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Education of Children with Disabilities
in Azerbaijan:
Barriers and Opportunities
Ulviyya Mikailova, Almaz Ismayilova, Yulia Karimova,
Ulkar Isazade, Ramiz Behbudov, Yusif Agayev, Nigar Aliyeva1T

he public education system of the Republic of Azerbaijan was built on theSoviet science of “defectology,” and usually associated with the educationof children with disabilities (CWD) in special schools and home schools,
separated from other children. Thus, the majority of the currently available government-provided educational systems facilitate isolation and segregation of CWD
from their peers and the society at large. Additionally, educational facilities for CWD
are not widely available across Azerbaijan, not fully accessible, and not proactive
in locating and involving the CWD in education.
This article explores the level of educational
provision for CWD in Azerbaijan from the perspective of the Convention on the Rights of theChild (CRC). It looks at policies, resources andpractices, the extent that the national legislation, regulations and educational policy provide
opportunities for social inclusion and mainstream education for CWD. It provides recommendations to strengthen the capacity of thegovernment and other partners in Azerbaijan
to bring about policy reforms, ensure adequate
resource allocation, and promote programmingthat supports inclusive education.
This article is based on the 2008 study
initiated by UNICEF and implemented by theCentre for Innovations in Education (CIE),
a local Azeri non-governmental organization(NGO).
The 2008 study employed a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. These methods
were used to prevent research participantsfrom influencing the results and findings of theresearch. The main goal was to show that thedata collected using qualitative and quantitative
methods complement, support and prove eachother’s findings. Field research was done during
the April - June 2008 period, while data analysis
was done in the months that followed.
The study’s main target group consistedof CWD aged between 6-10 years, and data
was gathered from parents, teachers, school
principals, policymakers, ministry officials andother key stakeholders, such as NGOs. The collection of data used different research methods
such as survey, interview, focus group discussion (FGD), observation of teaching practices
inside the classrooms, and analysis of local andinternational legislations.

Educational Opportunities
One of the important findings of the study
is the acknowledgment by the government officials that the provision of education to CWD
is the prime responsibility of the government,

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which has to adopt and administer the necessary
policies that would foster the educational rights
of marginalized children. The study reveals thatthe country’s national legislations offer a varietyof educational opportunities for children withspecial educational needs such as homeschool,
inclusive and integrative classrooms, and special schools for CWD. However, none of theseeducational programs have the capacity to accommodate the needs of CWD.

Education at Home
Most of the available educational provision
for CWD is homeschooling. In general, about
half of the surveyed parents (48.5%) reported
that their children received education at home.
Homeschooling requires the visit of a school
teacher to the CWD at home to provide education using specifically designed curriculum.
Observations show that the quality of exclusive homeschooling is very poor. Following is
an example of what researchers observed:
On our way to the house, the teacher talked
about the family problems and mentioned thatthey did not have chairs to sit on. “I asked themto borrow a chair for you from the neighbours,”
she said to me. We entered the room… and I
noticed two small chairs in front of the table.
The teacher asked me to take one and she took
another one; three girls stand in front of the table
for the lesson.

Notes from home observations in Baku
We (researchers) entered a small, dark studioapartment. I noticed an old man lying on thesofa; he was sleeping and loudly snoring. The
TV was turned on and the teacher asked to turnit off. The teacher’s voice disturbed the old
man and he said something to the mother. He
uttered some comments several times and left
the room after the mother said something to
him in low voice.

Notes from home observations in Sumgayit
Families with relatively good financial opportunity did not focus on providing a separate andquiet space for a child to learn. And this issue
did not seem to be a concern of the teachers
as well.

Integrative and Inclusive Education
There are cases, particularly in the regions
and rural areas, where the CWD are enrolled
in mainstream schools that are not designed tooffer them adequate provision for their needs.
One of the observers mentioned:
Integrated classes are understood to mean thatchildren with disability are given access to generalschool but are not put in classrooms with theirpeers who have no disabilities. Instead, they areprovided with separate classrooms and teachers.
Children are supposed to be taught according to
the general school curriculum but are separated
from all other children in order to meet their
specific learning needs.

About 15.8 per cent of surveyed parents
reported their children attending inclusiveclasses, a new system that has recently been initiated by the government in collaboration withinternational and national NGOs and piloted inseveral regions of the country, mostly in urban
areas. Advocacy efforts by the internationalchild protection institutions and national civilsociety groups resulted in changing government policy towards education rights of CWD.
In recent years, the government adopted two
major initiatives (The National Program on
Development of Inclusive Education, 2005 andthe State Program on De-Institutionalization,2006), which enabled government agencies
to foster new opportunities in inclusion of
CWD into mainstream schools. According to
the Ministry of Education (MoE) official, one
hundred eighty-two CWD have been enrolled

Education of Children with Disabilities in Azerbaijan: Barriers and Opportunities  109

in inclusive educational programs (seventyeight CWD in pre-schools and one hundred
four in primary schools) since the start of the
National Program on Development of Inclusive
Education (2005-2009).
There is a noteworthy support for inclusive
education among the school community: about
37 per cent of surveyed school directors andthe same percentage of teachers believed thatCWD should be enrolled in inclusive classes. At
the same time, there are cases where individual
schools or regional educational authorities havetaken independent decisions to include children
with mild disability into mainstream school
education. This is an unexpected finding because officially inclusive education is piloted
only in four district Centers (urban schools).2
This finding infers that there is at least minimal
support and effort by the regional government
and educational authorities to create opportunities for CWD. However, it is important tohighlight that these efforts are limited to only
‘giving an access’ per se, and the quality andoutcomes of such education opportunity is a
big question as many of these schools do nothave the necessary capacity to teach and educate
CWD (e.g., trained teachers and their assistants,
methodology, teaching aids, etc). For example,
as it was observed by the researchers:… all observed general schools could be divided
in two groups. One group represented traditionalorganization of classroom with conventionallyarranged desks, a whiteboard on the central,front wall, posters with alphabets, multiplicationtables and other visual aids on the other walls.
Another group represented the classes that wereorganized in activity Centers allowing children
to get in groups and work independently withvarious materials and visual aids. In some classes
we saw computers but did not see children using them. In one classroom in Baku school wenoted a special place, “designated corner” for a
student with special needs. However, we did not
see any special facilities or equipment for children

with physical disabilities. Even the schools withstudents with cerebral palsy did not have any
special equipment to accommodate their physicalneeds. In almost all classes CWD were sitting at
the back desks and spending most of the timeworking with teacher assistants.

