INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN UZBEKISTAN

Author: Ra’no Khalilova, Inclusive Education Coordinator in Samarkand oblast and the Head of the Center “Hayot“

Brief information:
Center “Hayot” was created in September 1999 by the initiative group of women with disabilities,in 2014 the Center “Hayot” was re-registered in justice authorities, in recent years the activities and the organizational structurehave been revised, new goals and objectives were set. “Hayot» is translated from Uzbek language as “Life».

The main objectives of the Centre are:

• development of recommendations on integration of children with special needs and their families into society;
• providing them equal opportunities with other people;
• activities on creation of public awareness about social and legal status of children;
• assistance in the protection of the rights and lawful interests of children with special needs;
• facilitation to establishing and developing contacts with experts dealing with the problems of people with disabilities;
• promoting the ideas of Inclusive Education in Uzbekistan.

Each child is special, different, it is indisputable. And yet there are children who are termed “special” not to emphasize the uniqueness of abilities, but in order to identify the distinguishing needs. They are children with disabilities. Currently there is an urgent need in understanding of their problems, respect and recognition of their rights to education, willingness and readiness to include them in children’s community, instead of hiding them behind the walls of special institutions or leavingat home, sitting by the window and watching his peers.

The family of a child with disabilities faces the problem of the accessibility of educational services, possibility of full participation in society. Creating conditions in educational institutions ensures increased access to education for all categories of children. During the existence of the “Hayot” Centre there were developed and successfully implemented programs aimed at protection of the rights of children with special needs, formed a positive public opinion towards children with special needs.  Since 2006, “Hayot” is promoting Inclusive Education. Our organization has made significant progressin this direction, and now this is one of the priority directions of our activity.

We are engaged in the availability of education for children with disabilities. Children with mild disabilities stay in specialized educational institutions. We believe that this is a very important issue in our society, and we conduct a certain work in this direction.We try to involve parents (especially mothers) of such children to active life, help to raise self-esteem, that is,we help these children to integrate into society. One of the important reasons why the problems of children with special needs are ignored by the societyis lack of knowledge and information on disabled people and disability.

People think that this is a small group of the population whose status has nothing to do with the problems of the rest population. For society it is not a problem because of its insignificance, and many people consider that the state has to be engaged in disabled people problems. Therefore, we speak through our activity – “We are many, we are”, and the community will not solve the other problems without solving the problem of people with disabilities.  If we inform community onthe global importance of problems of children with special needs, then we will be able to solve the access to education of children with special needs.

July, 2010. By social order from the Public Fund for Support of NGOs and other civil society institutions under Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a Project “Further Improvement of Conditions on Education of Children with Disabilities” is implemented. During the Project 120 specialists of the public education system were trained on “Understanding of Disability and Aspects of Inclusive Education Implementation”.

Involvement of children with special needs and upholding the rights of people with disabilities, problem of availability of the urban infrastructure objects for people with different abilities, formation of positive attitudes towards people with disabilities – are very important aspects. Hence there is a necessity of solving such issues associalization of children with disabilities into the society, raising the awareness of teachers on the implementation of Inclusive Education, the role of a woman with disabilities in the family, tolerant attitude towards the mothers of children with disabilities, and respect for women with disabilities who want to have children.Very often these issues are ignored by our society.

Centers “Barkamol Avlod” - creativity without boundaries

There is a concept of additional education in public education. Centers “Barkamol Avlod” are after-school educational institutions. There are no barriers in these Centers to joint activities, where children enjoy dancing, embroider, knitting or weave macrame. These are the advantages of additional education – to unite on the basis of joint creativity. Inclusion in extracurricular educational institutionsdiffers in the fact that there is no need to adapt programs; there is no grading system, no large groups of children.

In out-of-school institutions everything is done solely at the request of the child and for his pleasure. If the interest and fun are combined with the opportunity to learn a profession, then it is a serious success. For the majority of children with disabilities activities in study groups or art clubs - are true exit to the world, socialization without discomfort, the chance of being understood and accepted as he is.

2012 – 2013. Center “Hayot” is implementing a Project “Further Improvement of Learning Environment for Children with Disabilities in the Study Groups and the Clubs Work of the Centers “Barkamol Avlod”, Centers of Children’s Creativity and Sports Clubs as a means of integration and socialization in society” with the assistance ofthe Public Fund on support of NGOs and other civil society institutions under Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Each child is given a talent and uniqueness, and our methodology makes it possible to discover and develop these talents. During the study groups, clubs and sports activities children with disabilities receive sometimes the only opportunity for them to communicate with each other. Socialization of children with disabilities – bringing them into the team, teaching them creativity and communication with other children – will do only good, because a child develops in the team better, much better.

We believe that classes in study groups, clubs, and sports clubs help to identify and develop creative talents and abilities of children in music, art, sports, decorative and applied arts and folk crafts, as well as to develop the communication skills. One of the undoubted and inalienable rights of every child is the right to education. The existing system of education at home, in the boarding schools and other isolated public institutions allow a disabled child to obtain quality education, but due to the lack of communication skills, these knowledge and skills remain unclaimed.

Thus, the community loses a resource, and the child with disabilities loses society, he becomes closed, isolated, feels unwanted. Separation from family, home is perceived by children very hard, it creates feelings of loneliness.The public is used to seeing the disabled children in these specialized boarding schools. But in order to live a full life, every nperson should be integrated into society from childhood. Extra curricular institutions create conditions for the disclosure of children’s abilities.Joint creativity in inclusive groups isfocused on child’s development, on a sense of belonging to the informal communication.

These relations are developing unobtrusively anddo not contribute to the development of stereotypes. Young children with disabilities are often unaware of their affliction, they can freely communicate with people around, because in childhood they willingly make contacts. Creative activities for children in inclusive groups provide an opportunity to experience the fullness of life, joy of communication with other people. And, to encourage children with disabilities to express their feelings, emotions and aspirations through creativity.

2013 – 2014,Project “Inclusive Education - Way to Socialization of Children with Disabilities” with the support of the Public Fund under Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan is implemented.This Project has helped parents of children with disabilities to take a fresh look at the problems of adaptation, socialization of children with disabilities.

• Parents of children with disabilities have no at all, nor have very little information about the rights of their child to education;
• Most of the teachers andheads of the public schools and professional colleges have little or have no understanding of the issues related to the problems of people with disabilities;

2014 – 2015, Project“Inclusive Club. Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in General Education Process of “Barkamol Avlod” Centers as a means of Integration and Socialization», with the support of the Public Fund under Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan. This Project is dedicated to the Year of Healthy Child.

Inclusion of children with disabilities in general education process is an important step on the path to becoming an independent individual. Each person is unique thanks to his experience, skills and is able to make his own contribution to life of society. Project objective: To help children from boarding schools and specialized schoolsto be integrated into community of the Centers “Barkamol Avlod”.Integration through the development in children the creative spiritand qualities of a decent citizen in order to avoid the risk of isolating them from society in future.The inclusion of children with disabilities to music, art, sports, decorative and applied arts and folk crafts.

(The Project is implemented through the Memorandums of Social Partnership (Children’s Center “Barkamol Avlod”, Correctional School No. 1 in Samarkand, boarding school No. 61 for deaf children, EKO NNO “Zerafshan”)