A hands-on experience that breaks stereotypes and trains future professionals in functional diversity
During the 2024-2025 academic year, the users of the Aspace Catalunya Montjuïc Foundation have led the "Professional Schools" workshop, a transformative initiative that turns the center into a learning and awareness-raising space for students and professionals in training in the social, educational and healthcare fields.
Amb a total of 28 guided tours, this project has brought the reality of people with physical disabilities closer to eight training centers from all over Barcelona. The workshop has not only been an open window into the Foundation's day-to-day life, but also an opportunity for users to play an active role, sharing their experiences and skills.
One visit, two looks: knowing, feeling and understanding
The sessions were structured in two parts. First, an audiovisual presentation where users of the Occupational Day Center and the Residence explained, in the first person, how the center is organized and what activities are part of their routine. This introduction served to contextualize and humanize the realities that are often hidden behind labels.
The second part, eminently practical, offered a guided tour of the Foundation's spaces—rooms, workshops, dining rooms, therapy rooms, swimming pool, gym, speech therapy classrooms, among others. But the most significant element was the experience of“empathize from the body”: visitors could try out cranes and supports commonly used by users, thus literally putting themselves in their shoes. This experience left a deep emotional mark and contributed to changing perspectives.
An initiative that transforms
Centers such as the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, the Sant Ignasi Institute or the PROA School have participated in these visits, highlighting their pedagogical and human wealthFor many participants, it was the first direct contact with functional diversity, a first step towards building a professional vision based on respect and inclusion.
For the Foundation's users, the workshop has also been a source of personal growth. They have developed communicative, social and organizational skills, promoting autonomy and self-esteem. This bidirectionality makes the project a real exchange space, where each encounter is a sum of experiences and knowledge.
Building a more inclusive society through education
“Professional Schools” is much more than a workshop. It is a tool for social transformation, a bridge between theory and practice, between the classroom and reality. In a context where inclusion is often discussed in the abstract, this project demonstrates its tangible possibility, everyday, exciting.
Its success highlights the need to create more shared spaces like this, where future professionals can be trained with criteria, sensitivity and commitment to diversity. Aspace Montjuïc has shown that opening doors is often the best way to bring inclusion in and make it stay.
