Nearly 1 billion people around the globe are living with a disability.

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (Dec. 3, 2024) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and countries around the globe in honoring International Day of People with Disabilities. Since its inception in 1945, the United Nations has outlined and reiterated its commitment to calling for the creation of inclusive, accessible, and sustainable societies and communities. In 1981, the U.N. proclaimed Dec. 3 as a recognized day for the celebration of the achievements of people living with disabilities across the world.

The World Health Organization (WHO) World Report on Disability noted that nearly 1 billion people, almost 15% of the world’s population, are living with a disability. Nearly 250 million people are living with a mental or neurological condition, and almost two-thirds of these people will not seek professional medical help, largely due to stigma, discrimination, and neglect.

“Salesian centers around the globe facilitate social and educational projects that pave the way for advanced research, learning and innovation that aid the inclusion of people with disabilities,” explained Father Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions. “Youth with disabilities are able to accomplish as much as their peers if given the right resources and support. But children and older adults with disabilities often lack the same opportunities. Salesians are working to level the field by providing equal access and inclusion.”

Salesian Missions is proud to highlight Salesian programs that advance inclusivity for people with disabilities on International Day of People with Disabilities 2024.

INDIA

Don Bosco Job Placement Network in India, through collaboration with the Bangalore Rural Education and Development Society (BREADS), organized a job fair for employment seekers with disabilities. Working with Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, Don Bosco Job Placement Network held the job fair at Bell Hotel Majestic for more than 100 candidates with varying levels of disability.

At the job fair, Quess Corp. Pvt. Ltd. Bangalore recruited candidates for jobs in warehousing, business process outsourcing and e-commerce, and logistics (packing and billing). The Don Bosco Job Placement Network coordinator and the Quess team assisted the candidates in career counseling and explaining the job roles. Of nearly 40 candidates who applied for the various jobs, 12 received immediate offers and others were shortlisted for future placement.

The Don Bosco Job Placement Network aims to improve employment opportunities for underserved job seekers through career guidance and skills training. The organization also enables access to secure job markets through job referral services, ensuring retention, and improving quality job opportunities with adequate wages and decent, safe, and secure working conditions.

MEXICO

The Latin American Center for Comprehensive Care for Spinal Cord Injuries was inaugurated on Aug. 16, 2022, in Guadalajara, Mexico. The treatment center was developed for people living with spinal cord injuries thanks to funding Salesian Missions received from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (USAID/ASHA) program.

The “Raising Standards of Care for Spinal Cord Injury Patients” project constructed and equipped Mexico’s first comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation center to assist patients who have been paralyzed by spinal cord injuries, with a special focus on youth. The center is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment such as advanced rehab exercise bikes, kinesitherapy equipment for upper and lower limbs, walking support, and electric standing frames. The center also generates and promotes new science and technology for the treatment, care, and rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries for their independence and reintegration.

It is anticipated that in the first four years in operation, the center will treat at least 500 patients with spinal cord injuries, mainly youth and adults between the ages of 12-35 who live in poverty and a state of high vulnerability. This will also indirectly benefit thousands of family members who are responsible for the care of the patients, as well as health care professionals who will benefit from new technologies and methods for treating spinal cord injuries.

RWANDA

The Filippo Smaldone Institute, located in Nyamirambo, a suburb of Kigali, Rwanda, is run by the Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Heart. The institute provides primary and secondary school, as well as vocational courses to prepare students for the workforce. The institute also has special courses for students with vision and hearing disabilities, according to an article in Global Sisters Report.

The Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Heart congregation was founded in 1885 by St. Filippo Smaldone, who is known as the apostle of the deaf. According to the article, since 1987, the Salesian sisters have focused their work to assist those in danger of social exclusion, including students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

The institute educates more than 400 students, including 207 children with hearing loss or deafness and more than 200 without a disability. According to the article, Salesian Sister Therese Akayezu, head teacher at the Filippo Smaldone Institute, noted that by attending classes and special programs with dedicated teachers, deaf or hard of hearing children can learn skills to master a profession. Sr. Akayezu said, “In our teaching methodology, we try to focus on improving self-esteem among children with hearing loss who sometimes develop lower self-esteem than hearing peers.”

SPAIN

The Salesian Institute Christ the Priest in Huelva, Spain, provides education for youth to gain a formal education in primary and secondary school before advancing on to vocational training. Hundreds of students have gained their education and studied for their future professions. One of the institute’s successful programs is the “Transition to Adult and Working Life” program. It was set up with the community of Andalusia, which aids youth with intellectual disabilities to find and retain employment.

The program provides skill education for students ages 16-20. After completing basic compulsory schooling, these youth enroll in the program to continue to grow and face adult life as independently as possible.

Salesians have built a small apartment-style classroom with different rooms. Youth learn how to do laundry, iron, cook, wash and go grocery shopping, among other tasks of daily living. The students work with their teachers with the goal of learning routines that prepare them to live on their own.

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