“We can draw everything that is important”

Erikos and Indres, from L’Arche Kaunas in Lithuania, attended the international formation session on “Inclusion” and brought home practices they could use to animate community gatherings together.

Erikos – who has the experience of living with a disability – remarked, “What did I take away from this formation? Draw more simply. Do mimes and draw. Show things through body language. We can draw everything that is important. We don’t have to talk, because we can show things with our body, with gestures. We can use pictograms and express ourselves using photos. I now do more simplified drawings. I understand others better and I can speak without words. In the future, I would like to understand others in the community even better and be able to communicate with those who talk the least.”

Indres – an assistant at Kaunas – said, “After a few weeks, I became aware of all that I was able to get out of this training formation. It especially helped me change my way of looking at people with a disability. I try harder now to understand them, and this makes the moments we share together very joyful.”

On Facebook the photos show the community using images and accessories for sharing together and celebrating.