Inclusion education in Armenia

By Denise Roza, Perspektiva, Moscow, Russia

In December 2002, I traveled to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia to visit our partner - Bridge of Hope - and had the chance to learn about how they are achieving inclusive education.

At first glance, Yerevan 's School No. 27 looks like any other school in the former Soviet Union - a drab, dilapidated three-story building. But then the visitor's eyes settle on a slope leading to the front door - a genuine wheelchair ramp and a rare item in this corner of the world, even in affluent cities like Moscow.

Inside, the school doesn't look like what we usually think of as an ideal integrated school, with fancy technical aids everywhere; Armenia is poor, and School No. 27 gets by without a lot of expensive contraptions. It makes up for this lack with its warm and accepting atmosphere. After just an hour's visit, I came to realize there was something truly special about this school.

How did this come about? How did this ordinary public school become a model of inclusive education in Armenia?

(To read the complete article, please visit:   http://www.disabilityworld.org/09-10_03/children/armenia.shtml)