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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
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