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USAID and WORLD VISION complete three-year project promoting educati

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  • USAID and WORLD VISION complete three-year project promoting educati

    USAID and WORLD VISION complete three-year project promoting
    education inclusiveness for Armenia's disabled

    25.07.2011 | 16:29 | www.nt.am | Noyan Tapan | Press release


    (Noyan Tapan - 25.07.2011) June 2011 marked the completion of USAID's
    and World Vision's Building Disabled Persons Organizations' Outreach
    for Greater Disability Inclusiveness Project, which aimed to foster a
    more inclusive and accessible society for Armenians with disabilities.
    The three-year project promoted education for children with special
    needs and worked to strengthen the institutional capacity of Disabled
    Persons Organizations (DPO) and non-governmental organizations (NGO)
    to collaborate with government agencies and raise awareness of
    disability rights in Armenia.

    Children with special needs have the legal right to education under
    Armenian law. Due to existing stigmas, however, many parents exclude
    their children from social activities and do not allow them to pursue
    an education in mainstream schools. Surveys completed at the start of
    the Project revealed that there is widespread social prejudice in
    Armenia among parents and school personnel who believe that children
    with disabilities are unable to receive an education and can disrupt
    the learning environment.

    In the past decade, Armenia has started to phase out special schools
    and is working to create inclusive mainstream schools that allow
    children with disabilities to attend classes. The Project initially
    worked in four communities (Yerevan, Gyumri, Alaverdi and Stepanavan)
    and since January 2010, expanded to Kapan and Sissian, targeting 37
    schools and 30 pre-schools in six cities. The Project helped the
    partner DPOs enhance their organizational and networking skills and
    influence the decision-making process with local authorities and donor
    organizations that support children with special needs. Due to joint
    efforts, 73 children with disabilities have already enrolled in
    mainstream schools in their communities.

    To reduce the stigma associated with disabilities in Armenia, the
    Project supported a widespread public information campaign to improve
    understanding and sensitivity to those with special needs, increase
    the awareness of available services, and promote community
    volunteerism. The six partner DPOs organized and held over 1,000
    trainings and educational events. 4,546 children (including 590 with
    disabilities), 1,099 teachers (including psychologists and special
    educators), and 1,856 parents benefited from these initiatives. About
    60,000 people in Armenia have learned about inclusive education
    through disability awareness campaigns, which has contributed to
    improved attitudes toward the disabled in their communities.

    In collaboration with the Armenian government and NGOs, the project
    helped develop a National Strategy Paper on the Implementation of
    Inclusive Education, which has been submitted to Ministry of Education
    and Science of Armenia and will contribute to their prospective Action
    Plan. With the project's support, a website for the Disability
    National Commission (www.disabilityarmenia.am) was established to
    enable NGOs and DPOs to coordinate their efforts, and 1,503 children
    with disabilities were examined by a multi-disciplinary assessment
    team to determine their learning needs and create individual education
    plans. In addition, the project supported the publication of five
    manuals on inclusive education as well as made twenty-five mainstream
    education facilities wheelchair accessible.

    As part of continued efforts in this area, USAID is planning to launch
    a new activity that will promote equal employment opportunities in
    Armenia and support the integration of people with disabilities into
    the labor market.



    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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