Although teachers and teacher assistants
working in pilot inclusive schools are trained byNGOs they still do not have enough knowledge
and experience to meet the educational needsof CWD.
Observations of inclusive education classes
show that teachers have very limited range ofteaching methods to provide children withmore meaningful learning.
Despite the limitations in inclusive and integrative classrooms the MoE works towards
achieving the goals of international agreements
and initiatives, and welcomes any initiatives by
local and international NGOs to develop moresustainable programs to meet the educational
needs of CWD. MoE plays a significant role in
the provision of inclusive education as it is entitled to act as a coordinating body to streamline
efforts and programs of the government andNGOs. At the ministry-level (ultimately, thewhole government-level) there is increasing
recognition of the important role of NGOs
in bringing about effective results. It must be
noted, however, that generally inclusive education is a reasonably new concept for the country
and the lapse of reasonable amount of time isneeded to observe substantial improvements.

Special Education
Collected data indicate that about 11 percent of CWD attend special and residential(boarding) schools. According to the MoE,
there are about sixteen residential schools3
and seven special schools under its administration.4
Special schools play some role in equipping
CWD with basic skills and knowledge, and 27.5
per cent of surveyed directors and 25 per cent

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of surveyed teachers believe that CWD have to
be enrolled in special schools.
Observations conducted in the special andboarding schools prove that these schools are
not fully ready to accommodate the needs ofchildren with special educational needs. For
example, during the observation visits it was
not possible to find out if teachers working inthe special and boarding schools were familiar
with child-centered methodology and if they
were provided with opportunity to learn about
it. Some observers commented as follows:…we (researchers) saw all teachers preparing lesson plans and reviewed some of them. The plans
were written according to the state program. It
was more like an official document rather than aworking plan. We never saw teachers following
their lesson plans. In some cases it was obvious thata teacher could not follow the plan because of achild’s health condition, developmental and mental problems. This approach could be understoodas attempts to individualize teaching approaches
and accommodate them to the particular needsof a child based on the learning difficulties andnecessity to teach basic concepts. But we observedthat this approach was used by all teachers for all
students in all grade levels independently of thenature of their learning difficulties and healthproblems. The same content and teaching approaches were suggested to all students.
Whatever activities students were engaged in,independently of the type of educational provision, the teacher would be the only initiator.
Every activity was focused on recalling and remembering concrete information and structured
around the tasks given in the textbooks.

The special schools facilitate total isolationof CWD and in reality offer limited services forthem. The MoE intends to transform boarding schools into rehabilitation centers or special schools, which will follow more inclusive
policies according to the State Program on
De-Institutionalization. The study showed that

support for boarding schools was also in decline– less than 15 per cent of surveyed directors andteachers have supported such schools.

Barriers to Education
Availability
The study reveals several key barriers to theaccess, availability, quality and affordability ofeducation for CWD. It shows that availability
does not appear to be a major barrier to education as only 16 per cent of CWD do not receive
any kind of education. However, the data showthat CWD have limited choices for their schooling. Integrated and inclusive education is not
an option available for the majority of CWD.
This gap is more prevalent in rural areas of
the country, as majority of rural children do
not have the opportunity to receive education with their peers who have no disabilities
even in special or integrative schools. The only
universally available option across the country
is home education, which has a disadvantage
as it facilitates isolation. Additionally, there aremany quality-related issues regarding to thiseducation type, such as lack of trained professionals, availability of teaching materials, low
self-esteem of teachers, lack of teacher support
systems, and others.
Availability is also limited by the lack of
specialists. Many schools, particularly in theregions, do not have qualified specialists to provide the services needed by CWD. Only 25.8
per cent of surveyed parents of CWD reported
that their children received special services (e.g.,speech therapy).
Finally, inclusive educational arrangements
for CWD are limited to pre-school and primaryeducation levels. This means that many CWD often years of age and older have limited choicesof educational services. There are issues withregards to the availability of higher education
opportunities for CWD.

Education of Children with Disabilities in Azerbaijan: Barriers and Opportunities  111

Accessibility
The data clearly indicate that only a handful of school buildings across the country areadequately designed and equipped to accommodate the special needs of CWD. A significant
portion of the public schools does not havetoilets and hygienic conditions meant for andavailable to CWD (over 80 per cent of teachers
and 75 per cent of school directors reported
this situation). Two MoE officials confirmed
this conclusion during interviews.
Focus group discussion with the regional
teachers reveals also that due to lack of public
and specialized transportation system in therural areas of the country many children are
deprived of the opportunities to attend mainstream school.

Affordability
Seemingly, affordability is not a barrier toeducation of CWD. In fact, only about 5.1 percent of parents, whose CWD are involved inany kind of schooling, said that their children
missed a class due to financial reasons. However,about 27.2 per cent of parents, whose CWD
who did not receive any kind of education
indicated financial difficulties as the barrier totheir children’s education. Families living inrural areas place more emphasis on financial
burdens compared to urban areas – 43.2 percent vs. 20.7 per cent respectively. Other studies revealing that poverty in rural Azerbaijan ismore significant confirm this conclusion.
In general, the data indicate that parents of
CWD spend limited amount of family earnings
for the education of their children (only 5 percent of monthly income). When asked to prioritize expenses if income would be increased,
the majority of these parents prioritized food,medicine, medical expenses and clothing, andless than half of the parents listed educational
expenses as priority.
The overwhelming majority (83 per cent) ofrespondents expressed dissatisfaction with theamount of government support.

Quality
The survey shows that there are many factors directly or indirectly impact on the qualityof education for CWD. Teacher preparedness,teacher salary, assessment tools/indicators,
special teaching and child-centered methodologies, government financial support, and school
infrastructure are some of the factors. The study
tried to explore the quality of educational provisions from the perspective of users and providers, and through the assessment undertaken by
the external observers.
The survey also shows that about 93.1
per cent of parents of CWD are satisfied withteachers who train their children. When asked
about the reasons for this satisfaction, about
55 per cent said they like the teacher’s attitude
towards their disabled child and 25 per cent of
the parents said they like the teacher’s attitude(or behavior) towards them. Only 17 per centof the parents expressed satisfaction with theteaching process in the classroom.
In general, it is clear that parents are satisfied
with the current level of education. Teachersand school directors are a little more conservative in assessing the quality of education process:only 52 per cent of teachers and 45 per cent ofschool directors are satisfied with the education process.
The survey also reveals that majority of respondents believe that teachers who are directly
involved in education of CWD need intensive
training and capacity-building. Additionally,
almost all interviewed government experts
have expressed serious concerns about theavailability of specialists and their preparation
process. Many stated that NGOs (such as CIE)
and UNICEF together with the government(MoE) have been active in training teachers;
however these efforts were limited in scope,quality and size. For instance, only 35 per cent

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of surveyed teachers stated that they have received specialized training on skills on teaching
CWD. The overwhelming majority, about 79
per cent, of them have expressed the need for
additional training. Additionally, many interviewed teachers said that there were no teaching
methodologies, skills, and strategies available
for their perusal though they were eager tolearn them. Lack of textbooks, teaching andvisual aids added to the controversy over theability of teachers to deliver quality education.
Finally, the teachers expressed dissatisfaction
with the fact that there were no specialists (e.g.,speech therapists, psychologists) in the schools
who are needed to provide special services for
CWD. These services, according to the teachers, would create additional opportunities forthem to improve the quality of education.
Another key factor that can hinder the quality of the education provided for CWD is related
to the support and reward system of teachers.
The study found that in most cases, particularly
in rural areas, teachers of CWD did not receive
additional salary for their extra work (about
56.2 per cent of surveyed teachers).
There is also a lack of standardized indicators
to measure teacher and student performance inthe education of CWD. The government recognizes that the education system does not havean effective measurement system that will enable all stakeholders – parents, teachers, school
managers, civil society and the government– to draw conclusion on the state of educationof CWD.

