(a1plus.am) - According to statistics, Tavoush region has the highest number of disabled people in Armenia. Nevertheless, the results were concluded in 2002; and there have been no investigations since, reports Trend.
The reasons of disability are health problems, especially those caused during birth. В"The girls of this generation were born during the war years which has had its influence. There are many cases of Cesarean section. The residents of Ijevan have the problem of malnutrition of future mothers too. Besides, there are few qualified doctorsВ", says Marine Khakhanyan, psychologist-pedagogue of the Ijevan special school.
There are special schools in four centers of the region - Berd, Noyemberyan, Dilijan and Ijevan. More than 300 children with special needs attend those schools. The centers were founded by NGO В"Bridge of HopeВ".
First the centers had difficulty in finding disabled children, as many parents were ashamed even to walk in the yard with their disabled children. В"Often the neighbors did not know that there is a disabled child living next door. It was difficult to persuade the parents to bring their children to school. Today we have many pupils who become more unrestrained and reveal their talents. During the past three years about 150 pupils started to attend common schoolsВ", says Artashes Amiryan, manager of the Ijevan regional department of В"Bridge of HopeВ".
The Ijevan special school is located in a kindergarten building. The municipality has given the building to the NGO free of charge for 99 years. 3-25-year-old about 85 children with special needs come to the center five days a week. They play, draw, sing and participate in the meetings of the debate club. They also participate in courses of rhetoric. Alongside with the conditions created for the disabled children, the center has one problem that of heating. The center is heated with gas stoves which are not enough for the building, not to mention the dangers they cause.