A very sad story with a silver lining for a special student
Next month Access inc. will award the Daniel and Joshua Szwarc Memorial Scholarship to one high school student living with a disability in the Melbourne Jewish community.
Daniel and Joshua Szwarc
This Scholarship was established to commemorate the memory of Daniel and Joshua Szwarc – two children, who due to being born with Canavan disease, were never able to walk, speak or feed themselves, but whose smiles and cheeky personalities touched the lives of so many.
Joshua Szwarc passed in 1984 at the age of 17 months and his brother Daniel passed away in 1985 at the age of 6.
Access inc. is a Jewish organisation that partners with people with disabilities to achieve goals in areas that are important to everyone– education and employment, social connectedness, health and fitness and hobbies and passions.
It recognises that mainstream approaches are often not ideally suited to differing abilities, and thus, it offers creative and personalised approaches to skill development, confidence-building and social connectedness to empower adults with disabilities to maximise their potential and achieve their goals.
Access inc. runs a suite of programs that provide participants with the opportunity to gain pre-accredited vocational training, pursue their passions and build skills and confidence, whilst helping them foster a sense of belonging in the community.
“This scholarship is such a special and meaningful way to honour the memory of Daniel and Joshua, whilst at the same time giving a young member of our community the opportunity to start exploring their post-school options and the path that they wish to pursue,” explains Access inc. CEO, SharonMalecki.
The scholarship will cover the cost of participating in one Access inc. the program, of the applicant’s choice (subject to availability), for the duration of a term. The successful applicant must be at least 16 years of age as of September 2021.
Applications close 27 August 2021.
To apply for the Daniel and Joshua Szwarc Memorial Scholarship, please visit: www.accessinc.org.au/scholarship
Canavan disease is a hereditary condition that prevents the brain’s nerve cells (neurons) from properly sending and receiving information. Although this fatal neurological condition can affect children of any ethnic background, it’s most common in the Ashkenazi Jewish population.
