| Description of good practice: |
MEDPAK has organised annual awareness-raising activities for parents under their project. Through awareness meetings, the parents of children with disabilities and parents of other children have exchanged ideas on advocacy actions for children’s inclusion and rights to education. These activities in school community level have addressed issues related to children’s rights, non-discrimination, and positive parenting.
Parents work closely with teachers on IEP implementation. They provide each other with technical advises and mutual support. With MEDPAK facilitation, parents monitor teachers work at school.
Parents are trained in:
- CwD rights to education
- Parental role in child education
- Collaborating strategies with school services for special education
- Social services at community level for PwD
- Procedures of welfare protection
- Advocacy and lobbying for children rights
Parents admit that before the projects time, kindergartens and schools refused their children. The refusal happened because schools were not aware of the legal and policy framework: Law on Pre university Education 2012, Normative Dispositions, and Strategy of Pre-university Education 2014-2020. The project duration corresponded with the implementation of the new framework on Inclusive Education (2014). The training of parents helped them understand their children rights, and ask for their application in mainstream education. Parents are satisfied with the service provision at regular schools, although admitting that inclusion is a process and cannot be fixed in three years. Parents report
that supportive teachers have been crucial to the CwD education at regular schools. They admit that children make a far better progress in learning and socializing tasks with the support of the supportive teacher. Children feel very well at schools, among their peers, with whom engage in joint activities. Trained parents have built resilience for their CwD, and have established contacts with each other. MEDPAK has organized parents’ groups to advocate for Inclusive Education in the neighborhood schools. Parents (informal) network has helped them to support each other, while asking for their children rights.
We have a few responses from guardians about the special project for children with special need. Let's have a look on them.
“My son has a lot of fantasy and is very creative. He is such a smart child, and with some help, he can become autonomous, and do many things just like other children. I was so afraid that upon his enrollment to school, he would be bullied by other children and neglected by teachers. I have had a very bad experience with previous kindergartens and schools, as they didn’t accepted my child. The only place that accepted him was a day care
centre, without educational program. Other children with disabilities spent all day in the centre without significant support for independent living. When this project began, I was informed by other parents on the pilot schools on Inclusive Education that would accept our children. The staffs are trained and we have a very good relationship with them. Teachers are working on professional basis for the education of my child, based on IEP. I participated in the school commission for IEP design, upon the invitation of the school principal. I have observed my child education in class for many days and I have witnessed the great dedication of the class teacher for my son and all the other 36 children. Supportive teacher assists my child in achieving the IEP objectives. She is very careful and friendly to my son. She has helped my son in developing artistic skills and socialising with friends”
–Interview with a mother, “Qemal Mici”, Durrës.
“I have tried many times to arrange kindergarten and school education for my child, but the answer was negative. I had no choice but to stay home, and take care for her. I was almost depressed, and I blamed my daughter for the fact of being disabled, and I wept for my destiny. She felt that I was unhappy, and tried to please me. My life changed when I met the parents group, who told me about the project schools. I have brought my daughter at school since then, and I could have time for myself and my family. I run a small business of tailoring clothes, and I have employed a few women. I follow my daughter’s education at home with IEP, and I discuss freely with her teacher, who informs me about the academic progress. I am very happy with the school support.”
– Interview with mother, “Demir Gashi” school, Peshkopi.
“My son has got autism. He learned the social norms at school, began to communicate with other children, and feels good in peers’ company as they provide him with love. He is not an outsider in the classroom, and the teacher doesn’t differentiate him from others, but she treats him in equally with others instead, and is very responsible. I have seen her managing large number of children in her classroom professionally, by paying attention to each one of them. She finds time to work with my son too.”
– Interview with the mother,
“Ali Demi” school, Vlora. |
