Through its new “The Culture of Inclusion: Scientific Knowledge and a Practical Mission” course, SKILD is training church leaders from Iraq and Syria on how to welcome children with special educational and behavioral needs.
Night to Shine is an unforgettable prom night celebrating individuals with special needs in Lebanon and crowning them as kings and queens.
It was an IDEAL graduation! In the midst of uncertainty surrounding our country, ten young people gave their parents, educators, and peers hope: hope of a brighter future.
The National Day for Students with Learning Difficulties, since its launch in 2013, has become a nationwide milestone and a platform for the promotion of cultural change for almost a decade.
Inside the hall of Saydet El Inaya church in Maghdouche, many families of children and adults with special needs and learning difficulties began to gather. Yet there was one family who caught my attention.
“I am very excited to be at NDU. I will definitely do well on my first semester… Whatever [tests] Mrs. Lama gives me, I will do my best to get a perfect score…
I will do public speaking just like the TED Talks, so I am super excited to be at this university.”
Every year in February, Night to Shine sweeps the world, bringing prom to individuals with special needs. It’s a joyful night to remind them that they are royalty in God’s eyes. With the support of the Tim Tebow Foundation, over 600 global sites hosted more than 100,000 individuals with special needs to illustrate God’s love for them.
Created as a instructional stopgap due to the COVID lockdowns, SKILD’s educational videos for parents with special needs have been going viral throughout the Arab world.
Nine years ago, an inclusive Lebanon was a dream of many parents with children whose special needs denied them access to educational opportunities, social experiences, and economic independence. Hiding your child with special needs was the norm. Whenever you took him or her out meant that you were going to be shamed and ridiculed. The SKILD Center is a dream come true for its founder, Dr. Nabil Costa, also a parent to a child with special needs, and for many educators, specialists, and visionaries.