Teulada Moraira Lions Club support local European Award winning Children's Special needs school

on 01 February 2025.

The city of Denia currently has 10 educational centres for primary and secondary education. In addition to these, there is one school - Raquel Paya, dedicated exclusively to teaching special needs education. The Raquel Paya school opened in 1986 to provide education and rehabilitation to children with diverse special needs. Since 2013 the Teulada/ Moraira Lions have had a close and ongoing relationship with this amazing school.

The Raquel Paya school was initially conceived with 5 classrooms, but now has currently grown to 12, it has 87 full time students and 1 home based student. There are 42 full time staff, with specialised teachers in every room. Therapeutic pedagogy, speech and physiotherapy, together with multipurpose learning tasks such as sewing, cooking, marquetry, pottery and art - are essential and fun activities which are practised daily.
At the end of last year a visit was organised for the Lions to present the latest contribution to the school, an eye tracker communications teaching device (at a cost of 4948€) for those students unable to communicate verbally or who are physically confined to a wheelchair, or those without the ability of any movement. They now have the opportunity through this eye tracker device to express their feelings and wants, often for the first time in their lives! It’s an impressive machine, offering an amazing opportunity to the students who hitherto had no way of expressing or communicating themselves.
The eye tracker communication device needs specialised teachers. The teachers can then train the students to successfully maximise the new opportunities and experiences opened up to benefit each specific student's needs. This needs time, patience and care which the staff have in abundance! The machine is calibrated by a complex following of eye movements alone, through a computer screen. The computer then allows the user to focus on a variety of functions, some practical, and some entertainment. It allows the user to highlight their specific needs - eg I’m hungry, I’m thirsty, I need the toilet. It also allows them to focus on their specific feelings - eg I’m sad, happy, angry. One of the machine's many functions is that it can record “parents” voices and messages, with sound and vision which the students can relate to. This complex and sophisticated learning device can revolutionise the lives of the students who previously had no way to express themselves!
Following on from the presentation we then had an opportunity to try out this device for ourselves, thus allowing us to fully appreciate its benefits and complexities. We were then treated to a Christmas lunch, all made, presented and served by the catering students of the school. It was a tasty treat and splendid achievement, as well as a lovely surprise to finalise our visit. In 2024 the Raquel Paya school, Denia, was the receiver of a prestigious European Educational Excellence award for innovative teaching. It is 1 of 21 award winning educational centres in Europe and the only Spanish vocational training centre to ever receive this extraordinary recognition. Well done to the principal and all the teachers of the Raquel Paya school! The award highlights participation in the Erasmus program with outstanding teaching and learning practices, and is a truly amazing achievement that this modest, Spanish special needs school is at the forefront of educational innovation in Europe. The Teulada Moraira Lions are proud to continue with help in our own small way with the progress, innovation and achievements of this amazing school.
For more information on The Lions or if you wish to volunteer please contact Janet on email- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.