RAISING CHILDREN WITHOUT COMPLEXES: SUCCESSES AND SHORTCOMINGS IN IMPLEMENTING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN NORTHERN KYRGYZSTAN

From 2001-2011 public employees in Kyrgyzstan worked in partnership with international non-profit foundations to develop and implement a new educational protocol for children with disabilities. They launched pilot project to institute inclusive education in public primary and secondary education in Belovodsk, a town not far from the capital city of Bishkek. The project sought to address negative attitudes toward disabilities, and to train educators to create an inclusive learning environment that benefits all students. The Belovodsk case represents an instance of top-down implementation of inclusive education. This article, based on field study in 2011, describes educational access in Belovodsk. The authors draw on interviews with local stakeholders, including educators, parents, local, regional and national administrative officials, and on observation in two participating public schools including surveys and activities with children in the schools. Describing in detail the daily educational experiences of three children with disabilities, the authors suggest that the program has succeeded in creating a positive local learning environment for children with physical disabilities and sensory impairments. However, challenges remain in Belovodsk, and for the implementation of inclusive education in Kyrgyzstan. Based on the protocol, children with multiple disabilities and severe disabilities are still excluded from public education. Some parents remain uninformed of the right to public education or burdened by the cultural stigma of disability keep their children at home in spite of the new opportunities. Furthermore as Kyrgyz and international stakeholders seek to expand inclusive education to other regions of the country, many barriers remain.