A session organised by AAATE and UNICEF

Increasingly countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are adopting policies that move away from a medical approach to disability towards a more social or human rights based approach. This involves also services for children with disabilities and their families. Early childhood intervention and inclusive education are often priority areas of intervention. AAC and AT play an important role in the development pathway of children with disabilities and capacity in providing tools to children that might benefit from them and user strategies plays a central role in making interventions aiming at inclusion and participation a success. The UNICEF office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia has developed a specific attention for AT and AAC capacity building and a framework has been developed to assess the state of the art in a country and to support the development of programmes aiming at making access to appropriate AT and proficient use a reality.
In this session we will look at that core features of the framework and discuss with key stakeholders the challenges in the different countries and how these could be addressed.

Speakers:

Nora Shabani (UNICEF ECARO)

Evert-Jan Hoogerwerf (UNICEF Consultant)

Maurice Grinberg (Assistfoundation, Bulgaria)

Hanna Usatenko (DyvoGra, Ukraine)

Alvard Poghosyan (UNICEF Armenia)

Tone Øderud (AAATE)

other country representatives are invited.