Inauguration of
Centro Ann Sullivan de Panamá (CASPAN) counted with the presence of Liliana
Mayo, Ph.D as the special guest of the First Lady.
This Thursday, May 31, the First Lady
of the Republic of Panama, Marta Martinelli de Linares, inaugurated the Centro
Ann Sullivan de Panamá (CASPAN), the first centre of its kind in the country
for the education of people with different abilities, based on the successful
model of the Centro Ann Sullivan del Perú (CASP).
This ceremony counted with the
presence of the President of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal, government
authorities, representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in the country,
representatives of organizations related to the subject of autism, and Dr. Liliana
Mayo, founder of CASP and special guest of the First Lady.
“We are helping to set
the stage for these children’s success, and the commitment made by each family to
accompany them and give them support. From the Office I have the honor to lead,
we spare no efforts to ensure that all these children receive this education",
said the First Lady.
During the ceremony, on behalf of the
national government and the Panamanian people, the First Lady decorated Yolanda
Liliana Mayo, Director of Centro Ann Sullivan del Perú, with the Order of Maria
Ossa de Amador in the degree of "Grand Medal of Merit", for advising
us on steps we took to ensure that Centro Ann
Sullivan Panamá becomes reality and in recognition of her contribution to the
development of practices and successful experiences that promote the full
inclusion of people with autism into society . She mentioned, “Her work with
children with disabilities and excellence transcends the borders of her country
while promoting human rights and dignity for people with intellectual
disabilities and their families, in particular".
This Project is part of the Government
of Panama’s commitment to the people with different abilities in its country
and, to make it reality, the First Lady, Marta Martinelli de Linares, visited
many countries until she finally chose the Peruvian model of CASP after proving
that its standards of quality and success had as a result a large number of
people happily included, with great capacity for work and totally independent and
productive both for their families and for Peruvian society.