Family, Government and Other Support
Systems
One of the key focus areas of this study isthe family of CWD, which plays a vital role inenabling the CWD to receive education.
About 10 per cent of parents said that they
did not know what could be done to help their
CWD. Very few parents have cited trainings
or special support services for families. Con-sidering that more than 40 per cent of parents
reported that their disabled children could not
help themselves, the burden on parents was
ominous. In this regard, a comprehensive family support services is vital to help the parents
of CWD.
Partnership between the school and families
is one of the important aspects of successful
education. Teachers are interested in involving
parents in the educational process but there isa lack of skills to build this collaboration fromboth families and school. Some teachers interviewed mentioned:
I wish someone could explain to the parents how
important it is for them to come to school more
often and find out how their children do here.
A lot of work has to be done with the parents;
we cannot work with difficult children without
their support.

On the other hand, there are attitudinal
problems that parents face in Azerbaijan. Many
people view these children as having some “defects” who should be kept out from the society,or cured at a special facility. Therefore, many
parents feel discomfort in walking with theirCWD in public places, parks or schools. One
mother told the manager of a rehabilitation
center the following experience:
Every time I rode on the bus I always thoughtthat everyone was looking at my son and me; I
assumed that this was because he would shout
loudly and drew people’s attention. Then I
started to concentrate on my son rather than thepeople on the bus, describing him the things on
the street. I realized I was changing day-by-day
and began to feel very comfortable in public
places.

Many respondents place a great role on themass media in raising awareness among the public. When asked if mass media institutions (TV,radio, newspapers) allocate enough resources

Education of Children with Disabilities in Azerbaijan: Barriers and Opportunities  113(airtime, articles) highlighting the issues related
to the needs of CWD and their families, about
56 per cent of surveyed parents said that mass
media did not highlight the issues at all, or thelevel of media exposure was not satisfactory.

directors observed the emotional developmentof the CWD.
Table 1. What development changes did you observe
in CWD after attending school (1 = less, 5 = more)?
Parents

Expectations from Education
The value of education has always been an
important factor to measure. The study tried
to understand the perceptions of education bydifferent stakeholders. 73.4 per cent of surveyed
parents of CWD reported that their children
were willing to receive education as they observed enthusiasm in them.
A significant majority of surveyed parents
expressed confidence that education would havepositive impact on the future lives of their CWD(Figure 1). The surveyed teachers and school
directors expressed even more confidence.
These respondents believed that education was
improving the basic knowledge of CWD andwould increase opportunities for their future
career development.
The survey among parents and teachers reveals their observation on the significant change
in CWD receiving education. Table 1 showsthat the most observed change that parents
reported is increased positive attitude towards
parents and peers. Parents, teachers and school

Teachers

Directors

Attitude towards parents

4.0

--

Attitude towards peers

3.9

--

Emotional development

3.8

--

Daily life skills

3.6

--

Independent thinking

3.5

--

Health conditions

2.8

--

The parents of typically developing children (TPDC) also strongly support CWD
getting education. Analysis of focus group
discussions with these parents indicate thatmany of them (particularly in the regions)believe that receiving education is the rightof every child and is necessary for all children
including CWD. They believe that giving
them educational opportunities can facilitate
the social integration of CWD. However, asmall number of parents of TPDC think that

Figure 1: Does education contribute to a better future for CWD?

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Only 58 per cent ofsurveyed teachers support CWD enrolment ingeneral schools. They areafraid of mistreatment
or misbehavior against
CWD by their non-disabled peers. Moreover,many interviewed teachers
believe that it would posechallenges if CWD would
be taught together with
non-disabled students;
e.g., negative impact on
non-disabled children,
need for extra time, ordecline in the quality ofteaching due to more timerequired to train CWD,5 and so on. Finally, thesignificant majority of teachers believe that thesociety (parents in particular) is not ready to accept inclusive education.
However, the above-shown study figures
allow the inference that the societal attitudes
towards CWD are not so negative to becomea barrier to education of CWD. The FGD withparents of TPDC reveals that they are generally positive about CWD attending mainstream
schools. Additionally, as shown in the Graph 10,
the majority of parents note the significant positive experience of their children in the school.

Figure 2: Attitude/feelings of disable children (parents, %)putting the CWD into mainstream school
education should strictly be based on theirdiagnoses and only those children who will
not negatively impact on the learning processof other pupils can be enrolled. These parents
believe that the CWD can have adverse impact
on the classroom.
Nonetheless, almost all parents acknowledge
a need and express support for educational opportunities for CWD in one or other form.

Knowledge and Attitude in the Society
Throughout the study one point stands
out clearly – many believe that the society is
not ready to accept and foster a new approachto educational opportunities for CWD. The
majority of interviewed experts, civil society
representatives, school community members
believe that the inclusive educational arrangement is a fundamental change in educating
CWD, and therefore there is a need for moretime to fully institute reform. Only half of thesurveyed parents of CWD and teachers statethat there is a positive attitude towards disabledchildren in the society.

Services
Special service for CWD is one of the important factors in enabling smooth and meaningfuleducation. The study reveals the paramountneed for such services; an overwhelming majority of the surveyed parents (94.6 per cent)provide the service themselves.
An Azeri law stipulates that individuals withspecial needs have the right to seek free services
from Medical-Pedagogical-Psychological Commission (MPPC). It is a special body under theEducation of Children with Disabilities in Azerbaijan: Barriers and Opportunities  115

auspices of the MoE, which is authorized to decide about the educational provision for CWD.
It has an office in every region of Azerbaijan.
A legacy of the Soviet era, the MPPC is comprised of experts from the Ministries of Health,
Education and Labour and Social Protection,and is responsible for examining CWD on anannual basis and assigning them to any of theavailable educational programs: homeschool,
integrative class, inclusive class (this opportunity only existed since 2004), special school,and boarding school.6 Additionally, CWD are
entitled to receive compulsory and vocational
education, psychological services, and speechtherapy. However, the law fails to specify thekind of services and special programs that areavailable to CWD and their families.
According to the survey of teachers, themost common special service available in theschools is psychological. However, as the data
indicate, the majority of rural schools cannot
provide many services.7 This disparity can be
explained by the fact that according to official
regulations the general schools are recommended to have psychologists, but not otherspecialized services.
MPPC and its branch offices position themselves as alternative sources of services. The
law mandates them to offer necessary special
counselling and consultation services to CWD
and their families. Nonetheless, an overwhelming majority of surveyed parents, teachers andschool directors (88 per cent, 87 per cent and92 per cent respectively) are not fully aware of
the roles and responsibilities of the MPPC andits branch offices. Majority of the parents andteachers describe MPPC and its branch offices
as entities that issue certificates.
Another key weakness is the current classification of mental disability, still based on theSoviet era system that provides the only guidefor the MPPC. Experts believe that this classification does not comply with the requirementsof the World Health Organization (WHO) andcontradicts the inclusiveness principle. Thereis also limited incentive for the commission
members to commit themselves to the mandated tasks.

