Eleftheria Bernidaki-Aldous: A Greek Pioneer for Disability Inclusion

Dr. Eleftheria Bernidaki-Aldous has spent decades advocating for accessibility, education, and the rights of radical with disabilities successful Greece. Credit: Saitas / AMNA

Dr. Eleftheria Bernidaki-Aldous has spent her beingness challenging the barriers faced by radical with disabilities, turning her ain acquisition arsenic a unsighted pupil into a wider ngo for education, accessibility, and adjacent information successful Greek society.

Blind from the property of three, Bernidaki-Aldous became the archetypal visually impaired pupil admitted to Pierce Junior High School astatine the American College of Greece. Her admittance came astatine a clip erstwhile unsighted students successful Greece faced societal favoritism and restrictive legislation, making her way done mainstream acquisition a uncommon breakthrough.

Her beingness would aboriginal span academia, nationalist service, parliamentary work, and nationalist accessibility policy. Today, she is wide recognized arsenic 1 of Greece’s starring voices for the inclusion of radical with disabilities.

Eleftheria Bernidaki-Aldous, the pupil who opened a door

Bernidaki-Aldous’s transportation with the American College of Greece began erstwhile she entered Pierce aft passing the school’s entranceway examinations. According to ACG, she was admitted “as an exception,” becoming the school’s archetypal unsighted pupil astatine a clip erstwhile mainstream acquisition for unsighted children was acold from communal successful Greece.

At Pierce, she did not simply be classes. She lived successful the dormitory, joined extracurricular activities, sang successful the schoolhouse choir, and contributed to the schoolhouse mag Sunny Days. She aboriginal described ACG arsenic the instauration that gave her a “ticket to life.”

Still, her years arsenic a pupil required changeless idiosyncratic effort. In an interview, she recalled having to explicate to teachers and classmates however she could travel lessons, find unpaid readers to grounds textbooks, and transcribe connection materials into Braille herself.

From Greece to starring US universities

After graduating from Pierce with precocious distinction, Bernidaki-Aldous continued her studies successful the United States. At the University of Rochester, she earned a BA successful History and Classical Philology and an MA successful European History. She aboriginal continued astatine Johns Hopkins University, wherever she received an MA and a PhD successful Classical Philology and Ancient History, completing her studies connected afloat assemblage scholarships.

 Her world way besides included large distinctions and support, including a 1997 Academy of Athens Award, a probe assistance from the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation, and a Woodrow Wilson Foundation fellowship for her doctoral dissertation.

Bernidaki-Aldous aboriginal taught astatine Johns Hopkins University, Oberlin College, Creighton University, and Deree, the American College of Greece. At Deree, she served arsenic Professor of Classical Philology and held the Eleftherios Venizelos Chair of Modern Greek Studies. She is present Professor Emeritus of the American College of Greece.

Scholarship rooted successful lived experience

Her world enactment has agelong been tied to her idiosyncratic acquisition of blindness. Her doctoral probe focused connected blindness successful ancient Greek culture, particularly Sophocles’ Oedipus astatine Colonus. She aboriginal published the survey arsenic Blindness successful a Culture of Light Especially the Case of Oedipus astatine Colonus of Sophocles, issued by the world steadfast Peter Lang.

The enactment examined past Greek perceptions of blindness portion besides drafting connected her ain lived experience. For Bernidaki-Aldous, blindness was not lone a taxable of scholarly inquiry. It besides became a mode to situation taste assumptions astir disability, knowledge, and quality capacity.

From the schoolroom to parliament

Bernidaki-Aldous aboriginal carried her advocacy into nationalist life. She served arsenic a State MP successful the Hellenic Parliament from March 2004 to September 2007. During her term, she chaired the Special Interparty Committee connected issues affecting radical with disabilities and besides participated successful the National Education Council.

Under her leadership, the parliamentary committee produced a 2006 study connected the problems faced by radical with disabilities successful Greece. According to the National Accessibility Authority, it was the archetypal clip successful the past of the Hellenic Parliament that specified a committee prepared a study connected disablement issues with the enactment of each its members.

Bernidaki-Aldous has said she is particularly arrogant of her parliamentary enactment due to the fact that it contributed to laws protecting the rights of radical with disabilities, including authorities that made acquisition compulsory for children with disabilities successful Greece.

Dr. Eleftheria Bernidaki-Aldous served arsenic a State MP from 2004 to 2007, chairing a parliamentary committee connected disablement issues. Credit: Saitas / AMNA

Eleftheria Bernidaki-Aldous’s nationalist relation successful accessibility

Bernidaki-Aldous present serves arsenic First Vice President of Greece’s National Accessibility Authority. Established nether Law 4780/2021, the authorization advises the authorities connected accessibility issues and submits argumentation proposals concerning the rights of radical with disabilities.

Its enactment covers accessibility successful the built environment, integer services, transportation, communications, products, and nationalist services. It besides advises connected legislation, nationalist policy, and Greece’s implementation of disability-rights frameworks.

At the American College of Greece, Bernidaki-Aldous has besides served arsenic President’s Advisor for Equality and Equal Opportunities, continuing her agelong relation with the instauration that archetypal opened its doors to her arsenic a student.

A assistance carrying her bequest forward

Her bequest present reaches a caller procreation of students done the Aldous Family Accessibility Expendable Scholarship astatine Deree. Established successful 2023 done the generosity of Alexandros Aldous, a Pierce alumnus, the assistance honors his mother, Dr. Eleftheria Bernidaki-Aldous, and supports entering Deree students who are legally unsighted and amusement beardown world promise.

According to ACG’s assistance information, the grant provides afloat tuition sum to 1 entering degree-seeking Deree pupil for the full play of study, up to six world years. Eligible applicants indispensable beryllium Greek citizens, entering degree-seeking students, and legally blind, with a minimum blindness percent of 80 percent.

The assistance is much than a fiscal award. It reflects the rule that shaped Bernidaki-Aldous’s ain life: unsighted students should not beryllium excluded from higher acquisition due to the fact that institutions are not prepared to enactment them.

Eleftheria Bernidaki-Aldous’s agelong combat for adjacent access

Technology has changed what is imaginable for unsighted students. Braille printers, audiobooks, surface readers, and integer tools person made studying easier than it was erstwhile Bernidaki-Aldous was a student. Her work, however, shows that exertion unsocial is not enough.

Schools and universities besides request trained teachers, accessible material, and a civilization that does not dainty disablement arsenic an exception. For unsighted students, entree begins earlier they participate the classroom. It includes however books are provided, however exams are prepared, however teachers communicate, and whether institutions tin enactment students without lowering expectations.

Bernidaki-Aldous’s vocation has followed that aforesaid principle. From her years arsenic a pupil astatine Pierce to her enactment successful Parliament and the National Accessibility Authority, she has argued done her ain illustration and nationalist work that entree indispensable beryllium built into acquisition and nationalist beingness from the start.

Her communicative shows however overmuch tin alteration erstwhile institutions marque country for radical who were erstwhile kept extracurricular them. It besides shows however overmuch enactment remains earlier students with disabilities tin determination done schools, universities, and nationalist spaces without having to combat for each step.