Learning to See Invisible Children: Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Central Asia

Community-based Services in Kyrgyzstan: Umut Nadezhda Rehabilitation Cente

Community-based Services in Kyrgyzstan: Umut Nadezhda Rehabilitation Center Anastasia Kokina and Nina Bagdasarova The school day at Umut Nadezhda Rehabilitation Center for students with severe and multiple disabilities begins as children arrive and get off the school van. Teachers, teacher assistants, and volunteers put on their coats (the temperatures are below freezing) and walk outside to greet the children and assist them into the building. Some children walk independently, others use wheelchairs and are helped by their peers, and yet others are carried by adults. Younger children are hugged and kissed; a teenage girl exchanges a kiss on the cheek with a volunteer almost her own age; two adolescent boys in hooded sweatshirts greet each other with a handshake. There are giggles and joking around. After jackets are hung and boots are changed for house slippers, the children enter the room that serves as the assembly hall. Some children who live in a residential program are already there, playing on their own or with their peers. It’s warm inside, and the curtains let through the winter sunlight. A girl in a wheelchair is playing piano. After some transitional hassle, the children get in the general morning circle, a daily ritual that is zealously followed by everyone at Umut and its sister organizations. The ritual begins with a student, a different one each day, lighting a candle placed on a table featuring an installation that symbolizes the current season. Now it is winter, represented by pine-tree branches, silver glitter, and white cotton for snow. Perizat,* a middle-school teacher, plays a flute while everyone is absolutely quiet; the opening song, “Good Morning,” is followed by a sequence of other songs, verses, and games. Teacher aides assist the students with physical * Names have been changed to ensure confidentiality, unless otherwise permitted by participants . 144 Anastasia Kokina and Nina Bagdasarova movements or by otherwise promoting their meaningful participation in each activity. Asan, a boy with Down’s syndrome, is sitting on the floor with his hands wrapped around his body, tears in his eyes, unhappy about something , and refusing to participate in the activity. When it is his turn to imitate the rhythm played with drumsticks, everyone waits for him; nobody rushes to physically redirect or prompt him. About a minute passes. When Asan finally does what is expected, enthusiastic cheers and applause follows from everyone. A smile appears on the boy’s face. The school day is going at full speed. The Case Study Method The main goal of the case study was to document ways and challenges of working with children with disabilities in Umut Nadezhda Rehabilitative Center in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. To accomplish this goal, the case study sought answers to the following research questions. 1. What is the history of Umut Nadezhda Center? Why and under what circumstances was it created, and who were the people involved ? 2. What methods and approaches to education and rehabilitation of children with disabilities are used at the Center? What modifications and accommodations are made for individual students to facilitate their learning? 3. What is being done to facilitate inclusion of students with disabilities in the local community and/or system of formal education? 4. What is the process of teachers’ professional development? 5. How do key players (such as teachers, parents, and volunteers) collaborate with each other and with outside agencies, organizations, and the community? 6. What are the barriers for inclusion and service delivery? 7. What makes the Center unique? A case study methodology (Yin 2008, Stake 1995) was selected as appropriate for addressing the questions above. Several methods of data collection were used to achieve data triangulation, including individual and focus group interviews, observations, permanent product analysis, and documentation reviews. Umut Nadezhda Rehabilitation Center 145 Interviews were conducted with multiple informants, including the administration of the Center, teachers, related specialists (such as occupational therapists), volunteers, parents, and students. Interviews were conducted individually or in a focus group format, depending on informants’ preference and availability. As a result, a total of 14 individuals were interviewed . The interviews were audio-recorded, with participants’ consent . The interviews covered the following broad areas: (a) interviewees’ roles and involvement with the Center and any background information, (b) what the interviewees like about the Center, (c) what, in their opinion, makes the Center unique and/or effective, (d) specific methods and approaches used to address social, behavioral, academic, and emotional outcomes , (e...