A graduate of Lviv school No. 13, Sofia Radysh, is on a ventilator due to spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and studied at home. She dreamed of dancing the school waltz at the last bell, but in order to make this dream come true, the graduate’s mother had to overcome the resistance of the parents of her classmates. Natalya Radysh, Sofia’s mother, told the details of this story on her Facebook page on June 1.
The woman explained that two months before the end of the school year, her daughter expressed a desire to join the celebrations, but representatives of the parent committee were against it.
According to Radysh, they argued their reluctance by the poor condition of the surface in the school yard, the unpreparedness of the choreographic performance, risks to the girl’s health, and also by the fact that the celebration in the restaurant was booked in advance without taking into account her needs.
“When I explained that Sophia has a musculoskeletal disorder and she breathes with the help of a ventilator, they said: “Even more so! So how do you imagine that she will go to prom?” the woman wrote.
However, a week later Anna Nalivko, the mother of one of their classmates, called them back. She said that her son Sasha volunteered to become Sofia's dance partner. The choreography teacher, administration and teaching staff of the school joined in the preparations – at the school holiday Radysh was able to dance a waltz with a partner.
After the school holiday, Radysh organized an alternative event for her daughter. The graduate’s mother emphasized that she made this story public in order to attract public attention to the state of inclusion and accessibility of the environment in Ukraine.
