Young Carolina Mourão, 26 years old, a student at the Association of Parents and Friends of the Exceptional (Apae), had the opportunity to admire Niterói from above and learn a little about the city’s culture. A resident of the Caramujo neighborhood, she is a person with a disability and visited Ilha da Boa Viagem for the first time this Friday (19) when participating in an edition of Niterói Ecotur Sem Barreiras. It was the first time the project was carried out on the island. The City Hall project is carried out by the Niterói Leisure and Tourism Company (Neltur) and the Municipal Accessibility Secretariat in partnership with the Niteroiense Mountaineering Club.
Carolina has Chronic Childhood Encephalopathy and Mild Intellectual Disability (CIE) and her ascent and descent were carried out calmly in the special Julietti chair. Upon arriving at Fortim, Carolina expressed her happiness, saying that she felt like a princess.
“Here I feel like a princess, I thought everything was cool, I’m happy!”, said the young woman while posing for photos on the island.
The meeting point was at the Boa Viagem Tourist Service Center (CAT). The group was accompanied by monitors from Neltur, in addition to the CATs supervisor, Érica Assis, the coordinator of the monitors, Cláudia Policarpo, and professionals from the Accessibility Secretariat, including Roberta Souza, Janete Flores and Marcele Figueredo, physiotherapist and Libras interpreter, in addition to of drivers from the Julietti chair, from the Mountaineering Club, and around 20 other participants.
According to André Bento, president of Neltur and member of the Boa Viagem Island Management Committee, holding an edition of the Niterói Ecotur Sem Barreiras project on the island is another demonstration that working on tourism, also thinking about inclusion, is of great relevance.
“Knowing that a young PCD like Carolina can also visit Boa Viagem Island demonstrates that Niterói’s public authorities are thinking about every detail, guaranteeing access to the island for tourists and visitors. People with disabilities also have the right to get to know this rich historical heritage of the city, which in addition to being a place preserved by IPHAN [Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional]is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Niterói, for its beauty and for providing historical, geological and geographic knowledge, as well as a religious experience, as it is home to one of the oldest churches in the city”, said Bento.
One of the Julietti chair drivers, Alexandre dos Santos, thought it would be great to drive Carolina on the island, one of the most beautiful places in the city.
“This experience was great, as Niterói is an inclusive city and opportunities like this are very important for people with disabilities. Carolina was just the first to enjoy this afternoon of knowledge and beauty in our city”, analyzed the driver.”