Every June 13th the World Albinism Awareness Day with the aim of raising awareness, avoiding mistreatment, discrimination and ending the stigma and false beliefs that exist about this condition.
The anniversary was approved by Resolution issued by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014.
He albinism It is characterized by the absence of pigmentation (melanin) in the skin, hair and eyes, which causes sensitivity to the sun and intense light. The lack of pigment in the skin and hair means that they are not protected against solar radiation and, therefore, are very prone to burning easily after exposure to the sun. At the same time, this causes vision difficulties.
Eliana Araya, is a lawyer, has albinism and in dialogue with Diversity He explained that, according to data from the United States, it is considered that there is one albino person for every 17,000 inhabitants.
For Eliana, the importance of this day is being able to raise awareness and inform the entire society about this condition. Above all, so that new generations and children with albinism can have a better quality of life, medical care and understanding in schools.
In that sense, Eliana is the author of the “Letter from an albino child to his teacher, teacher or teachers”a proposal that brings parents and teachers together with the intention of informing them about this condition and the special care that must be taken into account.
Among some points, remember that people with albinism have “low vision”, which implies that in addition to having to wear glasses, they may need other resources to be able to see or copy from the board.
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It also lists some features like photophobiawhich is intolerance to direct light, or nystagmus which is the permanent and involuntary movement of the eyes, strabismus which is when the eyes have deviations in one or both eyes.
One of the best-known characteristics of people with albinism is the sensitivity of their skin to the sun and therefore the importance of protecting themselves with sunscreen, appropriate clothing and hats.
In this sense, it recommends that teachers take into account the location of the students in the classroom, the contrast of colors to write on the blackboard, control the lighting of the environment, both the sunlight that can enter and the artificial light, avoid Let the bench get direct light, manage the transitions of light and shadow carefully.
It also warns about glass doors and recommends that schools identify them in some way to make them more visible. Just as it warns about the strong impact that going from a light place to a dark place has on their vision.
You can read and access the full letter here:
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Letter from An Albino Child to S… by mgbonansea
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