Expansion of community support for children with disabilities : a midterm evaluation report

Mid- term evaluation covers the period 1998-4/00. The project is being implemented by the Hanoi Center on Special Education of the National Institute of Educational Science (CSE/NIES) and by Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The main activities of the project are to: develop training materials and textbooks on inclusive education; organize training courses on teaching children with disabilities for inservice teachers of preschools and primary schools and preservice teachers of teacher training colleges; increase awareness of disabilities in general and the unique needs of children who experience disabilities; and strengthen community support for children with disabilities. The project has many areas of success. Project strengths include: (1) a positive impact on the lives of children with disabilities; (2) increased community awareness of issues related to children with disabilities; (3) improvements in the quality of teaching in schools; (4) strong community infrastructure; (5) age-appropriate and proportionate (to class size) placement of children with disabilities in classrooms; (6) strong support to and for families; and (7) strong collaborative partnerships. Areas for improvement include: (1) expanded and in- depth training for teachers; (2) implementation of academic/individualized educational services for children with disabilities; and (3) identification of the levels of support that children with disabilities need in order to be successful in inclusive classrooms. Includes recommendations.