Psycho-Social Rehabilitation of Children with Special Needs: Estonia Shares Experiences with Azerbaijan

Initiative: Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation-Azerbaijan, Open Foundation Partners: <place> <placename>Rainbow</placename> <placename>Rehabilitation</placename> <placetype>Center</placetype> </place> for Children with Disabilities (<city><place>Baku</place></city>), <place> <placename>Day</placename> <placename>Care</placename> <placetype>Center</placetype> </place> Kao (<city><place>Tallinn</place></city>)

While in Estonia local governments support rehabilitation centres, in Azerbaijan the local governments, far from supporting the centers, sometimes even constrain their activities. The project aims to promote social integration of children with disabilities in based on experiences in and to prepare recommendations for Azerbaijani decision-makers to ensure the protection of rights of people with special needs.

In October, directors and specialists of rehabilitation centers, parents and children in provincial regions of visited selected rehabilitation centers in and met with <place> <placename>Tallinn</placename> <placetype>City</placetype> </place> 's Board of Disabled People.

As the next step, Estonian specialists will visti Azerbaijan to learn about their current situation, to be able to tailor the training program to their exact needs. The project may potentially continue with a training program for Azerbaijani specialists, who will job shadow for 2 weeks in Estonian rehabilitation centers to see the day to day work and therapy practiced in Estonia.