They raised talent above disabilities. Beethoven composed the Ode to Joy despite hearing loss. Despite color blindness, Mark Zuckerberg designed perhaps the most well-known social network characterized by its blue color. The Museum of Special Education in Levoča has decided to inspire the audience in the current “handicapped” period. It happens by the stories of those we do not know due to their disabilities but their success.
“There lived, live, and will live exceptional, gifted, talented people among us. They will receive fame and respect often after their death. We decided to present significant world and Slovak personalities whose works, inventions, and successes influenced future generations. Most of them, despite their disability, managed to overcome not only themselves, “ explains the activity of the Museum of Special Education in Levoča, Štefánia Petreková, head of the institution.
The Museum is an organizational unit of the Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical Information (CVTI SR). Thanks to the interactive approach to its mission – to bring the world of people who are disabled closer together – it is a modern museum where the visitor is not bored. The current pandemic situation has closed the museum´s gates, thus “opened” those in virtual space.
They regularly bring stories on the social network Facebook of those whose combativeness against difficulties has brought recognition and success. “Some of those selected personalities contributed to the improvement of education and training of people who are disabled, or they had health disabilities. I was, personally, attracted by the life story of the deafblind American writer Helen Keller. As a child, she was an unbearable, restless, and disobedient girl. She thanks a patient and loving educator, Anna Sullivan, who brought her up to be a successful woman, a graduate of Harvard University. Helen did not see or hear anything. All her life, she has fought tirelessly for the rights of people who are disabled, “ Petreková concretizes.
- ``I was, personally, attracted by the life story of the deafblind American writer Helen Keller. As a child, she was an unbearable, restless, and disobedient girl.``
We plan to choose some famous personalities by scientists, writers, artists or athletes. Their lives are presented in short articles on our social network. For example, did you know about the dysgraphia of the most famous author of detective stories, Agatha Christie? Did you know that the prognosis for a successful runner, Olympic winner Wilma Rudolpf was that she never be able to walk?
“The activity aim is to support the museum’s educational dimension and to draw attention to the offer of our experiential-educational programs about health disabilities. The programs are a novelty in the museum. Unfortunately, due to the temporary closure, they remained in ‘drawers ‘, “ the head of the museum informs.
Although we cannot invite you to our premises nowadays, those interested can visit us on Facebook anytime. If you are interested, visit our Facebook page. Interesting life stories of the extraordinary people, i.e., painter Frida Kahlo, the composer L. Beethoven or the uncrowned king of animated fairy tales Walt Disney and others are here.
Levoča, February 17, 2021