Work is a Right, Not a Good Deed
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.
The Joy of Seeing Them Celebrated
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.
Ideal and Beyond
“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.”
Royalty in God’s Eyes: Night to Shine 2022
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.
350K+ Views for Educational Videos
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.
The Cause for Inclusion Goes Virtual
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.
Life on Lockdown
Household dynamics shifted as we entered new times where social distancing, online learning, and working remotely became the norm. With the new living conditions and constant negative news, anxiety and stress are bound to knock at our doors. Among the many challenges we are facing, the main psycho-emotional one is finding creative ways to cope with our stress.
Night to Shine 2020
Fifty stars, fifty dreams, fifty chances for a bright future, if we only give them the right spotlight. Just like diamonds in the rough, young men and women with special needs are buried under mountains of neglect, shame, and social segregation, waiting for their light to be revealed and illuminate the world.
For Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
Smiles, crowns, genuine tears, and renewed hope: this is what we witnessed this year at SKILD. As our kings and queens were crowned at February’s Night to Shine, they walked down the red carpet into their kingdom, the kingdom that Jesus called them into, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The peace and joy planted in our hearts by the smiles on the faces of children with special needs and their families was the fuel we needed to continue the year.