CHILDREN’S DISABILITY MAKES 0.9% IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Dec 18 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. Currently children’s disability
makes 0.9% in Armenia. Disability of 70% out of 8000 registered
disabled children is conditioned by moving, neuropsychological and
hearing disorders. 66% of disabled children are teenagers aged
10-17. Karine Saribekian, Head of Mother’s and Child’s Health
Protection Department of RA Ministry of Health, said this at the
roundtable dedicated to problems of disabled children in Armenia. She
said that starting 1995 the number of disabled children has been
increasing in the country. However, in K.Saribekian’s words, "this
is rather conditioned by change of criteria of children’s disability
made in 1995: the list was enlarged, which resulted in double growth
of the number of disabled children."

K.Saribekian said that formerly issues of disability were treated
only from medical point of view, while today by a united system –
healthcare, social, psychological, urban development, etc. She reminded
that Armenia has laws "On Social Protection of Disabled" and provisions
on ensuring a favorable environment for the disabled are included
in RA law "On Urban Development." Besides, strategy of protection
of mother’s and child’s health, conception of early revelation and
early treatment of children having disorders of development were
approved. Jemma Baghdasarian, Head of the Problems of Disabled and Old
People of RA Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, said that order of
providing favorable conditions for the disabled was adopted in 2006,
according to which the national criteria will be established by the
end of the year or at the beginning of the year. J.Baghdasarian also
said that necessary conditions are formed for disabled children at
schools repaired in Yerevan with funds of the Lincy foundation.