Legislations
Having joined the international community
and its major agreements on child rights, Azerbaijan has committed to reform the relevant
national policy for improved protection of therights of CWD. Currently, many national andinternational stakeholders in Azerbaijan areinterested in the reform of the education system
for the benefit of the CWD. Undoubtedly, aproperly formulated strategy is necessary tolaunch this reform, and an analysis of existinglegislations is one of the primary steps in thislong process.
The research team conducted both acomparative analysis of the national laws andthe relevant international documents (CRC,
Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities [CRPD] and the Salamanca Statementh), and a review of the regulations of thenational laws.

Child Rights
Azerbaijan ratified the Convention on the
Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1992 and enacted
on 18 May 1998 the Law on the Rights of theChild of Azerbaijan Republic (National Law).
But there are some contradictions between
the CRC and the national laws regarding therights and interests of CWDs. In January 2009,
Azerbaijan ratified the CRPD.
The National Law confirms that all children
have equal rights. It prohibits any act that would
restrict the rights and freedoms of children as
defined by it. Hence, neither the children nor
their parents or legal guardians can be discriminated based on disability.
The law also provides that “Every child has

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freedom of conscience, thought and speech.
The parents, other persons and the state authorities should respect the freedom of conscience, thought and speech of the child…”(Article 14, National Law) However, it is notvery clear from this provision whether the childcan participate in “all matters affecting him orher” and whether or not his/her opinion will
receive “due weight.”
There are particular provisions in CRC and
CRPD as well as in the National Law describing
the needs and rights of the CWD. The Article
35 of the National Law declares that:Children with disabilities and children withmental or physical deficiencies have the right toreceive medical, dialectological and psychologicalassistance. These services should be made immediately available, free of charge or with preferential terms. The state shall arrange social andpsychological rehabilitation for these children,
education corresponding to their abilities, as wellas assist in selecting occupations and provisionof employment. The state shall take appropriate
measures to prevent child disability.

It is important to mention that the CRC
is using only the term “mentally or physicallydisabled children” while the National Law distinguishes between “the disabled children” and“children with mental or physical deficiencies.”
Evidently, such classification in the National
Law does not comply with the international
standard. CRC and CRPD provide the core
principles that are not yet reflected in the National Law. Article 23 (1) of CRC mentions
that “a mentally or physically disabled childshould enjoy a full and decent life, in conditions
which ensure dignity, promote self-relianceand facilitate the child’s active participation in
the community.” Article 3 of CRPD declares
the principles that should guide every national
legislation toward CWD: respect for inherent
dignity, individual autonomy including the freedom to make one’s own choices, and indepen-

dence of persons, non-discrimination, full andeffective participation and inclusion in society,respect for difference and acceptance of persons
with disabilities as part of diversity and humanity, equality of opportunity, accessibility, etc.
However, the National Law does not include
these principles, which should be milestones inthe educational program for CWD.

Teaching Methods
The research looked into the teaching
methods being employed in homeschool andeducational institutions that accommodated
CWD. Following is the report on the observations made.
Teachers managed all the observed lessons;students were never asked about their preferences or willingness to learn something inparticular. Teachers asking questions related to
students’ personal experience were very rarely
observed. The teachers asked questions like“did you see it?,” “where did you see it?,” “doyou remember the color?” to recall information. Whenever students could not answer thequestions, the teachers would give the answers
instead of the students, or ask other students
to give the answer.
Yevlax region, home school, 3rd grade,
15 years old girl
The teacher pointed to a picture in the
textbook and asked her to say who it was. She
did not say anything. The teacher said, “It isa cow. Did you see a cow?” The girl did not
say anything. Then the mother interfered:“Our neighbors have cows, why don’t you
say anything about them?” Teacher switchedto another question:- What is this?
- Pear.
- Good girl, have you ever seen a pear?
- Yes.

Education of Children with Disabilities in Azerbaijan: Barriers and Opportunities  117- Where did you see it?
- On the tree in our garden.
- Do you remember the color?
- It was green when I saw it.
The teacher and the mother laughed and said
that pears were usually yellow or red, and could
not be green.
We wanted the teacher to ask when the girlsaw the pear and focus on the seasons of theyear. This could be a good opportunity to teachthese concepts, but the teacher did not use thisopportunity and preferred to continue showing
pictures and asking questions. It seemed to us
that she did not know what to do next and just
kept the lesson going.

We observed teachers using a very limited
range of methods to explain new topics andpresent new concepts. Most of the time, ateacher would talk and ask students to repeat
what she was saying. Oral questioning was almost the only method to carry on the lesson:
asking concrete questions supposedly to recall
the information and get a concrete answer. Oralpresentation and questioning appeared to be
the only method to explain a new topic andreinforce it. We observed this method being
used by teachers in homeschool, special schools
and integrated classrooms with students having
various learning difficulties, various age levels,and types of disability.

answered the question. Teacher looked at themother and said: “She is doing good today, did
you help her to learn the topic?”
The teacher did not ask the girl to either
give examples of noun or to recall some examples from the textbook, neither did she ask her
to compose sentences using nouns and to write
them down on the exercise book.

Baku, boarding school, 2nd grade, 9
years old
Individual reading lesson integrated withspeech therapy session. The teacher introduced a
new letter, she asked a student to read the letter
after her. The student repeated the reading of
the letter every time the teacher did so. Then theteacher asked her to read the words given in a
textbook. The student kept silent and looked at
the teacher. The teacher started reading all thewords herself quickly and then asked the student,“Did you understand how to read these words?
Did you follow me when I was reading them?”
The student answered positively by nodding thehead. The lesson was over.

The teachers did not seem to be concerned
about finding any indication that the students
have learned something. We observed themasking a question, getting no answer, repeating the question, getting no answer again, andnever trying to rephrase the question to makeit more understandable.

