace, which the Lord has shown mercy to.

My son changed my life and my profession. I learned a lot from him, interacting with his world. I was a magazine reader, but at the same time I read a lot of special literature, I was interested in knowing a lot about my son's condition and about this world in general. The search took me further, I was no longer satisfied with being a practicing parent, I decided to become a professional and provide professional help to people with disabilities. After that, I graduated from the Pedagogical University named after Yakob Gogebashvili in the field of special pedagogy, I became a specialist in inclusive education, the director of a special school, I do scientific work, my thesis is "Social integration of people with intellectual disabilities". Years passed, many things changed, I also grew up with my son. We encountered many problems: society's attitude, unprepared environment, untrained teachers, outdated teaching methods, untrained parents, outdated textbooks, lack of individual curriculum - this is a range of problems that did not meet my requirements as a parent. I also gradually overcame the barrier in life that comes with raising such children. This is my hidden pain, it is an eternal, declared effort, with which I was able to create the parents' association and the news newspaper "Voice of Parents".

The mentioned reasons made me decide to enter the education system in order to make my modest contribution to the process of introducing inclusive education. The same problems united my parents while still active in journalism to fight together for the social integration of people with disabilities and to change the mentality established in society. Since 1997, we have been actively involved in the implementation of our goals. The name of our organization is "Association for Helping Children with Hearing and Speech Impairment", we have established relations with local, international donor organizations, state structures, we have done many good deeds, the list of which would take us far.

We work with people with hearing, speech, mental retardation, psycho-social needs in the direction of their education, rights protection, advocacy, professional training, social development and integration into society. I consider people with disabilities to be a major part of my life and I can't imagine any other environment in which I could live. I am happy to associate with them, they have a clean, pure world, and all this has motivated me to do good. This is the positive charge, the presence of which is necessary in this country, they can ennoble the society.

existing problems

Post-school education is a very important issue - it was a very painful topic for me personally and for people with disabilities in general. The law on education at that time regulated the general education of people with disabilities, but what was done in school with the help of school teachers and parents, everything is thrown into the water because they have nowhere to go and are forced to lock themselves back at home. Professional education was not at the proper level. The vocational colleges that function in our country were not adapted to the needs of people with intellectual disabilities. There was no appropriate methodology and training programs. It was necessary for parents to create an after-school vocational training center where our children would learn independent life skills. Let's create social enterprises, where these people will be able to master various crafts using methods of informal education and approaches tailored to individual needs, and further employment.

The main problems are encountered in connection with the employment of people with intellectual disabilities, mental problems, employers are not ready, they have no information about them, people with such disabilities most likely have professional competence, but they lack of skills such as responsibility, time management and others. It is very important to work individually with them, develop the necessary skills, constantly work at the place of employment and achieve step-by-step progress. For the first time in Georgia, using the methods of informal education and the approaches adapted to the individual needs of disabled youth, the wooden enterprise "Ray" was opened, thus starting the piloting of the employment support system for people with intellectual disabilities. People with intellectual disabilities are the most vulnerable group, who have the most difficulty in employment, they need alternative support services, based on the principle of a functional approach based on the strengths of the individual, on the basis of a multidisciplinary team assessment, division of work operations, Prof. Social retraining, supported employment and so on exit to the labor market. Based on the mentioned problems, we decided to create a wooden enterprise, where people with disabilities will learn the manufacture of intelligence-developing toys, professional competence at the workplace, work skills for further employment and economic self-sufficiency. In order to immortalize his memory, the workshop of Irakli wood was named "Ray".

The goal of the wooden enterprise is to work on the development of such knowledge and competences of young people with disabilities, which will lead to their efficiency, competitiveness and access to the labor market and employment through support.

20 people with disabilities were trained in the "Ray", the launch of a wooden social enterprise is a mutually beneficial process, the enterprise started producing wooden toys at the local level, which will contribute to solving the social goals of the organization and employing more people with disabilities, presenting their possibilities, To change the society's view and attitude towards the impossibility of employing disabled people. The area of operation of the enterprise is Tbilisi. Activities - woodcarving, making ecologically clean wooden developmental toys and souvenirs.

"It is impossible to build a modern European state without the full participation and involvement of disabled people. People with disabilities cannot rely on international aid, state aid or individual support. First of all, they need to create equal conditions and opportunities in all areas of public life, develop services and programs tailored to their needs, accessible education, health care, employment, full integration into society, only in a solidary society, where the protection of the rights of people with disabilities will not be anyone's good will. But the obligation of the state, where the feeling of solidarity towards any disabled person will be taken as a state policy, where the rights of disabled people will be properly protected and all conditions will be created for the maximum realization of their abilities, where their personal dignity will be respected and families of disabled people will be cared for. The social-democratic worldview is based on strengthening - such solidarity."

A strong family is the precursor of a strong democratic state. Parents of disabled people are in a mutually discriminated situation, due to their children's health condition, many of them are unable to find employment, two important resources remain isolated from society. To date, there are significant obstacles to the full integration of people with disabilities into all spheres of public life. Realization of the rights of persons with disabilities, taking into account the current situation, requires complex and systemic changes.

