Dubai expat teaches determined ones to use metro

Anabel started by teaching each determined one at Mawaheb individually.- Supplied photo

Dubai - Thanks to Annabelle, about 14 determined ones are now independently using the metro, hanging out with other normal people.

Using public transport alone can be challenging and a daunting experience to determined ones. Annavillia Aspuria aka Anabel, a 56-year-old from the Philippines, who dedicated 22 years of her life taking care of a determined one Keira, decided to change this.
She helped several adult determined ones whom she met at Keira's art school.
Thanks to Annabelle, about 14 determined ones are now independently using the metro, hanging out with other normal people. She believed in them even when their parents and teachers were skeptical about letting them travel alone.
Keira, who has some part of brain-damaged since birth, is now 25 years old and is an artist with Mawaheb from Beautiful People, a Dubai-based art studio for adults determined ones.
Talking about how it all started, Anabel, who has been using Dubai Metro, along with Keira, since 2009, said: "Seeing me and Keira use the metro regularly, once a parent asked me if her determined one could travel with us in the metro. That made me realise that it would be a big help for the parents of the determined ones if I could teach their adult children (rest of Keira's colleagues at Mawaheb) to use the metro.
A lot of patience, hard work, dedication, perseverance and time (about two years) went in to train the determined ones of the art studio to travel using the public transport.
"I started by teaching them to first focus and recognise the platform they are on and the one they have to reach. I have told them never to panic and that if they miss their station they can just get out and either call me or call their mom and we can come and rescue them," Anabel said.
Anabel started by teaching each determined one at Mawaheb individually. She would pick them up from the metro stations near their place and take them to Mawaheb using metro and do the same on the way back. This also includes teaching them to change the metro from green line to the red line.
"I spent about a month teaching each artist individually how to use the metro and I did that in a step by step process. After taking them with me a couple of times, I convinced their parents to let them board the metro alone. I would ensure them that I would be in the same metro with them but in another cabin keeping an eye on them or keeping a track of them by calling them up constantly and checking which station they are on," Anabel revealed.
The hard work paid off. About 14 determined ones from the art studio have now started using the Dubai public transport (metro and bus) on their own.
"They are now independent as they can move about freely and their sense of confidence has gone up drastically. They now make plans for movies and outings and hang out with each other by themselves, which makes us feel proud. We have to believe in them and only then will they believe in themselves," said Gulshan Kavarana, a teacher at Mawaheb.
Many times they have even got off at the wrong stations but they have been taught by Anabel not to panic. They simply call either their parents or Anabel who then guide them on the phone.
Wemmy De Maaker, Managing Director at Mawaheb, said: "Because of the encouragement they get here at Mawaheb, and of course, through Anabel, even the parents of these determined ones have shown confidence in them and have sent these adults even on trips abroad in a group. So trust your determined ones and let them grow because if you keep them very protected they won't grow.

How she taught them to travel alone