Sumgayit, homeschool, 3rd grade, 12
years old, mental retardation, cerebral
palsy

Sumgayit city, homeschool, 4th grade,
12 years old

The teacher asked what they learned thelast time and answered the question herself,“We learned about nouns, is that right? OK,tell me what is a noun?” The girl answered
the question by saying the definition from the
textbook. The teacher asked: “do you knowwhat questions the noun can answer?” The girlReading lesson. The teacher started asking
informal questions and tried to connect themto the topic given in the textbook. They weretalking about the parents, how they took careof their children, how they love them and did
their best to raise them as good citizens. Thenthe teacher started reading the text from the

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textbook loudly. When she finished she asked
the boy: “What would you say if you were thatboy?” No answer. The teacher waited for a while
and asked: “Did you understand the text well?”“Yes, I did”, the boy said. “Good, let’s do writing then,” said the teacher.

In boarding school classes we observed
teachers giving different tasks to the students
and spending time explaining the task to each
student. Directions would always be given
orally. We did not have the chance to look at
the kind of tasks the students were given andhow the issue of differentiation was addressed.
It was not clear whether different tasks wereaddressing the issue of different learning stylesof children and different ability levels or were
just variations of one task.
All lessons obser ved were devoted toconventional discrete subject matters and noconnection/integration between the subject
matters was ever done by the teachers. In
homeschool classes, the teachers taught either
in thirty minutes or two hours three subject
matters without any attempt at integrating theconcepts. The teachers judge their students
as good or bad problem-solvers, good or badreaders, having good or bad writing style, being accurate or inaccurate, but never as goodor bad learner, or as visual learner, or sensitive
learner, or physical learner.
Whatever activities the students were engaged in regardless of the type of educational
program, the teacher would be the only initiator. Every activity was focused on recalling andremembering concrete information and structured around the tasks given in the textbooks.
This approach can be described as ‘Look at
the textbook/picture/card/poster/flipchart,tell me what you see, repeat after me, try toremember what I said.’ During the mathematics lesson in a special school, the teacher asked
a student to do a multiplication problem. The
student attempted to go to the front to write on
the whiteboard, but the teacher stopped her andsaid: “Did I ask you to write? I did not, so tellme the answer!” In integrated class, a teacher
gave written tasks to the students, and one boy
student finished writing while the teacher was
still were giving instruction to another student.
The boy student said that he was done andwanted to do another task, but the teacher
stopped him and said: “I did not tell you to doanother task, if you’re done with the one I gave
you, then sit quietly and wait for me!”In another mathematics lesson in second
grade, the students were doing problem-solving sitting at their desks. From time to time,
the teacher called on a student and asked tocome and solve a problem on the whiteboard,
all others were supposed to write down what
was written on the board. One girl came closer
to the board because of her difficulty in seeing
what was written on the board from her desk.
The teacher told us quietly, “She has eye problems, she cannot see properly, that is why shealways try to come closer, but I remind her thatshe should stay at her place.” She turned to thegirl and told her to take her place, because allother children could not see what was written
on the whiteboard.
These situations and the teachers’ behavior
are open to many interpretations. The teachers
and the school officials may explain that all pupils
are required to sit at their desks and keep theorder. We say, on the other hand, that in generala school that integrates children with specificdisability (e.g., hearing impairment) and haveteachers’ expertise and whatever special services
available (such as speech therapy) should makethem (teachers and school officials) think thatthey should address the needs of a student thatfall into this category. This approach may well bebased on a belief that children with specific typeof disability need specific type of help. In the casejust cited, the teacher did not address the needof a girl with visual difficulty, despite the fact that
she was aware of her problem and the girl herself
made the attempt to overcome it. But becauseof the school’s emphasis on particular medical

Education of Children with Disabilities in Azerbaijan: Barriers and Opportunities  119

problem and learning difficulty (and the school
system itself), it became hard for the teachers toaccommodate a broad range of students’ needs
and be responsive to a student’s need.
We never saw students working together inpairs or groups. In many classes, when a student
could not answer a teacher’s question, a “better” student would be asked to answer. Teachers
would never pair ‘good’ student with a ‘weak’
one to support their learning. The emphasis
would be on the one who could answer theteacher’s question; while a teacher would nevergo back to the one who could not give expected
answer to make sure that he or she understood
the mistake and learned the concept. Focusing
on particular pupils and giving separate tasks toeach of them consciously prevented the students
from doing teamwork and constructive interaction. In many cases, the teachers prevented evenad hoc interactions between class members.
Students were not allowed to share equipments,
ask one another questions to define the task, orreflect on one another’s work.
Baku, special school, 2nd grade, 9 to
10 years old
The class was working as a whole group rewriting subjects written at the whiteboard.
They were all using rulers, pens and white papers. We saw one boy asking a girl to give him
a ruler. When the girl turned back to give him
a ruler, the teacher shouted at her: “Don’t doit, if he needs a ruler I will give him one!”

We observed that the teachers avoided interaction with the students. They did not like thestudents to ask questions. They did not want to
explain their instructions whenever the students
failed to understand them. They expected thestudents to understand everything the first timethey were explained, and if they saw the need to
explain it again they would just repeat what they
have said again and again in the same mannerand never tried to re-phrase their statements.

Several times we observed teachers shouting at
students when they attempted to come close tothem to ask questions or ask for help. As one
teacher explained: “I don’t like pupils walking
around the classroom; they have to keep theorder and sit at their desks.”
In all classes in special and boarding schools
and integrated classes in general schools, weobserved teachers preventing children frombehaving spontaneously during the lessons.
Sheki region, boarding school, reading
lesson, 7 years old girl
The teacher asked a girl to read words in thebook. The girl could not concentrate her attention on the book; she looked at the window,
turned around and looked at us (observers). The
teacher made her look at the book by pushing
the girl’s shoulders, and turning her face toward the book. The teacher read the words andasked the girl to listen, but did not succeed. She
gave up and put the book aside. Once she didit, the girl made an attempt to take the book,
she moved toward teacher’s table to take it but
teacher cried: “Stop it, don’t touch it!” When
she turned away, the girl quickly took the bookand started turning over the pages.

This behavior of teachers has been observedin all classes and grade levels involving all typesof educational programs, and with the students
of all types of disability. It is difficult to understand the reasons for this behavior and to makea conclusion on what specific pedagogical approach or conventional behavior would makethe teachers keep the discipline in the classroom
easier. There is no available information on thefamiliarity of the teachers working in the special
and boarding schools with the child-centeredmethodology, or on any opportunity given tothem to learn about it. In the only case observed
where a teacher was assisted on a particularsituation, the teacher was found simply following the instructions given one at a time. The

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teacher did not ask questions on the HOW of
the suggestion, and just proceeded to deliver
the WHAT of the suggestion. She just orally
asked the students questions and after getting
answers, the lesson was over. The assistancegiven to the teacher to some extent addressed
only the WHAT questions not the HOW questions. It was obvious that the teacher was goingto need help again and again.

