ParaSchool: School inclusion of young patients with paraplegia

The Challenge of Spinal Cord Injury

A spinal cord injury fundamentally changes the lives of those affected. For young patients, this not only impacts their health but also has significant repercussions on their schooling and professional training.

What is ParaSchool?

ParaSchool is an integration program of the Swiss Paraplegic Centre. It supports school-age children, adolescents, and young adults during their initial rehabilitation and assists them with school and education-related matters. The objective is a successful reintegration into school, vocational training, or university.

Target Group

Children, adolescents, apprentices, and students continue to receive schooling and support within their academic context from ParaSchool during their inpatient rehabilitation at the Swiss Paraplegic Centre. This ensures that their reintegration into school is optimally coordinated and implemented.

ParaSchool positions itself as a pedagogical bridge between inpatient hospitalization and the normal school routine. It serves as a thread of normalcy, providing students with stability and support during their stay in the hospital. Furthermore, it maintains a connection to their previous daily life and demonstrates that while their physical mobility may be limited, their cognitive abilities remain fully intact.

Approach

ParaSchool's work begins deliberately early in the initial rehabilitation process to ensure that students do not lose their learning habits or fall behind. It is essential for patients to regain an academic perspective early on and for their intellectual abilities to be further exercised, challenged, and nurtured.

Instruction is provided in a one-on-one setting, tailored to the specific needs of the student while taking into account the personal situation and circumstances of each patient.

Objectives

The primary goal is to maintain academic standards so that students can be reintegrated into their original classes without falling behind in their curriculum.

Following their discharge from the hospital, the aim is for these young people to embark on a suitable path — whether in school, vocational training, an apprenticeship, or university — and to successfully complete their qualification. This significantly enhances their genuine prospects within the mainstream labor market.

© Swiss Paraplegic Foundation