One day, before the eyes of his teacher and classmates, Pepito began to disappear until he could no longer be seen at all. He disappeared from the classroom. This is a story The invisible childa picture book that tells the experience of a minor with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in his school life. The book seeks to raise awareness among children and adults about the importance of inclusion and empathy in the school environment, especially for those who feel invisible.
The work was presented on Wednesday by the Best Buddies Spain Foundation, in an event coinciding with the celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The book tells the story of a child born prematurely who finds some tasks difficult. Although his classmates treat him affectionately, he is often left out, until one day he begins to become invisible. The story explains the responsibility shared by the group, teachers and families to ensure that all boys and girls feel included in the classroom.
In Spain, 22 out of every 1,000 minors between the ages of two and 15 have some disability, according to estimates by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) in 2020, the most recent data to date. More than a quarter of students with the condition (32.7%) claim to have been isolated, rejected or excluded by classmates, according to a study by ONCE and Cermi.
Monica Mir, director of Best Buddies Spain, says that the book was born due to the lack of a tool with these characteristics, remembering that in their activities they usually work with stories. “We couldn’t find anyone talking about disability, and even less about intellectual disability, from the point of view of inclusion,” he explains.
The story was written by Elena Luestali, the voice behind the children’s podcast Sueñacuentos, and illustrated by Cristina de Pedroso Moro. Mir’s children were regular followers of the podcast. This association led her to contact the author to propose a collaboration addressing the topic of inclusion. “It was fortunate that Elena (Lustali) took on the challenge and gave shape to the story,” says Mair. “The writing is so relatable and simple that children understand it, but at the same time it evokes a tremendous amount of empathy and emotion.”
In Best Buddies (English best friends) they organize comprehensive entertainment and awareness activities. They work with children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities to help them establish friendship bonds. They say their main goal is to prevent minors from feeling isolated or stigmatized. “We believe that friendship is an antidote to loneliness and bullying,” emphasizes Meer.
According to the ONCE and Cermi study, students, family members and professionals agree that the main reason for experiencing bullying at school (80.3%) is because you are a person with a disability. “When a child has a real friend at school and is being bullied, they have someone to stand up for and somewhere to turn to,” says the director of Best Buddies Spain.
The entity was founded in the United States in 1989 and is present in more than 47 countries. This initiative arrived in Spain thanks to Monica Mir and her husband, Oscar Ocaña, who decided to adopt the initiative for fear that their son, who suffers from an intellectual disability, would suffer from loneliness or isolation in the classroom. “Our eldest son has an intellectual disability and we were worried that when he went to school he would be lonely or depressed bullying. Mir emphasizes that this concern has become the basis on which we help children and youth with intellectual or developmental disabilities feel supported.
The invisible childHe comments: It is another tool to promote inclusion from childhood. The income generated from the sale of the book will be allocated entirely to the activities of the Foundation, which has incorporated the work as a pedagogical resource to teach that compassion and friendship are the keys so that no child feels invisible.