Opinion – É Logo Ali: We, you, them, we can all get there

If you’ve always dreamed of hiking, climbing a mountain or rappelling, but think that these activities are not for your physique, your age, your health conditions and limitations, think again. There is an increasing number of PwDs (people with disabilities) and elderly people with mobility difficulties who enjoy the beauties of nature thanks to projects such as the NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) IR (Radical Inclusion).

Created in 2018 by William Baruc, IR is preparing to survive his death from cancer, at age 35, on April 10, the way he would most like to be honored: continuing his work. A work that mobilizes around 60 volunteers in a relay regime to take them through mountains, parks and trails that are often difficult for those in good physical condition, people who normally could not do it on their own.

The starting point of the project took place in 2015, when Baruc —who did not have any disability— decided to buy an adapted chair to take his wheelchair-bound friend Edison da Silva to Pico do Lopo, in Extrema (MG). He was familiar with the project by French mountaineer Joël Claudel who, in 1987, had created a chair to take his son with myopathy on his trails. And he knew that, in Brazil, engineer Guilherme Simôes had created a model adapted to Brazilian trails to take his wife and mountaineer, Juliana Tozzi, who was suffering from a degenerative disease.

The Julietti chair, whose name honors both the original Joëliette and the inspiring muse Juliana, made by Montanha para Todos, was Baruc’s first purchase, but it could not bear Edison’s weight and had broken the wheel axle right at the beginning of the climb.

“It was an anticlimax”, recalls Jorge Afonso dos Santos, systems analyst and Baruc’s first-time partner, who today continues to run the project. “There was a whole expectation, the chair had broken, but our desire was so great to take Edison to the top that we decided to take him to the top by hand, taking turns to carry the broken chair by the bars”.

The pioneer expedition did not reach the summit, but reached the camp at its base. “A journey that would take an hour and a half, took more than four hours, with eight to ten people alternating at the bars”, says Santos. “This gave us such great satisfaction that, from there, we decided to continue the saga of making trails throughout Brazil accessible.”

sustainable accessibility

The principle established in iron and fire by Baruc was to ensure accessibility without modifying the spaces through which he would pass with his guests. “We don’t want to deforest, put wooden paths in the middle of the forest, we are looking for paths that allow us to lead people along preserved trails as they are whenever possible”, explains Santos. If nature makes things more difficult, patience, it’s a matter of skill and strength — also of will.” Going through all that with the least possible impact and bringing the person into contact with the true conception of nature, so that she sees and feels the natural habitat like we do, this is the great mission and satisfaction of the project”, says Santos.

The systems analyst calculates that since the beginning the group has already taken between 50 and 60 people with different disabilities on trails and activities such as abseiling and climbing. It may seem little, but it is necessary to remember that each activity involves several challenges and participants require greater and differentiated care according to each physical limitation.

Currently, the IR, on its own or in partnership with Fundação Florestal de São Paulo, organizes visits and train monitors in places such as Cabuçu, Cantareira State Park, Caverna do Diabo State Park, and Jaraguá, among many others. preservation units. But it also promotes short-term activities, such as rappelling on the Santa Ifigênia and Sumaré viaducts, in São Paulo, made possible by the boroughs of the city of São Paulo.

Sports equipment retailer Decathlon participates in the activities, providing equipment and clothing suitable for each activity. “If we are going to climb a mountain in Paraná”, explains Santos, “we know that a person with a disability feels colder than we do, so we are going to take warmer clothes for their protection”.

Despite all the infrastructure mobilized, the activities organized by the IR are free. At most, when there is a need to travel, the costs are shared, guarantees Santos. “We don’t have any financial partnerships,” he explains. Information about the activities available, both for PwDs and for those who want to be a volunteer and participate helping the project can be done on the IR website, where the interested party explains the type of disability or limitation they have, or if they want to be a volunteer, receiving information about available activities by email.

“According to the profile described in the file, we selected the best option for that person, so that it is an experience that brings only happiness, and never harm”, guarantees Santos. “This is the legacy that our friend Baruc left and that we have to carry forward so that more and more people can feel the energy and pleasure of sharing good.”