Background:
Disability is one of the biggest challenges that mankind has faced in the past, present and will face in the future. The causes of disability are different: some people are born with mental or physical disorders, others get injured in accidents, but in many parts of the world, the issues they face always remain the same: uncertainty about their future, ignorance in society (sometimes even in the circles of relatives and friends) regarding the challenges they face, violation of basic human rights and exclusion and abandonment. Fortunately, in recent years the attitude towards disabled people in Armenia has been drastically changed. Thanks to the devoted work of respective government structures, civil society organizations and international development organizations the disability issue is being addressed as one of top priority ones in the country. A lot of projects are implemented in this sphere to meet the educational, health and social needs of people with disabilities, as well as to address the challenges regarding the protection of their rights and their effective and full inclusion in all aspects of community life.
This particular project is carried out with Bridge of Hope (BoH) NGO, one of the leading local organizations in this sphere which was selected to become the partner of Mission East (ME) Armenia Office in the implementation of health and educational projects for disabled children. It is the second phase of a project implemented by the same organizations in 2003-2007 that aimed at adapting and reforming the inclusive education model in Armenia.
Action:
The project includes the following activities:
• Promoting changes to the current legislation to meet the educational needs of disabled children;
• Assisting the integration of newly developed special curricula in the education programs of inclusive schools;
• Conducting training of trainers (ToT) for teachers in target schools on how to use the curricula (to further pass their skills and knowledge to their colleagues from other schools);
• Providing technical input to more than 30 project schools to meet the basic needs of disabled children;
• Establishing parents’ groups network to raise their awareness on their children’s rights and issues
• Introduction of inclusive education courses in the State Pedagogical University (SPU) programs to promote the new teaching approaches and methodologies.
All these activities are expected to result in equal access to education for disabled children. This process, however, is two-sided: an active explanatory work will also be done with able-bodied children studying in target schools to prepare them for accepting new classmates who are disabled but who also have the same desire and need for learning.
In accordance with the Education for All Flagship on the Right to Education for Persons with Disabilities: Towards Inclusion, other international conventions and national legislation, this project will continue to contribute towards Armenia achieving ‘Education For All’.
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Project Aims:
The development objective is:
In accordance with the Education for All Flagship on the Right to Education for Persons with Disabilities: Towards Inclusion, other international conventions and national legislation, this project will continue to contribute towards Armenia achieving ‘Education For All’.
In order to achieve this overall goal this project intends to achieve the following two immediate objectives :
1. To support the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia to consolidate development of replicable models and working mechanisms that facilitate equal access for children with special educational needs to Armenian education system
2. To support the participation of disability organizations in the development and monitoring of national education strategies, plans of action, and appropriate allocation of educational resources
Major Donor: Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Project Code: ARM-SHUMD-010
Location: Armenia
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