Learning Environment Inside the Classroom
Acceptance and tolerance. In our observations of special and boarding schools and integrated classes we noted a common approachtaken by teachers of differentiating between‘good’ and ‘bad’ students, and ‘favorite’ and‘outcast’ students. Teachers always loudly comment on student’s medical profile, naming his
or her medical diagnosis and detailing all learning problems associated with it. It was notedthat teachers easily label students as “good student,” “obedient student,” ‘badly behaving,”“deaf,” “striving from convulsions and also
very shy,” “bad family,” “poor and sick single
mother’s child.” During the class observation,
we could always see the teachers’ attitude toward particular students. The teachers would
address their questions mainly to them; listen
to their answers and very rarely make requests.
Moreover, the teachers would never hesitate to
loudly announce who is the best and ‘favorite’
student in the class and why. In most cases the‘favorites’ are those who do well in answering
questions and writing assignments, aside fromnot having difficulty managing their behavior
and attracting their attention, being obedientand keeping quiet when nobody called on them.
They would always sit at the front desks, fulfill
the assignments, return the exercise books intime, answer questions, know at least one or two
poems by heart, and if a teacher needed to demonstrate how good she was in teaching difficult
students, she would always turn to them.

Sheki region, boarding school, 4th grade,two students
The teacher said she did not like one girl in herclass. She said that she felt bad about her because
she was very hard to work with and very stubborn. She never appreciated what she had done
for her. Then she said, “Look at (boy’s name), I
like him very much, he is like my own son, I takea great care of him. I bring him clothes; I change
his clothes by myself. I never allow anyone to doit, because I don’t trust them (other teachers andschool staff).” At that moment when the teacher
was talking, both students were sitting in front ofher; they were listening to her. The boy seemed
to be interested in her words but he did not say
anything to support or deny what she was saying.
The girl did not say anything either.

A commonly observed feature was that ofteachers pointing a finger to students whom
we wanted to talk about, and discussed theirproblems as if they were not their teachers. The
students were treated as being at fault for theircondition and the teachers had no choice but tobear the hardship of being teachers of children
with disability. The teachers did not talk directly
about the students, and would always talk about
them through the lenses of their own difficulties
and understanding. Most of them focused moreon the students’ failures rather than their achievements and their (teachers’) own achievements inthe process of teaching them. The discussions
were always a monologue, disregarding the
subject (students) who never intervened.
Sheki region, boarding school, 4th
grade
The teacher talked to us instead of working
with the students. She said: “Look at theeyes of (girl’s name), one can realize that she
is sick when one looks at her eyes, they say
everything.”

Education of Children with Disabilities in Azerbaijan: Barriers and Opportunities  121

Baku, special school, 2nd grade
The teacher was busy giving assignments to someof the students. One boy asked her to give him
one more assignment as he was done doing thefirst one. The teacher refused, she said that if he
was done he should have been quietly waiting forher. In a couple of minutes he asked her permission to go out. She allowed him to go. When hewent out, she turned toward us (observers) andsaid: “Uff, you cannot imagine how bad he has
been all this time!” Then she continued giving
and checking assignments. She came close to agirl who was sitting at one of the desks in front.
She gave her a hug and asked to look at the picture and say what was on the picture. The girl
looked at the picture but did not say anything. At
this moment another girl moved closer to them,as she wanted to see the picture too. The teacher
saw her movement and told her: “Did I ask you
to come here? Stay where you are!”

The last vignette from our field notes shows
an example of both approaches of teachers’
behavior: labeling and selecting. As previously
stressed, this approach was observed with thestudents of all types of disabilities in all schools
for children with special learning needs.
Involvement and participation. As we mentioned before, teachers focused their effortson those students who were ‘easy’ and ‘good’,
left behind those who were ‘bad’, ‘difficult’and ‘stubborn’. In our observations we noted
many times that some students (sometimes they
constituted half of the class) never participatedin class activities. We never saw them react toteachers’ questions and try to answer them. The
teachers, in turn, never paid attention to them,never made efforts to attract their attention andinvolve them in the lesson process along withthe other students. We saw teachers consciously
ignoring some of the students in their classes.
Dynamics of interaction. We also noted thevery little interaction inside the classrooms, be
it at the teacher-student level or student-stu-

dent level. Whatever the students did during
the lesson was either a response to the teachers’ questions or a request to go out of theclassroom. In every classroom we observed,
there were children who were not involved in
the lesson process, some of them quietly sat attheir desks at the back of the room while others
talked to each other, made noise and disturbed
those sitting at the front. We never saw teachers
trying to engage ‘back seats’ students and makethem participate in the lesson process alongwith the other students. Exclusion of a group of
students from participation in the activities withthe whole class did not seem to be a problem
for the teachers.
Baku, special school, 4th grade, 7 students in class
Teacher’s instruction: “Everyone show me youralbums and put them on the desk.” Four students raised their hands with the albums. Three
students did not do anything. Teacher said: “OK,I see your albums, now you should take yourpencils and start drawing pictures I drew at thewhiteboard for you.” The same four students
started working; the three other students still
did not do anything. We asked the teacher why
the students were not engaged in the activity.
The teacher answered: “They are always like
that; they never do anything in the class.” We
asked why did not she try to engage them, andshe said that she could not do it because they
had always been like that.

Sometimes ‘back seat’ students made noiseand disturbed other students. We noted thestudents saying derogatory words and fighting each other, while the teachers consciously
ignoring the situation. We asked the teachers
why they did not do anything to prevent thestudents‘ fights. One teacher in a special school
said that those students would never behave
differently because they were sick and teachers
should not interfere in their fights otherwise

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they would get involved in them. It appearedthat ignoring the “back seat” students was akind of strategy, a consciously taken approachto manage the behavior of some pupils in order
to continue the lesson. In many cases, we noted
students behaving like leaders, replicating in theprocess a model of behavior observed in theteachers. The most surprising and unpredictableelement was the teachers’ reaction.
Baku, special school, 2nd grade
The teacher gave an assignment to a group of
students, came close to us and started talking
about the students’ diagnoses. She pointed at
one boy who was sitting at the back of the room
and was not participating in the class activities.
She said: “He was transferred to our school fromthe school for dumb children. He cannot evenhold a ruler.” In a while we heard another boy
who seemed to be working on his assignment
repeated what the teacher said to us: “He camefrom the school for dumb children, he came fromthe school for dumb children.” The teacher’sreaction was very rapid, she told the boy: “Hey,you shouldn’t have said that, it was not right tosay this kind of things about other children.”This reaction could have been caused byour presence in the classroom. The teacher
just wanted us to think that she knew how
to work with students. Or, the teacher really
BELIEVED that students should not say suchthings about other students but she neverthought that she should not have made suchstatements in the first place. She might never
have thought of herself as role model for the
students in her classroom. The teachers weobserved did not seem to understand that they
were role models, who were likely to be imitated by students or whose behavior was likely
to become part of their (students) experienceand process of personal growth.

