Russian NGOs Stand Up for Disability Rights
New U.S-Russia Ties Strengthen Movement for Inclusive Education
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| Children join their parents at a demonstration in support of inclusive education carrying a banner that reads, “SOS: We want to learn” |
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| Students and parents lobby Russian lawmakers for inclusive education and disability rights in Moscow |
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Volunteers collected more than 500 signatures on a petition
in support of inclusive education
PHOTOS CREDIT: Jeff Julian, USAID summer hire |
The USAID-sponsored disability and human rights NGO Perspektiva organized a demonstration and petition-signing event on June 1 to lobby for equal access to education for children with disabilities. The “Education – It’s the Right for All” public campaign took place in central Moscow’s famous Pushkinskaya Square and aimed to attract the public’s attention to the issues of equal access to education for children with disabilities. More than 100 participants came out to support the campaign including disability NGOs representatives, children and their parents, disability activists and volunteers. During the demonstration, volunteers gathered more than 500 signatures on a petition to the Minister of Education demanding access to education for the approximately 270,000 disabled Russian children currently only receiving poor home stay instruction or event no education at all. The campaign received wide media coverage, which organizers hope will lead to changes in education policies.
Many of the participants included school administrators, public officials, disability activists and parents of disabled children from four Russian regions (Moscow, Samara, Nizhniy Novgorod and Ukhta) who had recently returned from a USAID-sponsored inclusive education study tour in Seattle, Washington, which was organized by Perspektiva and the U.S. Department of Education. Study-tour participants learned about inclusive and mainstream education programs for disabled children in the United States and collaborated on an action plan for implementing these practices in Russia. As a direct result, new partnerships have been established between Russian organizations and Seattle-based NGOs and service providers to facilitate ongoing technical support and professional exchange. The Russian participants intend to use their study-tour experiences to begin organizing inclusive education programs in their own communities.
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