Womens Studies: Woman of the Year Refia Ari -a pioneer of Special Need

Womens Studies REFIA ARI - cleaning woman of the YearPi unrivalleder of Special call for Education for disabled children in KKTC CyprusRefia Ari received the Woman of the Year portion out in 2003 of the Womens Studies & Education centre, Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU), KKTC/TRNC-Cyprus. She enabled special involve program line for disabled children, childrens check support for their parents and disabilities careres.Mrs. Refia (Ari) has created for .. children a world that becomes more splendid every day(Sleyman Ergl, News Director, Bayrak Radio-Television -rtd Yaamn inden BRTK, Cyprus-KKTC)This womans kingdom in addition has its share of disabled children. But Cyprus-KKTC had no facilities for children with disabilities. Neither for their care, nor for their easily being and pedagogics. Nor for the welfare and trainingal support needs of their parents. Special needs education did not exist for children with disabilities. Parents of disabled children had no educat ion on how to cope. Children with mental or physical handicaps simply existed and suffered. Refia Ari changed that for the disabled of Cyprus-KKTC. Her Successful Woman of the Year Award by the Eastern Mediterranean Universitys Womens Studies and Education Centre was for her pioneering works which made that change possible. Especially for children with disabilities and the parents of handicapped children. While Cyprus is in, both, the British Commonwealth and the European Union, and, indeed, also in the European Convention on Human Rights, concerns were, as of the United Nations, mostly with its inter-communal conflict, and neither local nor strange aid existed for the disabled men and women and children of Cyprus-KKTC -not even an official disability re... ...ial education provisions catering also for the special needs of disabled children up the age of 18, and she was included in its committee for the re-organisation of the educational system which should also ease the integrati on into society of disabled children by their education in ordinary schools.Refia Ari, with her exceptional leadership qualities and extraordinary organising skills having worked wonders for the handicapped children of Cyprus-KKTC, is reported in the media to be pursuing her vision to get official help, support and education extended also to disabled adults.Her voluntary works with various disability organisations and vision for the disabled, as she stated to the BRTK, is based on Refia Aris philosophy that -translated We occupy advantages in life and disadvantages, some of us cant run -but if ones hand is held one can at least walk.