By Isabel De la Masa

On the last ToP course given by ICA Chile at Alto del Carmen, we met Leonardo Díaz Véliz and his mother, Carmen Véliz. During the various workshops, we were able to appreciate this young man’s performance and self-esteem. He suffers from multiple physical disabilities, he is also deaf and is losing his eyesight. Nevertheless, we could appreciate his ability to work on engraving copper plates, and we can only say that he is a terrific artist. He lives at Vallenar, Chile, is 22 years old and has dedicated himself for the last 7 years to engraving copper plates and other craftsmanship. His mother, Carmen Véliz says: “A disability is not a limitation to develop talents, creativity and some kind of art. My son has suffered 54 different surgeries, has only 80 per cent of his motor capacities, 70 per cent of mental disability and 90 per cent of hearing and eyesight disability.”

Carmen told us that her son has progressed searching for new possibilities, new capacities, new opportunities, being realistic and persistent. “He lives minute by minute and is full of faith and hope. I thank God and science because they have given me the opportunity of having an angel on earth.”

How did he find his calling? Carmen tells us that Leonardo found his vocation due to thetherapies he was a subject to and there he developed his mental acuteness, his carefulness, steadiness and appreciation of art. “We have never limited him nor have we overprotected him. Besides, he’s had a wonderful teacher, but he has learned, little by little, to measure his own capacities. I’ve learned that many times it’s the parents who are the “disabled” ones, and that’s the reason why it’s so important to support and teach the parents of disabled children. We won’t be there for them forever and they will have to face life by themselves, without us,” she says.

These ToP courses in Chile are offered to Community Councils of Disability where we talk about social and work insertion of people who are physically challenged and of their families. During these courses, we talk about and plan with all of them ways in which they can insert themselves into society by developing some kind of labor, creating the necessary architectonic facilities to help them so they can have better opportunities. Besides supporting these groups through our methods, we have had the opportunity to learn from them when we see their tremendous efforts and commitment to keep on living full of hope in spite of their disabilities.