Fundación Contador participates with Idemticos in the Awareness Day at CEIP Isabel la Católica School in Pinto

Raúl Vallinot, ambassador of the Idemticos project of the Fundacion Contador, and Henar García, responsible for its social area, visited this Friday the Isabel la Católica School in Pinto to participate in the seventh edition of the Awareness Day that takes place every year in this educational centre in Madrid among its kindergarten and primary school students.

The aim of this educational action is, through different workshops, the search for a process of reflection among the schoolchildren on the existence, not always evident, of physical, social and even communication barriers, with which groups with functional diversity have to deal in their daily lives.

Vallinot, always very didactic and with a great capacity to attract the attention of the students, shared his life experience in six talks aimed at groups from the first to the sixth year of primary school. His presentation gave the audience an insight into what adapted bicycles are and how they work. A handbike and a tricycle accompanied the meetings and attracted a lot of curiosity among the attendees.

“They are always very nice experiences, it is very satisfying to capture their attention and awaken their interest and curiosity. These are important initiatives to promote inclusion,” says Raúl. “In the end, the objective is to show them that it is possible to continue doing sport and within this, adapted cycling. I talk to them about all types of cycling, but especially about track cycling, which is a very attractive universe because of the bikes without brakes, without gears and the high speeds. In general, the kids know what disability is, but some of them didn’t really know what the Paralympic Games are. They are always struck by how there are athletes who after an accident do not just do sport, but do more sport and more things than before. Prostheses also raise many questions for them. A figure like Juanjo Méndez surprises them a lot, pedalling with such strength without an arm and without a leg. I usually show them some videos of his competitions and, as they say, they freak out”.

The CEIP Isabel la Católica de Pinto was the school where Alberto Contador did his primary studies and Nieves, the director of the centre (María de las Nieves Blanco), is still in charge of it as in those days. The day, therefore, has had a very emotional background of reunion and remembrance.