Influencing Policies
Influencing Policies in Africa and the Caribbean
The combined efforts of Perkins and our partners, including representatives from ministries of education, have helped to ensure long-lasting results in numerous communities. A few examples of increased government support for programs include:
- In Kenya, Ghana and South Africa, where Perkins International once covered the costs of teachers of children who are deafblind or blind with multiple disabilities, the government now covers these salaries.
- The Kenyan Ministry of Education has begun to train teachers in deafblindness.
- In Malawi, the Ministry of Education's new special education policy includes the provision of services to children who are deafblind.
- South Africa's Ministry of Education is revising teacher-student ratios to match international standards.
- In St. Lucia, Perkins worked with local agencies and the national government to establish a facility for children who are blind with additional impairments. The center incorporates a national committee that works closely with initiatives on children's health and education.
- Also in St. Lucia, the Ministry of Health launched a national "Child Development Center" to provide services to children who are blind with additional impairments.
Learn more about our other programs in Africa
Influencing Policies in Asia
In Asia, Perkins works with government representatives to strengthen the sustainability of programs for children in need. For example, through Perkins' work with the Chinese government, 20 preschool and multihandicapped programs have begun at government funded schools in 11 cities through China. On National Education Day in Indonesia, the country's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono officially opened the Early Intervention Center for the Blind in Jakarta, the first such program in the country.
Download a brochure to learn more about our work in China (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).
Learn more about our other programs in Asia
Influencing Policies in Central and Eastern Europe
In many cases, governmental support for programs increases as a result of improved understanding of the needs of children with multiple disabilities.
- The Turkan Sabanci School for the Visually Impaired in Istanbul and the Goreneller School for the Blind in Ankara have worked with the Ministry of Education to develop a range of individual education programs.
- In Estonia, Perkins was part of the inauguration of a new unit for deafblind children in Tallinn at the School for the Deaf. This unit was a joint initiative from the Ministry of Education and Support Union of the Deafblind.
- In Armenia, Perkins has the support of the Ministry of Education to establish pre-school and primary classrooms at a children's orphanage.
- In Russia, the National Ministry of Labor and Social Development supports a National Deafblind Children's Home.
- In Bulgaria, Croatia and Lithuania, the Ministries of Education now cover the salaries of professionals and teachers in programs for children who are deafblind.
Learn more about our other programs in Central and Eastern Europe
Influencing Policies in Latin America
Our partners in Latin American are extremely successful in advocating for changes in education policies regarding children with disabilities. In many cases, these advocacy efforts lead to increased state support for education programs and teacher training. The Ministries of Education in Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico and Uruguay have supported trainings to advance teacher development on the education of children with multiple disabilities. Ministries in most countries now provide support to programs that provide direct services to children.
In collaboration with government bureaus, Perkins creates national pilot training projects within special education departments. Through these projects, we are advocating for increased government funding for expanding the number of paid teachers and classroom opportunities. A few examples include:
- In Uruguay, Perkins works with the Ministry of Education and National Center for Teacher Development a two-year training program for special education teachers.
- In Ecuador, we collaborate with the Ministry of Education on a national project to train 25 teachers from schools for the blind. In the first year, the number of children served grew by 50 percent. The Ministry co-funds the development of materials and trainings for teachers and parents.
- In Panama, we partnered with the Institute of Special Education to conduct two national workshops for 50 special education teachers on serving children with complex education needs, parent training, and new curriculum standards.
- In Chile, Perkins works with the Ministry of Education on a national census of children who are deafblind or have multiple disabilities. The program also facilitates a national meeting for teachers and administrators from 65 schools to discuss barriers and opportunities in serving these children.
- In Mexico, Perkins collaborated with the Ministry of Education to conduct a survey, which resulted in the identification of 4,000 children in need of special education.
- In Argentina, Perkins provides consultation on the development of new national regulations for special education and disability services.
In 2006, Perkins hosted a seminar for government leaders from several Latin American countries. During this event, leaders received information on administrative issues in the education of children with multiple disabilities. Their enthusiasm for implementing changes is reshaping policies throughout the region.