Social Environment in the Classroom
Managing behavior. In all classes, we observed teachers having difficulty concentratingon getting the students’ attention and managing their behavior. We saw teachers using
aggressive methods such as physically forcing
students (such as turning their heads toward
the textbook, whiteboard or themselves; pushing their shoulders to make them sit down) or
shouting at them to get them to do the required
tasks. This imposition of will and power byteachers was observed in their relation to the‘favorite’ and ‘good’ students, whereas students
who behave differently did not get attention
and were allowed to do whatever they wanted
to do. It was interesting to note that the lattergroup of students never interfered with thelesson process and did not try to interrupt
the teachers. They had nothing to do withthe students in front. We very rarely observed‘back seats’ students saying or doing something
to the ‘good’ students. ‘Back seats’ students
would fight with each other, talk to each other,utter derogatory words, and repeat the labels
and nicknames. Whatever they did the teachers ignored them. We began to assume that
this was an unwritten policy and a commonly
agreed approach of teachers to these students
in the schools and classes. And our observations
supported this assumption. In response to ourquestions about them teachers would only saythat these students had been always like that,which meant that teachers did not have any
expectation regarding any improvement intheir behavior and at this stage of their life – inprimary school. They did not see any kind of
future possibilities for them.
Attitudes, family involvement and teachers’
role. As we noted in our observations, teachers
in special and boarding schools and integrated
classes did not hesitate to loudly comment on
students’ health problems, diagnoses, learning
difficulties, family economic statuses, and healthproblems of other family members. We ob-Education of Children with Disabilities in Azerbaijan: Barriers and Opportunities  123

served that this happened to all students, those
who were ‘favorite’ or ‘easy’ and for those who
were described as bad and misbehaved. Sometimes their attitude to the students depended
on the level and type of disability. The childwith severe problems might not evoke warm
feelings in the teacher’s heart, while a childwith mild and light disability would always get
warmer attitude and more deep involvementfrom the teacher.
We also noted that there were differencesin teachers’ attitude depending on the kindof educational institution they worked for. In
home school and boarding schools teachers felt
the responsibility to know all the details about
the students and their family. In these cases, thelevel of family involvement was also higher andfamily trust on the teachers was higher too.
Yevlax region, home schooling, 3rdgrade, 10 years old
Rahib’s jacket got slightly dirty after doing
exercises in front of the whiteboard. The
teacher came up to him and cleaned it up. She
put her hand on his head and started talking
about him. She said that his mother wanted
to place him in a boarding school in anotherregion and he wanted to go there. She asked:“Is that right, Rahib?” The boy was looking at
her and smiling without saying anything. She
continued: “Rahib is a very good student, he
could have been an excellent student if he is
not sick. I think he should go to that schoolbut I’m not sure if he will do well there.”
We asked her why she thought he should go
to another school and she said that this was
because of his family circumstances. She said,“His mother cannot take care of him.”

Sheiki region, boarding school teacher
The teacher reflected on her work during thelesson. “It is very hard to work with them;it takes so much time to teach them the basic
concepts. And you never know what to expect,
you never know how they are going to use thisknowledge. But we have to do it for them because it is their only chance to know something.
They will never learn anything from their family
members; instead they may lose what they gain
here.”

We observed that in homeschool classes allteachers seemed to be very much involved withthe families. They knew all the details about thestudents’ diagnoses, and the health problems ofother family members and close relatives. They
knew the details about the families’ economic
status, where the parents work, how much theyearn and how much money they needed tocover the needs of a child with disability and thewhole family. The families trusted the teachers,
believed in their expertise and good intentions,sought their advise on a broad range of issues(such as doctor to visit, sources of medicine),and shared child-related news. The parents’
expectations on their children‘s development
very much depended on the teachers’ thinking.
The parents would have a good opinion of theirchild, if the teacher said the child was doing
well. But if the teacher expressed the opposite,
the parents would not have any expectationfrom their child. With an indifferent teacher,the parents would try to make things easier for
her to work with their child but they would feelsorry for their hard work.
Baku, 2nd grade, three students – sisters, 12, 13 and 16 years old
On our way to the girls’ house, the teacher
talked about their family. She had so muchinformation about the family, knew everything
about the girls’ diagnoses. She told us thestory of the conflict between the family anda relative regarding the house. She told us
about the health problems of the father, the

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unemployment of the mother. She said that bothparents were not educated. She said that there
was no other person who could help the family
other than her. And she said that she was trying
to help them; bringing clothes for the girls, oldhousehold stuff, furniture, carpets.”

A different attitude was noted in special
schools and integrated classes in general schools.
We noted that teachers were very well informed
about students’ medical diagnoses and family
histories but were not very concerned about
their particular needs and did not think theyshould be more closely involved in them. They
talked about the students and their parents in a
strange and irresponsible way. They viewed theirstudents’ problems and needs as something
unrelated to the schools and the teachers. They
seemed to be indifferent to the causes of theirstudents’ problematic situation but very muchconcerned with the problems their students
created inside the classrooms.
Sumgayit, Boarding school, 1st gradeMusic class. The teacher was playing music
and the students were allowed to dance. Three
students were dancing, while four others were
just sitting at their places and looking at them.
We noted one boy’s eyes were red as he wascrying for a long time. In a while the boy said:“I want to see my mom.” We asked the headteacher who was observing the lesson with us
why he was crying. She said: “He always cries
and wants his mother to stay with him all thetime.” We asked where his mother was and thehead teacher said that she was somewhere in
the school waiting for the end of the classes
to take him home. They all knew that hewould cry when the mother was not around,that was why she always stayed somewhere in
the school.
When the class was over the boy’s mothercame in and said: “Did you cry again? Did
not I tell you that you should not cry? I’m

not allowed to be always with you. I can only
come and stay outside the classroom. If you keepon crying I will stop coming to school and not
wait for you.”

One teacher in special school told us: “Iwish someone could explain to the parents how
important it is for them to come to school more
often and find out how their children do here.”
Another teacher said: “There has to be a great
work done with the parents, we cannot workwith difficult children without their support.”
These reflections made us think that teachers
realized the importance of family involvement
but did not see who should be responsible forit and how to work towards it. When asked
who should take the responsibility to work withparents, a teacher said that the person shouldhave “respectable credentials” and the ‘power
to make a real impact.’ When we asked if she
saw teachers having this kind of responsibilities,
she responded very negatively. She said thatteachers were already overloaded with work inschool and could not do it in any case.

