USAID Inspires New Hope for Disabled Children
In Azerbaijan, most disabled children are diagnosed as “unable to learn” and denied access to the school system. Only a small proportion of disabled children attend mainstream school: the majority of disabled children attend specialized boarding schools or receive home-schooling.
Khayal Quliyev, a 7-year-old developmentally-disabled boy from Goranboy is one such child. Due to his condition, his parents wanted him to be educated at home. Due to his delays, Khayal displayed significantly below-average adaptive and intellectual functioning and had language and communication impairments. These delays also affected self-care skills and coordination. In addition, Khayal had no social interaction with people outside his immediate family. His disability became a challenge to, and source of stress for, the family; his mother did not know how to help her son.
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| Khayal enjoys his right to a formal education |
At this point, USAID’s Children and Family Support Center became involved, offering rehabilitation services to Khayal and his parents. The goal of the Children and Family Center is to help marginalized children achieve their potential and to enable them to play active roles in community life. In addition, the Center provides support to families in finding the necessary resources to cope with their challenges and helpful advice on how to encourage their child’s development.
As a result of attending the Children and Family Center for the past two years, Khayal’s development has improved significantly. He has begun to match colors, large and small objects, and to solve simple problems. Puzzles have become a favorite activity and he is now capable of listening attentively to instructions and following them. Over the course of his participation, the Center has also concentrated its efforts on placing Khayal in a local mainstream school, rather than returning him to home-schooling. On September 15, their hard work achieved success: Khayal enrolled in a mainstream school and now enjoys his right to a formal education.
Stressing the importance of cooperation with school teachers, the Center staff note, “Most public school teachers lack the willingness and capacity to support children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms. So, we also helped the teacher and other children to understand Khayal’s special needs, to treat him with respect, and to give him encouragement. These interventions ensure that he is not isolated from other children and can enjoy a happy school life.”
Khayal’s mother is grateful for the support her child has received. “Education is a basic need for a better future of my child. I did not believe my child could benefit from education as he does now,” she says.
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