Armenia: Inclusive Education

One theme that’s been a consistent one over the past few years of living and working in Armenia has been that of socially vulnerable families, children deprived of parental care, and those with disabilities. It’s for that reason that when the new British Ambassador to Armenia, Charles Lonsdale, and I were discussing the possibility of holding an exhibition here, the matter of disabilities in particular came up. Originally planned to be staged on 3 December — International Disability Day — an exhibition might now be delayed until next year, but the work has already begun.

In cooperation with those working in the area of integrating disabled children into mainstream education and society such as World Vision, UNICEF and other organizations, the idea is to promote reforms being made to achieve such aims as well as to promote those implementing much-needed changes — not only in terms of legislation and the creation of centers which can help support families with disabled children, but also with regards to changing attitudes and stereotypes prevalent in society.

In the past, for example, such children were hidden away at home or placed in institutions, but the real need is to instead integrate them as much as possible. This isn’t the first time I’ve dealt with such matters, of course. In 2005, for example, I wrote two articles on the local Bridge of Hope NGO for UNICEF. While one article touched upon a specific case, another provided an overview of the organization.

According to official statistics, there are over 8,000 children with disabilities living in the Republic of Armenia. In part the legacy of the soviet-era but also the result of the present socio-economic situation, many of these children have been isolated from society and are excluded from mainstream education.

[…]

“We are creating equal opportunities and access to education for children with disabilities,” says Susanna Tadevosyan, President of the non governmental organization (NGO) Bridge of Hope. Established in 1996, the NGO continues to expand based on its experience to date and is implementing programs in nine different areas.

[…]

“My daughter was born with Cerebral Palsy,” says one mother whose child has benefited from the work of the NGO. “Relatives tried to convince me that my daughter, Ashkhen, wasn’t normal and would destroy my life and that of my family. My husband abandoned me and I was left alone with my child.”

Ashkhen grew up in isolation and was deprived of the opportunity to interact with other children until she was later enrolled into a specialized boarding school that offered only a watered-down curriculum for children with learning disabilities. Separated from her mother for most of the week, Ashkhen returned home on weekends. In 1996, however, when her mother heard about the Bridge of Hope NGO, Tatevik was eager to find out more.

“When I entered the center the first thing I noticed was that there were non-disabled children there,” she says. “I never thought that disabled and non-disabled children could relate to each other.” Sixty percent of the children that attend are not disabled and of those that are, nearly half are diagnosed with cerebral palsy and a third with Down’s Syndrome.

Over the years, while still attending the specialized school, Tatevik says that Ashkhen developed quickly, becoming more communicable and confident. In 1999, at the age of 15, Bridge of Hope helped Ashkhen make the move to a regular school close to where she lives. She is now one of the most active and high-achieving children in her class and thanks to including both disabled and non-disabled children in the centers, stereotypes are being broken down.

To be honest, exhibitions aren’t exactly the most far-reaching of mediums to target potential audiences and given the existence of a Diaspora as well as this being the age of the Internet, blogging about the organizations and issues seems an obvious course to follow. Given that exhibitions are limited by space and time restrictions, posting stories, accounts and photographs collected along the way seems a logical step. By utilizing all possible mediums from blogs to articles to exhibitions it is hoped that a wider audience can be reached.

World Vision Child Development Center, Malatia-Sebastia, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008

All that will start at the end of the week when I spend a day with social workers, therapists and children at World Vision’s Child Development Center in the Malatia-Sebastia district of Yerevan. Until then, here’s a few photos taken from a brief visit today to assess what photo opportunities there were. While I have accompanied World Vision out to see its support for integrated education in kindergartens in Sisian and Gyumri, this was the first time I had visited their Yerevan center even though it opened in 2002.

World Vision Child Development Center, Malatia-Sebastia, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008

The center provides relevant services to children with special needs aged 3-18 years of age in support of efforts to integrate them into mainstream education. The organization works in cooperation with the local and national authorities. World Vision has also held seminars in support of disabled persons organizations in Armenia as well as designed and manufactured special toys to be used for the physical and mental development, rehabilitation and assessment of children with special needs.

Toy Workshop, World Vision Child Development Center, Malatia-Sebastia, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008

The center also offers its premises to local NGOs such as Nrani and will become a separate legal entity next year. “We also undertake our own awareness raising campaigns which offer the real possibility to change the mentality of society and to make it more inclusive when it comes to children, and especially those with learning disabilities or special needs,” says Tigran Tshorokhyan, World Vision’s Technical Support Team’s Child Protection Specialist.

One such child, a beautiful 4-year old with Down’s Syndrome from Abovian who is a beneficiary of Nrani, is a case in point. Greta’s family is socially vulnerable and lacks registration. Unable to receive social benefits or medical care, Greta is also unable to attend kindergarten. At World Vision’s Center, however, her family receives help and advice from Nrani while Greta can benefit from services such as speech therapy.

Greta, Nrani, World Vision Child Development Center, Malatia-Sebastia, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008

The center just doesn’t deal with children with special needs, though, but more on that in a proper entry at the end of the week when I’ll not only see some of the special toys being made and spend more time with the children, but also accompany a social worker on a few home visits. Until then, here’s just a few pics from today’s first brief visit.

World Vision Child Development Center, Malatia-Sebastia, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008

World Vision Armenia has a website at http://www.wvarmenia.am while Nrani has one at http://www.nrani.org. There are also older articles and photographs on the same or related themes available for download in PDF format here and here.