New Thing #195--Take Action

I've always admired the work of Amnesty International. They do a good job of shining a light on injustices throughout the world ...which is especially important when the local news is nothing but "sound bites" with little substance. Today I took action on an issue that was brought to my attention by Amnesty International.

The issue that really touched me is taking place in Slovakia; it's the inappropriate placement of Romani (gypsy) children into "special schools" for children with mental disabilities. According to the information on the Website, children in Slovakia should have a right to formal assessment, and their parents need to agree to the placement, but as many as two thirds of Romani children attending primary school in some parts of the country are segregated into a special school. Once children are assigned to special schools, it's hard for them to return to regular schools, which leads to limited opportunities for their employment and further education. As an educator, that really bothers me.

Taking action is easy. They have a letter template all set up for you; you can add a personal comment if you like, or just hit "Print" and it flies away through cyberspace. No postage required.