Dear colleagues,
On April 5, 2019, the second public forum on “Cultural Inclusion of Disabled People” was held in the National Gallery as part of the activities from the project “Art for All”. The forum dedicated to culture as an important factor of change in the process of social inclusion of people with special needs is concluding the third, penultimate phase of this project supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Republic of Macedonia, coordinated by Ms. Maja Dimitrova.
Participating at the event were Ms. Mila Tsarovska, Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Mr. Enver Huseini, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Science, Dr. Dita Starova Qerimi, Director of the National Gallery, Ms. Dragi Celevski, State Counselor at the Ombudsman, Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Bedi, Vice-Dean at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Prof. Vladimir Martinovski, Ph.D., Department of General and Comparative Literature at the Faculty of Philology and Ms. Ivana Vasilevska Petrovska, MA, Special Educator and Rehabilitator, Vice-President of the Macedonian Scientific Society for Autism.
Ms. Ivana Vasilevska Petrovska stressed that a society that strives to be inclusive has the obligation to take appropriate measures to provide people with autism opportunities for development and use of their creative, artistic and intellectual potential for their benefit, as well as a benefit for society. “Through artistic creation, ways are created for these artists to be seen as capable, and their strengths are visible, valued, desired and appreciated. These events and all activities from the project are a contribution to transforming the perceptions regarding the competence of people with autism to create art and be part of our society. “
Also, she took this opportunity to promote the activities of MSSA in the next period within the project Autism PCP – A holistic Approach of person-centred planning for people with Autism. “In the next three years, within the framework of this project, we will empower people with autism at risk of social exclusion, strengthen general efforts to include autistic people in regular education and society, and strengthen the competencies of professionals working with and for these persons, and support the families of people with autism. “
The forum was held in the surroundings of the exhibition “Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter … and Spring Again” made by students with autism, followed by a projection of the short documentary recorded during the art- workshops, by Kiril Shentevski.
Vice President of MSSA