Discussion
The examination of teaching practices acrossthe educational institutions provided for CWD
shows that majority of the teachers use a very
limited range of teaching strategies to provide
meaningful educational experiences for theirstudents.
But some pilot inclusive classes in mainstream schools provide different teachingpractices that represent new developments
within the general education system by adopting a new child-centered pedagogy. In manyof these classes, teachers employ an interesting
mix of teacher- and child-centered pedagogicalapproaches. Informal conversations between
the teachers and students, spontaneous actions
by students and lots of positive interactions
between them take place. Most of CWD are in-Education of Children with Disabilities in Azerbaijan: Barriers and Opportunities  125

volved in the learning process through informalinteractions and sometimes actively participate
in group activities. Teachers in inclusive education classes do not seem to be taking leadershiproles in coordinating CWD activities. In the
majority of these classrooms teacher assistants(TAs) are the main persons responsible for the
CWD learning and achievement. TAs are expected to know the diagnoses and health statusof the students, conduct the assessment, give
grades, help with the homework and do manyother components of CWD’s school life.
The attitude of most teachers implies thatgeneral schools are not ready for inclusionof CWD because they do not have medical
specialists to assist them. But all the classroom
observations show the students with disabilities
do not need medical help during the lesson
process. Majority of the teachers in inclusive
education classes are not aware of the specifics of their pupils’ diagnoses, specific learningneeds and level of development.
An opposite approach is found in the special
education institutions where all teachers arevery well informed about the children’s problems and spend much time talking about them.
Many teachers see their job as very difficult
because of the students’ level of development,
and also depressing because they do not see thefuture of the students even if they are provided
with the opportunity to get an education.
The teachers have the habit of talking about
students and commenting about their families,
health statuses, intellectual abilities and behaviors in their (students) presence inside theclassroom. This is a common feature in special
education settings and mainstream schools.
The students are presented as having congenital
defects and never affected by the environment
where they live in, which is an important factor affecting their lives. The teachers view the
CWD as having poor and weak personalities.
This attitude varies depending on the individual
teacher’s personality.
The research shows that all types of educa-

tional institutions focus on academic achievement of all students including CWD in pilot
inclusive classes, rather than on their socialemotional well-being and self-help skills. Academic achievement and knowledge of particular
information are the only bases of assessment of
the students’ achievement and judgment about
their cognitive development. Low achievers
are almost exclusively ‘back seat’ students,
who have the most challenging behavior andreceive neither attention nor expectations for
improvement from the teachers. Whatever istaught inside the classroom in special education classes and some mainstream school classes
seem to have no relation to a child’s ability tohave independent judgments, make choices,
and adapt their behavior to different situations.
In pilot inclusive education classes, the positive
interactions of CWD with their mainstream
peers give more chances for the former to learn
from the relationships among the students andteachers and enable them to live in the wider
community.
Family involvement and teachers’ concern
about the inclusion of family members in the
educational process of CWD have been identified as important factors of the students’ success. Teachers in special schools and integrated
classes emphasize the importance of thesefactors but do not know how to work towards
them. Teachers in homeschool classes seem tobe very well concerned with the broad range offamily issues from bringing clothes and household stuff for their students to the very detailed
knowledge of the health statuses of the rest of
the family members. Many families appreciate
this concern of the teachers and see the special
education teachers who come to their houses
as the only source of help and information forthem. These relationships represent a goodpattern of the family-teacher collaboration but
they lie exclusively on the personal level anddo not seem to affect school administration or
get reflected in school administrative policies.
Still, this family-teacher relationship may well be

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used for the further development and replication of the model of family involvement in the
educational process of CWD and to enable thefamily to participate in the educational decisionmaking and policy developments.

Conclusion
The study findings support a conclusionthat there is a serious lack of special services tomeet the needs of children with special needsin Azerbaijan. This gap is strongly associatedwith the outdated approach of the Soviet era,consisting of a narrow medical approach tothe issue of CWD. On the other hand, due tosegregative policies of the past, many generalschools do not have special service specialists
since it is not required by the education system.
Additionally, the higher education institutionsof Azerbaijan have limited programs to prepare
cadres to fill the gaps.
The analysis of the regulations on education of CWD shows that they lack concrete
description of tasks and mechanisms for the
implementation, supervision and monitoringof those tasks.
Having reviewed the situation in the field,
analyzed data, and reviewed available legislative
base, the following steps might be considered asimportant in achieving further progress toward
inclusive education in Azerbaijan:
1.	The government should develop the national
concept of special and inclusive education,
outline a general model for it, and develop
the strategy to realize it. Establishing a special Task Force (TF) to design a new government policy on the definition/classificationof disability can be one of its important
aspects.
2.	Special and inclusive education reform must
become part of the general education reformin the country.
3.	Education reform in the field of special edu-

cation should meet the increasing needs ofchildren with special needs across the country. For this purpose, the relevant laws haveto improve, and the Inclusive Education
Program has to expand across the country.
The continued and increased financing of
the program is of particular importance.
4.	The government should design and implement a comprehensive pre-service and inservice teacher and specialist preparation
program.
5.	Accessibility should become one of the key
priorities of the government in future policies and regulations.
6.	The government should consider as a key
issue the system of special service provisionin achieving quality education for CWD.
7.	The roles, functions, mandate and responsibilities of the Medical-Pedagogical-Psychological Commissions should be revised.
8.	Research in the field of education for CWD
should be encouraged by the government
to identify gaps in the policy.
9.	On-going public awareness campaigns
should be broadened to keep the society
informed about the problems and issues in
the field.

Endnotes
	This article benefited from the data collection
done by the staff of the Sigma, a local research centerin Azerbaijan.
2	Obviously, the term “urban” may have varying
definitions. In this article, the term “urban” refers to
all central cities and towns, including district (rayon)
centers (e.g., Yevlakh, Sheki) and regional cities (Ganja,
Nakhchivan).
3
3,644 CWD receive education in these
institutions, according to official government
statistics.
4
According to the government statistics, there
are five additional boarding schools under theadministration of other governmental ministries(MoLSPP and MoH), serving five hundred thirteen
CWD. The government policy towards these
institutions is not clear. But there are talks of including1

Education of Children with Disabilities in Azerbaijan: Barriers and Opportunities  127
them into De-Institutionalization Program of theGovernment of Azerbaijan.
5	Of course this is a sign of stigma. An Evaluation
Report of Pilot Inclusive Education program conductedby an independent reviewer in 2006 revealed that
“86% of teachers reported that presence of disabledchildren in classroom affected positively or did notaffect at all the overall quality of education.” (Children
with Disabilities – Inclusive Education Project: Second
Year Evaluation Report, 2006, Centre for Innovationsin Education, Eyyub Hajiyev, MSW).
6	There are different terms used for this school butin this article the words ‘residential schools’ are used.
7
It should be noted that the rural school data
might not be statistically significant, as only 27
teachers who teach at rural (village) schools answered
this question.
8
	The Salamanca Statement and Framework for
Action on Special Needs Education adopted by theWorld Conference on Special Needs Education: Accessand Quality, Salamanca, Spain, 7-10 June 1994,
UNESCO and the Ministry of Education and Science(Spain).

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