translated from Spanish: Matías Alaniz and its resistance to discrimination

when Matias Alaniz attended elementary, Patricia, his mother, attending meetings with other moms of children with cerebral palsy. The efforts of all focused on achieving their children to walk, speak, struggling to bring them as close as possible to what others were saying that it was “normal”. Patricia, on the other hand, was looking for his son highlighted with their own capabilities.
“I expected society was their children to be incorporated, to be completely normal and I wanted a generalized inclusion, which accept children as they were, with their differences. We don’t have to be equal to accept us, to share us”, says Patricia Alaniz, after admission to the Faculty of the National University (UNAM) of his son, the first teacher with disability.
From his home in Guadalajara, mother and son told Animal politician his experience with cerebral palsy, their struggle for inclusion in regular education and the factors that helped its history today is a success: a family support network, the resistance to di it scriminacion and focus on a single priority, develop their abilities.
Tenacity born in San Felipe de el Agua, Oaxaca – that will meet March 11 – almost 29 years ago, Professor Matías Alaniz summarizes his life with a disability, in a word: tenacity.
When referring to Athetoid encephalopathy, it refuses to say “suffering” that condition, because the term “face” seems more appropriate. “One as an individual can choose to suffer a situation or let’s face it,” has the political scientist in an interview.
The situations of inequality that has faced, adds Matias, arise when their behavior does not correspond with what is socially expected of a person with disabilities, requiring a high level of assistance. “For example, at the first branch where I tried to open a bank account, the Manager refused flatly using absurd excuses”, he recalls.
But the time of his life in which he suffered greater discrimination was in basic education, they match him and his mother. Patricia recalls that you despite the rejection, she tried to keep it in regular schools because it is considered a form of segregation to special education, but managers and teachers did to prevent it was “cartoony”. “The Director of the kindergarten came out running, putting padlocks, telling me that not.” Even they spoke with me”, he says. They were then forced to go to a center of Multiple attention (CAM) of the Secretariat of public education.
For entry to secondary school had more “luck”, because at a party he met a restorative that gave them a paper with a name written, without more. Patricia handed that role in a high school regular and turned out to be a ‘magic key’, as he was admitted without excuses. However, the rejection came on the part of the teachers, who constantly warned to Patricia that was damaging her son to have it there, “with ordinary people”.
“Despite the measures and supports that gave me at that school, for months I faced discrimination, especially on the part of the majority of teachers”, adds Matthias to the story. This situation changed when the history teacher witnessed a scene that made it clear that Matias could study at a regular school: a folder from desk to desk, with a task that the students were copying. The folder was Matias.
Despite this, there were outstanding students who were protesting when Matías Santiago entered the box of honour, because there were only three places and some were left out. They argued that Matias could not run in physical education class, although the teacher had asked him to call it an investigation into the soccer fields. And this complaint was consistent, as the child always averaged nine.

#BoletínUNAM moves the UNAM as an inclusive institution: integrates the first professor in disability status > https://t.co/c6mkYepqTt pic.twitter.com/asXVF2olUf – press room, UNAM (@SalaPrensaUNAM) February 28, 2019 high ratings of Matias weren’t the only thing that irritated his fellow. In the final stretch of the high school, a group of students of high stature to which the educational authorities used to ask for help to load the wheelchair of Alaniz, boasted that one day they were going to throw up the ladder. Matias did not attend his last days of the course.
Patricia and her son especially resemble a master of design who asked him to draw some exact parallel lines, task that was not possible for Matias due to his disability. His cousin, who studied Industrial design, did the job but the Professor noticed it and enraged. He said “I’m going to spend, but life is going to fail”, and after many years, the student says “I’m still waiting for the life me fails”.
The fight Patricia Alaniz had his only son at age 33. He faced the complications of cerebral palsy without the support of the father of the child but with the full support of himself, who became the father figure of the small Matias. The ‘Chief’ – as they called the grandfather and his other daughters were Patricia support network to move forward together with your baby.
“I do not give me the Medal, the truth, the family helps us. My sister and my dad paid us many things”, including the career of Matthias and his main tool: your computer supports Patricia. “We do not live a situation as many people in need; Sometimes we had no support but if we could tie us belt, we don’t suffer.”
The impulse of the aunt of Matias to follow him supporting economically until the end, recalls Patricia, was his filial love, but also a cause. “You have good clear to where they are going,” he told them.
And that clarity was what always pushing them to search for their own means. In the period in which not studied because not they supported it in a secondary regular, Matias wrote a book about the war in Iraq and sold them in 50 pesos to buy the uniform of the child.
“I think all people with disabilities to do that, because Matias has a friend called Dario, who is blind and deaf;” It went for work and logically they didn’t it was, but he sold crafts to the Lord who interviewed him. “Then I say that all people with disabilities have our way”, tells the mother.
You can interest: Marytere, the girl who wrote a manual against discrimination towards people with disabilities high school did away with the University of Guadalajara and settled in this modality, through which he also studied the degree in Political science and public administration. In her thesis, Alaniz Álvarez analyzes the reasons why the Mexican post-revolutionary political system was able to remain in power for 71 years practically without changes.
Subsequently, the coordination of Open University and distance education (CUAED) incorporated it labor in a project to make distance education more accessible for people with disabilities, mainly visual. It takes almost three years working on the project as an Assistant of a doctor in pedagogy, who supports research for their projects.
With that income he and Patricia currently live, and starting this month, will add a modest income as a teacher in ‘Society and State’ matter in Mexico II line for students of political science. Patricia studied mechanical engineering but not completed the race and income eventually arrive with their microbusiness.
“To me what I like is to make bread, I have a wood-burning oven.” The support of the family is to Matias, but I buy my clothes with that, although now also I tell chubby you buy me and makes it”, says the mother.
Priority: his intellect far isolate to avoid suffering by his condition, as do many families living this situation, Patricia followed the advice of a teacher who recommended him to feed his intelligence. In this work helped her premiums of Matthias, who lived much with him in childhood and helped him to exploit their abilities.
“I think I had very good luck because I met a teacher who spoke to me of how developed human intelligence, told me that set me what did the children of Matthias and make him that: meterle tierrita at the mouth as do all” crawl… As always I bet you to that”, says.
The aunt and ‘patrons’ of Matias worked all day and let their daughters to the care of Patricia, so cousins lived together as brothers: girls always read him and were together tricks of non-verbal language to be understood.
Professor disabilities are visual, motor and speech, but his ear gives evidence of his mental agility, according to Patricia. “You can hear a telephone conversation, read his book and another conversation in the garden, at the same time. If I want to keep a secret I have to go away “, says laughing.
The technology has been indispensable to break down communication barriers that impose you these disabilities. You have computer from the seven years currently, from a switch in his right foot, and with the help of a couple of applications that transform the image into text and voice text, can read books and news, write and maintain contact with friends.
“To me, I have no doubt that Matias is a brilliant mind, although it is believed that people with cerebral palsy don’t have it, I can assure you that”, reiterates his mother, who wants the world to be witness of what she carries years watching.
Matias dedicated Bachelor thesis that family network which, far from isolating it to protect it from a world that would not accept this, fostered its development and growth. “My grandfather, wherever you are, know that you are proud of me. My mom because without your commitment and dedication would not be what I am. To my aunt Susy; without their constant support and its example to follow would have failed it. Yuria and Emi that mark the path that I want to follow. And to all those people and institutions that you have helped me to achieve my goals”.

Original source in Spanish