Do you really want to take my place? (En serio, ¿quieras mi lugar?)
The Secundaria Tecnológico de Monterrey in Zacatecas, Mexico, is a private junior high school with 180 students, located in the heart of Mexico. Close to 90% of the students, half of the staff and 20 parents participated in an effort to sensitize the community about the importance of respecting handicapped parking spots. For seven Saturdays, students, teachers and parents went to the two most important shopping centers in the city and stood in the handicapped parking spots with banners stating, “Do you really want to take my place?” They invited those who did not have a handicap to use other parking spots. Those who had a real need for the handicapped parking but did not have a handicapped parking sticker were invited to go to the stand provided at the same location by the State Commission for Social Integration of Persons with Disabilities (CEISD). This joint effort of CEISD and the Secundaria Tec helped to raise community awareness while providing students the opportunity to take a stand for the rights of others and collaborate with parents and a state agency.