For several days now, Alba Royes has been sharing her situation on social media to raise awareness of her case.
Alba is the mother of a 6-year-old boy with autism. In 2023, she tried to enroll her son in the urban summer camps in the Bajo/Baix Cinca region, but at that time she was told that they could not accommodate him due to a lack of qualified staff.
This summer, Alba hadn't planned to enroll her son in summer camp, given the situation the previous year and considering she could manage to care for him herself. However, due to a job change and her status as a single parent, she found herself needing the summer camp service . Nevertheless, this year, 2024, the regional government informed her that they also lack staff trained to work with children with autism , as she herself told us.
After repeated attempts, Alba explained that she was finally able to meet with the head of Social Services in the Bajo/Baix Cinca region to explain her situation. The regional authority offered her the option of sending her son to a specialized camp for 7, 10, or 15 days. However, this mother reiterated that she doesn't want to send her son away from home; all she wants is to balance work and family life, like any other family in the region, and for her young son to socialize with children of all kinds.
“ If children who are ‘different’ are sent away to camps just for them, we are not normalizing this situation or making it visible so that all children and adults understand that there are all kinds of people. We are hiding the situation as if it were a problem, and that is discrimination ,” Alba complains.
As this mother explains, the Social Services department of Bajo/Baix Cinca told her they don't have staff trained in psychology or educational psychology to address her son's needs. But she argues that her child attends a "normal" school with all kinds of children, and that in the cafeteria and for other activities, only a support assistant is needed , and that this assistant doesn't need to be someone with a degree in psychology. " If a person with a degree in psychology isn't needed at school, in the cafeteria, or for other activities like swimming, I don't understand why they do need one at the regional summer camps, " Alba points out.
She has also reported her situation to the Fraga town hall, but the council has no jurisdiction over Social Services and, according to this mother, they have told her that there is little they can do in cases like this.
The six-year-old boy with autism needs routines and socialization, Alba explains. That's why, after finishing school, an environment like urban summer camps, with a structured program, along with his daily routines at home, is beneficial for his development, she says.
Her case is going viral on social media, where Alba regularly shares her situation . She has also started a petition on the popular website change.org , which has already gathered over 300 signatures "for inclusive summer camps in the region." This past weekend, she also staged a protest by hanging banners at the regional headquarters and on the Fraga bridge , along with dozens of people who are supporting her. As this mother explains, her goal isn't to wait until next year " because the same thing always happens . " She wants a solution found for this summer so that her son, and any other child with special needs, can enjoy the summer camps organized by the regional social services.
Alba has indicated that she will continue fighting to make her case visible and to change this situation because, as she understands it, " my son and other children like him are being discriminated against ."
The Comarca del Bajo/Baix Cinca has indicated that they are aware of the case and are monitoring the situation, although they have not yet made any statement regarding it.
One Comment
Parents who work in the afternoons have NO OPTION in the afternoons.
Many municipalities throughout Spain, through the Co-responsibility Plan, organize solutions for working parents, but in Fraga, there's neither inclusion, nor afternoons... nor is it expected!!!