Navapolack – from an inclusive school to an inclusive city

About of project:

Description

Inclusion of children and young people with disabilities into the educational process and a fulfilling social life is one of the key objectives of the civilized society. The project is aimed at creation of an inclusive environment, removal of social and mental barriers to disabled people.

Goals and objectives: Create conditions providing for equal opportunities in the sphere of education and recreation for disabled children and young people based on the principles of inclusion and accessibility.

Interim outcomes: The project started off with a meeting of the partners – disabled children and their parents, representatives of the local authorities, educational institutions and experts – at the end of 2016.

Regional and city-level training courses, hands-on and educational workshops, conferences, master classes, which were sometimes led by foreign experts, were a key aspect of the project. They were attended by about 400 representatives of the city administration, the project partners, educational institutions, nongovernmental organisations, companies and specialized municipal services, The Belarusian participants of the project paid a visit to Poland and Germany, where they learnt about the best practices in the field of inclusive education and sustainable urban mobility.

In 2017, a remote learning class was equipped for Navapolack School No. 8, the pilot inclusive education school of the city. The class enables schoolchildren studying from home to learn and communicate with their classmates online.

In March 2018, the elevator construction in the school was completed, and now disabled children can attend classes on all floors of the school. A multifunctional inclusive sports ground, which is open for holding city events, was built by 1 September 2019.

Accessible lavatories will be renovated in the school by the new 2020 academic year, thus making the school environment barrier-free.

The central entry and wheelchair ramp, music theatre and choreography rooms, assembly hall and lavatories of the Palace of Children and Youth of the city have been adapted to meet the inclusivity needs.

Renovation of the residential building of Izumrudny Children’s Health Camp will be completed in July, which will allow 30 disabled children to enjoy the opportunities for recreation in the camp in three shifts.

The project website, novinclusion.by, has been developed for promoting the inclusive society principles.

A series of brochures on various aspects of inclusive education has been prepared:

- Inclusive Education – What is It?

- Organising an Adaptive Learning Environment for  Children with Special Needs

- Including a Child with Special Needs into a Team of Peers

- Psychological and Pedagogical Support of Inclusive Education

- Inclusion in Navapolack: from the Idea to Actions.

Contacts: Tatiana Koroleva, Project Manager

+375 29 677 36 57, novinclusion@gmail.com

Anna Obodova, Project PR Manager

+375 29 592 70 18

Hyperlink: http://novinclusion.by/