Really great prize for students who scoop ‘Someone Like Me’ art award

By Mary Dennehy

DOING wheelies and spinnies are just some of the positives about being in a wheelchair, according to a young Tallaght pupil whose class recently won an award in a national art competition that promotes disability awareness.

A senior infant class in Scoil Maelruain in Old Bawn recently won a county award in the Someone Like Me art competition, which, sponsored by the Department of Justice and Equality, aims to develop primary school children’s understanding and awareness of disabilities – and to celebrate the things that make them and their classmates unique.

The class project began with the pupils and their teacher, Joan Nevin, observing the differences between them all, with the usual physical differences noted such as hair colour, skin colour, eye colour, hair style, glasses etc.

The class then decided to focus on their friend Ava Cahill who, having spina bifida, uses a wheelchair – which she told her classmates is great fun because she can do wheelies and spinnies while stressing that “there is nothing bad about being in a wheelchair”.

For their entry into Someone Like Me, Ava’s classmates decided to make giant donuts for their friend’s wheelchair to “help pretty it up”.

Children teamed up in groups of three and created different designs for Ava’s wheelchair, with each design laminated for outdoor use.

Ava now gets to pick a different set each day and is delighted with her ‘new wheels’, which won her class the Junior County Winners accolade at the awards ceremony for Someone Like Me.

Providing primary school kids with a greater understanding of what unites children of differing abilities, Someone Like Me allows young pupils to creatively express what they’ve learned through art.

For further information visit www.someonelikeme competition.ie