Project Rationale

Since the late 1980s, the issues and experiences of disabled individuals have been increasingly raised as areas that require reform, enhancement, and systemic change. Individuals with disabilities who reside in Ukraine are viewed by their fellow citizens as incapable “invalids” who are not able to learn, work, or function adequately in the community. This negative perception is most apparent in how Ukrainian society views its disabled children.

Children with disabilities are, for the most part, hidden from Ukrainian society. Many disabled children are separated from their parents and placed in special educational establishments or “special boarding schools” from the time they are very young. As stated in the Conception of Special Education, the goal of special education in Ukraine is “to provide the adaptation to the social environment, future labour skills, and self-service skills for children with disabilities.” The impact of the boarding school system on the advancement and learning of disabled children is mixed, but the most damaging aspect of the system is its entrenchment of the notion that children with disabilities are to remain separate from their family and the community, with few opportunities for inclusion in the education and employment sectors.

Segregation of children with disabilities contributes to the segregation of the society as a whole. Poverty and disability go hand in hand, each fuelling the other. Families with children with disabilities tend to be poorer than other families. Lacking proper support from the state and with limited access to quality basic social services for treatment and care of their children, parents see institutionalization as the only viable alternative. “Deep poverty and a chronic lack of alternatives combined with outdated medical approaches neglecting the child’s best interests explain high rates of child abandonment and placement in institutions. The reality is many parents feel they have no choice but to give up their children. What these families need is strong social and economic support.”

Marta Santos Pais, Director of UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre (IRC) stated “Although children with disabilities have become more visible since the beginning of transition and attitudes towards them and their families are changing, many of them remain simply ‘written off’ from society “… “Yet, as called for by UNICEF, every child has the right to grow up in a family environment and in conditions that ensure respect for their dignity, promote self-reliance and active participation in social life.” Girls with disabilities experience greater discrimination when compared with their male peers. Girls are more likely than boys to be abandoned by their parents, discriminated against, and excluded from education opportunities.

Statistics on the number of disabled children in Ukraine are not reliable however there are some statistics that are available. According to the Ministry of Health in Ukraine, over the past five years the number of disabled children (referred to as “invalids”) has increased 9.4%. In 2004, there were 135,773 disabled children or 1.8% of the total number of children in Ukraine. This is considered by many to be a significant underestimate. As of 2003-2004 the total enrolment of children with disabilities in boarding schools was 64,667. There were 304 boarding schools in urban areas with 52,051 students, and 93 boarding schools in rural areas with a total of 12,616 students.

Special education in Ukraine includes pre-school education, general secondary education (except for children who are mentally challenged); vocational education; extra school; higher education; postgraduate education; and self-education. There are educational establishments (boarding schools) for specific categories of disabled children:

Children who are mentally challenged, including children with mild intellectual and socio-emotional disabilities and children who are severely mentally challenged
Children with hearing impairments and deaf children
Children with visual impairments and blind children
Children with severe speech problems
Children with cerebral palsy
Children with squint and partial loss of eyesight, and
Children with emotional and behavioural problems

In 2003-2004, approximately 69,000 students with special needs received their education in specialized classes at general secondary schools. It has been reported that the teachers do not adjust the course curriculum or teaching methods to accommodate children with disabilities. As a result the education available does not meet the needs of disabled students.

There is no available data to show the number of children with disabilities who reside at home with their parents and are home schooled. These children are completely isolated as the school in the area may be inaccessible and/or parents are not willing to be separated from their child in order so that they may attend a boarding school.