Opening hearings deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada R. Koshulynskyi claimed that in Ukraine, as around the globe, there is a tendency towards increasing the number of people with such disabilities. Particularly, total number of children with disabilities is increasing annually by 0,5%, as of the beginning of the year this number constitutes 167 059 persons or 0,2% from all children of the country.
R. Koshulynskyi said also that policy of modern Ukraine regarding children with disorder in psychophysical development as a minority group which requires rehabilitation and integration is characterized by maximum involvement of the state in a systematic settling of the problem.
“It is necessary to apply immediate measures aimed at implementation of
social needs of children with disabilities, firstly, neutralize restrictions
hindering processes of their socialization and individual development,
introducing efficient forms of social aid and support”, stressed Deputy
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada. R. Koshulynskyi claimed health of children with disabilities presents a critical problem. He added that here an important role is played by unsatisfactory system of medical support, worsening of food products quality, technological overload, increase of stressful situations in everyday life of children, etc.
Minister of Science and Education of Ukraine Serhii Kvit in his speech noted that level of accessibility to quality education for children with special needs is one of the factors that determines the level of how civilized the society is. According to him, children should not suffer any discrimination due to their developmental problems.
S.Kvit said also that the number of children of pre-school age with psychophysical developmental disorders increases annually: 7,9 thousand of children in 2012 and 8,5 thousand – in 2013. In view of this, the network of pre-school educational establishments with special groups increases annually too. In comparison with 2012, the number of such groups has increased by 97 times and now amounts to 5 147.
According to the Minister, today, jointly with the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, there was elaborated the draft of new provision on psycho-medical-pedagogical consultations.
The First Deputy health Care Minister Ruslan Saliutin named several topical tasks for today: bringing regulatory legal acts of the Ministry of Science and education of Ukraine, methodological materials on special educational services in line with the principles of scientific evidence, the diagnostic criteria of international qualifications diseases.
Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Public Health
Tetiana Bakhteieva noted that “such state of health of our children is
primarily connected with the effect of external factors on their life style.
Our children live in the conditions of information overload and bad
environment. They eat unhealthy food and lead a
couch-potato
lifestyle.”
People’s deputy also stated that there is no such separate category in the medical classification as children with disorder of psychophysical development. “This category was introduced by educators in view of these children having special educational needs. According to the Ministry of Education and Science, these children constitute 11,4% from the total number of children”, said T.Bakhteieva.
She also claimed that the Committee has repeatedly drew attention of the Ministry of Healthcare to the unsatisfactory conditions of providing psychiatric care to children and necessity of its integration into the activity of health care institutions of overall profile for providing this help. In 2013 the Ministry of Healthcare issued a respective order aimed at regulating these issues, however, its requirements are not fulfilled.
Chair of the parliamentary Committee on Matters of Pensioners, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities Valerii Sushkevych drew attention of the present to the fact that “we need to move in the direction of providing quality educational services to children with disabilities for their painless integration into the general educational process after the boarding school or during their stay in the boarding school”.
Chair of the Committee on Science and Education Lilia Hrynevych claimed that today a child with special needs is in the sphere of responsibility of three ministries.
“All people are born equal and at the same time different, but every person is special. Equality does not mean treating everyone the same, equality means treating everyone in a special way, especially children with special needs. Our aim is to create such system of education which would allow treat every child in a special way”.
Summing up, the Chairman claimed that all suggestions of the participants will be taken into account by legislative and executive authorities.