Parents Come Together in the Philippines

Parents of children with visual disabilities in Manila at the Third National Parents' Congress

More than a decade ago, Marie Alonzo quit her job to spend more time with her son, John, who is visually disabled with mild autism. She learned firsthand the challenges parents face when seeking education and services for a child with disabilities in the Philippines. Marie turned her personal struggles into action and today she is using her experience to ensure more children like John have access to quality programs.

Marie knows that parents are the best advocates for their children’s rights. As a leading member of Parent Advocates for Visually Impaired Children (PAVIC), Marie helped organize a National Parents’ Congress in May 2011. The major national event brought together133 parents from all regions of the Philippines, 12 teachers and high level government officials.

Marie Alonzo with her son, John, at a birthday party.

As parents, we have a common dream – a better future for our children,” said Marie. “But many parents in far provinces are not aware of government services like free special education … We have to educate them.

In the Philippines, less than five percent of children who are visually disabled go to school. Through advocacy and parent networking, PAVIC members are combating the chief roadblocks to opportunity and independence for these children: A lack of capacity in the schools to accommodate students like John and a general lack of awareness in the community of the rights and educational needs of children with visual disabilities.

“Promoting Child’s Rights Through Partnership Building” was theme of the third National Parents’ Congress, which was held in Manila. The event was jointly sponsored by the Harvard Project on Disability (HPOD), Perkins School for the Blind and Christoffel Bindenmission.

One important outcome of the congress was an increased awareness amongst government officials of the rights of persons with disabilities and the advocacy efforts of parents through PAVIC.

“Government agencies now know who we are,” said Marie, who was encouraged by the pledges of officials to support PAVIC’s efforts. However, she believes parents need to make their voices even louder to keep government agencies on task. “We know it will be a long and slow process, but we are willing to work overtime just to achieve our goals.”

At the conclusion of the National Parent Congress, parents met in regional groups and developed action plans, identifying concerns, action steps, persons involved, and target dates for completion.  Efforts over the coming year will focus on implementation of these specific action plans throughout Philippines.

Throughout the event, parents listened to presentations by various speakers, including Professor Michael Stein of Harvard Law School, on the rights of their children with disabilities. This knowledge will be a powerful tool in improving parent advocacy skills throughout the region.

Beyond the educational and awareness-building benefits of gathering parents, Marie believes the congress served an equally important purpose and that is giving parents the opportunity to share challenges and offer each other strength and encouragement.

“Interaction with other parents is very important because you feel you’re not alone in these struggles. Just listening to the great stories and successes of other parents changes your outlook … and gives new hope and inspiration. We learn so much from each other.”

Marie and John go for a ride in a 2 seater plane as part of PAVIC's "Reach for the Sky" program.

And, as Marie knows from her own experience, many of the lessons parents share with each other are based on what their children teach them.  Marie shared a powerful story of her own. Marie has four sons and John is the second oldest, now 23. These days, she is working with John on everyday household tasks.

“Every day is a new day for both of us,” Marie said. She shared one particularly poignant learning experience that occurred while she was recovering from a surgery. In the third week of recovery, she was home alone with John and the laundry was piling up.

“I talked to John and told him, ‘Mama needs some help with the laundry,’” Marie recalled. She guided John to the laundry basket and asked him to carry it into the washroom. Step by step, she explained how to put the clothes in the washing machine, transfer to the dryer, and back to the basket. “And voila! Laundry is done.”

It was John’s first time doing laundry, but not his last. Today, mother and son do the household chore together. It has become a special time to bond.

“Learning for John doesn’t come by chance. I really have to guide him every step of the way. And in every step that we take, both of us learn.”

Marie encourages other parents to have big dreams for their children and to keep learning from each other. Most importantly, don’t give up.

“Patience is one virtue that I have learned because of John … I know we still have a long way ahead of us, but we will never give up achieving a simple dream: for John to be an active and productive member of the family as well as our community.”