On Friday, March 24, participants of the Project “Enabled Theatre”, led by director Haris Pašović and Project Coordinator of the Serbian National Theatre (SNP) Dragana Kuzmanović, visited the Day Care Centre for Persons with Autism in Klisa, Novi Sad.
Director of the Day Care Centre dr. Danijela Tamaš greeted the Project Participants and informed them about how the Department functions. Severe cases of autistic persons stay in the Day Care Centre on Klisa and their age range is varied. The oldest beneficiary is close to fifty years old. In addition to people with severe forms of autism, the Day Centre also houses people with severe forms of cerebral paralysis as well as with mild and severe disabilities.
Slađana Krejić-Slavčić, special education teacher, is in charge of people with severe physical disabilities. Several people with severe forms of cerebral paralysis are accommodated in the Depart of ŠOSO “Milan Petrović”. She presented us with the case of Borko, a person over forty years old who is completely mentally intact but who, due to a severe form of cerebral paralysis, is confined to a wheelchair and is unable to speak and take care of himself independently. She noticed his mental preservation through tests and started a fund-raising campaign for the purchase of the “Tobi” device, which works by using eyesight through a sensor. So Borko got a device thanks to which he established communication with the outside world. He also wrote a poem that actor Marko Savković read to us.
In addition to Borko, Slađana presented us with the case of a young man with an acquired disability who fell off a motorcycle at the age of nineteen and suffered serious bodily injuries and multiple head injuries. He is also wheelchair-bound, unable to speak and take care of himself, and is learning to use the “Tobi” machine. After visiting the Day Care Centre, the Project participants were transported back to the Serbian National Theatre.
March 24th 2023.