The number of children with disabilities in Central and Eastern Europe, republics in the former Soviet Union, and the Baltic states has tripled since 1990, with many of those children living in institutions, according to a unicef report.
“Children and Disability in Transition in CEE/CIS and Baltic States” is available from UNICEF.
In 1990, 500,000 children with disabilities lived in the 27 countries studied. By 2000, that number had tripled, to 1.5 million. In 2002, the report notes, 317,000 of those children were living in residential institutions.
The report by the United Nations agency calls for the development of community-based resources to support families that have children with disabilities, and to end the practice of putting children in institutions or segregated schools.
