Named after Helen Keller’s teacher, the Centro Ann Sullivan del Perú is a nonprofit organization in Lima where children with autism and other developmental conditions learn skills they need for living independently and securing jobs in Peru.
According to an article published in Spectrum News, this center works with students from age 2 and extending into adulthood.
Liliana Mayo, who also directs the facility, founded it and today there are about 450 children with their families in the center, which also holds a staff of about 80 people.
“About 100 of those children, 60 percent of whom have autism, have gone on to find jobs at companies across Peru”, Mayo told Spectrum.
In Centro Ann Sullivan del Perú the students learn how to read and write, understand numbers, as well as use a fork and spoon. They also learn to brush their teeth, dress, cook, wash dishes, sweep and vacuum.
“We teach them with curriculum to prepare them for life,” Mayo told Spectrum. “They are active members in their own home, learning basic things that are going to help them in the future,” she continued.
When they are reaching adulthood, the students also learn how to find jobs suited to their abilities. The idea is to provide them with the same opportunities everyone else has in the world by helping the autistic students become independent human beings.
This program has been replicated in Panama and the Dominican Republic, and they are helping others to establish similar centers in Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Bangladesh, India and Nigeria.
Source.
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