In November 2019 “Armenian Caritas” BNGO launched the project “Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education for all in Armenia”. One of the goals of the project is to change the attitude of students of the colleges and Universities of Shirak region and use their potential as multipliers in the process of fast and smooth transition to inclusive education.
During COVID-19 pandemic when the majority of the population, no matter of their age and social status, are lockdown, they dream just to walk in the streets having “limited capacities”.
Below we present the thoughts of the students of our partner educational institutions regarding limited capacities.
Iolanta Khachatryan: “It is already one month that I am at home and I feel that all these have bad impact on my mental state. I have become more silent, isolated and feel lonely, I miss people, their smiles and even their gloomy faces and now I understand how children and adults with disabilities feel. Before this, we didn’t realize what isolation was and wondered how the children with disabilities felt. Now I understand that they always need people.”
Knarik Hambardzumyan: “I have various feelings in this period. I think about problems of people with disabilities have, problems of how they organize their day and participate in public events. It is easier to understand them during this period, because we are also in the same situation.”
Susanna Barseghyan: “Now I understand those people who have health problems and are not accepted in the society for some reasons, are isolated for years and don’t wait for the end of any state of emergency.”
Hasmik Hakobyan: “It is difficult to understand people with disabilities. They should have great strength to stay at home for many days. Now I experience those difficulties and understand those people who have special needs.”
Elmira Kurghinyan: “Now, when the possibility of movement is limited and we cannot go out for a walk or for shopping, we try to think deeply and understand that we haven’t noticed people with special needs living next to us for so long. We didn’t want to understand what they feel being isolated in the same room.”
Narine Apoyan: “All of us have limited capacities and problems of movement. Now, when inclusion has become a mindset for me, I wonder how they have kept people with disabilities in isolation and continue living.”
Anahit Hovsepyan: “Thousands of people in the world are isolated for the whole life or for some long time in their life, they are isolated in their world which is strange for this world’s mentality. They are isolated but live and don’t complain.”
Ani Hamazaryan: “This is a challenge for us to feel ourselves in those people’s situation who have limited opportunities due to time or life circumstances”.
Lilit Tamazyan: “It is already one month that the Coronavirus has been confirmed in Armenia and it is already two weeks that I have not come out of home. I feel imprisoned. These limited opportunities make the situation worse day by day.”
Tamara Grigoryan: “It is very difficult to be isolated at home and stay away from friends, happy moments and craziness. It is time to think about people with disabilities. This is a good chance.”
Hripsime Abgaryan: “Now when the whole world is in a limited circle, when we cannot even go out and walk, we should remember that there are people who are on wheelchairs for the whole life and don’t complain. I hope this period will bring wisdom to all of us and make us value everything that is called “Love towards human being.”