What changes did Irakli and I implement together? - a four-year tireless struggle to restore justice in the Constitutional Court, to cancel the incapable system, to start the reform of the capable system.

October 8, an important date, an unprecedented case in the history of Georgian parliamentarism and justice system, when a disabled person applied to the court to protect his rights.

Irakli Kemoklidze was the first disabled person who won a world-wide case in the Constitutional Court, in order to bring changes to the country.

Irakli Kemoklidze went down in history as a rights defender, civil activist, his merits are great in protecting the rights of disabled people. With the support of his mother, Irakli changed the lives of many people for the better.

It was the lawsuit of my son, Irakli Kemoklidze, and the decision of the Constitutional Court that became the basis for reform in the country, transition to a social model, civil rights were returned to the people receiving support, including the right to participate in elections.

The Constitutional Court, on October 8, 2014 N2/4/532014 adopted a decision, according to which, for persons with mental and intellectual disabilities, the existing capacity limitation. The Legal regulations recognized it as unconstitutional.

In 2013, the Parliament of Georgia ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, according to Article 12 of which, Limitation of human capacity is not allowed. States Parties affirm that persons with disabilities have the right to recognition as a subject of law, no matter where they are.

The Constitutional Court obliged the Parliament of Georgia to develop and adopt legislative regulations that would be in compliance with the standards of human rights recognized by the Constitution of Georgia, as well as with the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Fighting always makes sense!

Irakli was not only my son, but my best friend and a comrade. Together we fought for the rights of disabled people, for protection, both at the legislative and executive levels in the direction of advocacy. We tried to get involved in political processes, to protect the rights of disabled people. We should make it a priority to integrate these issues into various policy directions at the state level. Further, we thought that women's participation in the country's political is one of the important indicators of the country's democratization in life. Irakli was actively involved in his mother's election campaign, we planned to fight together at the legislative level.

My Irakli lived such an active life and changed many people's lives for the better. Everyone introduced himself, remembered and fell in love with his directness, humility, positivity, warm smile, selfless kindness, civil and labor activism, and most importantly, his great humanity. Irakli has taken exemplary and proud steps for a better future for himself and his friends.

Irakli died on February 6, 2021. I lost my 32-year-old only child, friend and comrade. It was a huge pain to face and accept his death. A tragedy for our family and everybody else. Ika became everyone's child, everyone suffered. The sudden death of this noble and innocent boy occurred. Irakli Kemoklidze left his great and proud name, humanity, good footprint, entered history as a reformer.

 Probably, very few people manage to gain so much, selfless love, respect and share the sincere tears of so many people at such a young age, like Irakli. After all, he was distinguished by his human qualities.

It is very difficult for me to exist without him. My life-loving boy left this worldly life at such a young age, moved to the eternal kingdom, leaving us with great pain and an unhealed wound. I was proud even during his life and today I am proud to be Irakli's mother!

We all missed Irakli. He will always be alive in the hearts of my family members, friends, and relatives, we will love and remember him. Ika and I had many future plans. I ask the Lord to give me the strength to immortalize the memory of my son, to be able to finish all the things I started with him and to fulfill the promise I made at the grave.

I want to thank my family members, all my friends, colleagues, ordinary parents, unknown people, whose support, after my tragedy, constant cheering, gave me the incentive, strength, that I am still needed for the disabled people's movement, after Irakli, I have to continue the fight again. To immortalize his memory and open the Irakli Kemoklidze Center, I will continue to fight for the protection of the rights of disabled people.

I accepted this challenge, gathered the last strength to be with my friends again, with them and my professionalism, experience, to help strengthen the movement of parents with disabilities!

What can we, parents? We can stand by the state and help develop services for people with intellectual disabilities and solve an important state problem. Together with daycare centers, it is necessary to develop alternative services, strengthen social entrepreneurship, involve disabled people in enterprises, and so go to the labor market. This will be a step towards the well-being of disabled people...! Therefore, such services should be created where adult disabled people will learn a craft, will not be looked after by anyone, and will be able to provide themselves economically with their work. The existence and strengthening of vocational inclusive centers and social enterprises, the support of state structures in this direction will be an important step to promote the social inclusion and employment of disabled people.

 No one is immune from disability, if you grasp it, the first step is taken to become a perfect citizen, then the difficult road begins to change yourself, family, friends, society and finally, the whole country.

What else can parents do? - Change of society's vision and attitude. Although society is less aware of the needs of these people, it is important to activate parents in order to decide together the future of disabled people and break down the barriers that exist between people with typical development and people with disabilities, together we can change the attitude of society towards this problem and give disabled people their place in society.

let's be together!

P.S. We think that the story of a successful parenting will make a modest contribution both to the lives of parents facing disabled people and to changing the attitude of society. That is why the editors of the magazine chose this column - "Parent to parent and society". We think that the letter will have a great response from the society and will encourage reflection again about the problem of disabled people. On that path, more attention will be paid to the issues of socialization of these people in the society and it will help them to feel like full-fledged citizens.