I Protect Myself – Education in Easy Language to prevent Violence
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I Protect Myself is an award winning, free and inclusive project created in 2020 with easy-to-understand materials, using a Universal Design for Learning approach, aimed at preventing violence against children and adults, both with and without disabilities.
Research shows that 1 in 3 children with disabilities in the world has experienced violence (Lancet, 2022).
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I Protect Myself started off as a booklet for a girl with Down syndrome to learn how to recognize the risk of abuse and act against it. Her mother designed it in Easy Read format, with simple text, self-explanatory illustrations, clear background and direct information. It was the applied research for her Masters on Disability Studies and the booklet’s validation process with the public informed the Guide Simple as this: How to Use Easy Language regarding how to produce materials in Easy Read format .
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50 other collaborators came together and the project has grown with music videos, puppet shows, games, children’s books, and videos helping enable families and educators to prepare children to avoid violence. The school book also tackles other differences, gender-based violence, racism, and the prevention of ableism.
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I Protect Myself became law to be used by every school in the state of Para, and is also being used in other parts of Brazil. It was presented at the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the UN New York in 2022. There are also versions available in Audio Description, Brazilian Sign Language, English, Spanish, German and French.
Contact:
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Booklet I Protect Myself in English
Click on the image below to download for free
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Book for Schools
I Protect Myself
because my Little Body is Mine
in English
Click on the image below
to download for free
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World Down Syndrome Congress - Brisbane, Australia - 2024
Presentation by Patricia Almeida - I Protect Myself: Prevention against Violence in Easy Language format.
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Live presentation:
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