Janet Ruiz believes in the Three Wise Men. That’s why he’s turned to his magic so that this year Ateneo, organizer of the Seville parade, is creating spaces so boys and girls with mobility issues, autism spectrum disorder or rare diseases, like his daughter Angela, 10, can enjoy the floats, the nomads and their majesty without fear of noise, crowds or a rain of candy and thrown gifts. It is the only wish he wrote in his letter and which this Christmas he addressed exclusively to Balthasar, who this year has more influence than ever before, because, in addition to being king, he also serves the rest of the time as president of the Council of Andalusia. “The Three Kings are magicians and I know they can use their magic to make this happen, because there are many children of Seville who have been left out of this beautiful celebration,” Janet explains.
It’s not the first time he’s tried this. Last year, he actually contacted Ateneo to express the frustration of families with children requiring early care not being able to enjoy the show. Then they told him it was “too complicated.” This year they answered the same thing. But she did not abandon her efforts and sent a message that spread on social media demanding an inclusive space for these young people. It is supported by the Antonio Guerrero Foundation, which works for the defense, protection and inclusion of persons with disabilities, and which was able to deliver the message to the Ateneo Board of Directors as well as to those around the Andalusian President, Juan Manuel Moreno. “This situation is causing a lot of dissatisfaction, and in the 21st century we must resolve these matters,” says Antonio Guerrero, president of the foundation, who met this week with the mayor of Seville to try to find a solution.
Moreno, despite being Chairman of the Board and King Balthazar, has no powers in organizing the parade and Ateneo did not respond to this newspaper’s request to check if he could fulfill Janet’s wish. However, Guerrero believes it is possible. What they propose is to enable two spaces of about 40 or 50 meters each with steps so that children can access them accompanied by some family members. Along the wide road there are spaces wide enough to install these stands without affecting or harming the thousands of people who gather in the streets of Seville to watch the show, or endangering their safety. “Around that area, bands can stop playing, or do so in a muffled manner, just like the Bedouins with their whistles, and candy-throwing should be suspended,” he explains.
These measures have already been implemented in Correa del Río, the municipality of Seville where Janet lives with her daughters, or in the Pino Montano neighborhood of Seville, where the kings bid farewell to their neighbors on January 6, and where, in certain parts of the route, they replace music and candy with soap bubbles. It’s the only show Rocio García has taken her daughter Carmen to in her nine years of life. “As a mother, I would love to enjoy the show on day five, but I wasn’t able to see it.” Carmen is autistic and suffers from many sensory and auditory difficulties. “If you take her to Seville, with the noise, and people rushing to get candy… the most likely thing is that she will overstimulate her in a way that makes her crash into the crowd,” he explains.
Rocio shares Janet’s anger at not being able to enjoy an important day like Twelfth Night with her daughters in the Andalusian capital. Esperanza Gracia also feels this frustration. “It gives the impression that there is a first-order delusion and a second-order delusion, and that the delusion only belongs to neurotypical children and not to neurodiverse children,” he laments. Her daughter Veronica, 11, is in a wheelchair, has vision problems and is also autistic. Her parents would take her to the show sometimes, but the attendees’ anxiety, and, why not, rudeness, ended up taking the front row seat they had reserved more than two hours in advance to ensure a good spot. “In the end, what should have been a day of celebration and enjoyment became a day of pain and exhaustion,” he recalls.
Giving vision
These mothers don’t want to get used to being invisible. “There are many sleepy minds that do not realize that there are families living with many restrictions, but our children have the same rights and cannot enjoy them because we are accustomed to a nervous lifestyle,” says Rocio. “It is true that we are forced to limit our social life, but our children also have the right to know reality, to avoid noise and painful moments for them, but we have to give them the same life as others.”
She is thinking about her little two-year-old son, who is already at an age when he will be excited to see the Three Wise Men pass by in Seville, but will have to get used to the fact that if his sister cannot find a quiet place to see them, he will have to adapt to his circumstances. The same thing happens to Maria, Angela’s six-year-old sister. “She has to learn to live with the disability,” Janet says of the little girl. “And of course you won’t be able to enjoy the trip, because obviously one person won’t go and the other one won’t,” her mother says frankly.
“This situation is very frustrating,” Guerrero says. He adds: “We are immersed in an institutional train. Since things were done one way last year, we assume that they should be the same next year, and we do not stop to think that we already live with subgroups in society that have different characteristics, and that we should get along with everyone as much as possible.” Guerrero is optimistic. Remember, they actually managed to allow a time slot at the Seville Fair where the attractions are silenced so that autistic boys and girls can ride the little machines. “In the end, this is a dose of joy that reaches the whole family,” he says. “Even though they set us at 4 p.m., it’s as if they gave us that time because they don’t bother us…” says Janet.
For her, the ability to create a space in which the show adapts to the needs of children with special needs is also a way to “educate the population,” the “sleeping minds” that Rocio spoke of. “We have to raise awareness that these people exist and that they have the right, like everyone else, to go to the fair, see the Easter parade, and enjoy it just as they do,” Janet emphasizes. “There is still a lot of missing information about what a diverse mind is, for us, it is impossible to go to the stadium, but if you do not have close cases, no one will notice,” Esperanza says regretfully.