Community Services to Vulnerable Groups: Expanding Participation of People with Disabilities Final Report 2008-2015

The project aimed to include Belarusian people with disabilities into mainstream society and strengthen the capacity of organizations of persons with disabilities. The project had three main objectives: to build the organizational, networking, and advocacy capacity of grassroots organizations supporting people with disabilities and their families; to support advocacy efforts by people with disabilities grassroots organizations to promote inclusion; and to support the introduction and development of inclusive education of children and young people with disabilities. During the project, ChildFund International-Belarus, in partnership with other organizations, conducted a series of activities to promote inclusive education. These activities included the development of a Concept Paper on Inclusive Education, which was approved by all authorities and entered into force on September 4, 2015. The Concept Paper outlined the principles and guidelines for implementing inclusive education in Belarus. ChildFund also supported the creation of a Multidisciplinary Expert Group, which included representatives from NGOs, universities, re-training institutes, and social services. This group was responsible for developing policy documents and guidelines for inclusive education. The project also helped to establish a network of NGOs working together to promote inclusive education. In addition, ChildFund provided methodological and financial support to Baranovichi University to solidify their role as a national leader in inclusive education in Belarus. The university developed a curriculum on inclusive education, which was used in teacher training and retraining programs. ChildFund also developed a trainer manual on inclusive education, which was used for sensitization workshops for education authorities, educators, children, and parents. The project also focused on strengthening the capacity of educational entities providing training and re-training for teachers, masters of schools, and ECD specialists. ChildFund hosted a national Roundtable on inclusive education, which brought together representatives from universities, re-training institutes, NGOs, and the Ministry of Education. The Roundtable issued a Resolution recommending the use of the curriculum on inclusive education developed by Baranovichi University and the trainer manual on inclusive education developed by ChildFund. The project also supported the development of inclusive approaches in pilot communities, including Baranovichi, Zhodino, and Mozyr. ChildFund's program specialists worked with local Habilitation centers, Departments for Education, and local parent associations to plan further development of inclusive education in these communities. The project also supported the preparation of a Concept Paper and a full proposal for a new EU opportunity, which reflected the priorities for NGO networking and cooperation identified by participating NGOs. Overall, the project "Expanding Participation of People with Disabilities" made significant contributions to promoting inclusive education and strengthening the capacity of organizations of persons with disabilities in Belarus. The project's activities and outcomes have had a lasting impact on the development of inclusive education in the country.