What I do mean is this: my fellow U.S. traveler Leah Torrey today described what she saw in Bulgarian community work as a thirst, a thirst to make things better, a thirst to create opportunities, a thirst to learn. And I think today for me has been a day about that thirst.
This morning Kristen and I were met by occupational therapist and National Association of Resource Teachers board member Peter Lazarov, who also happens to be extremely involved in working to organize resource teachers across Bulgaria for disability education reform. Peter was part of the Professional Fellows class of 2012 who went to the United States, and he spent his time with Paraquad in St. Louis. He and Stoyan have been working together to organize my involvement with the resource teachers this week (resource teachers are teachers who go to schools to support students with disabilities...they are usually based at one of a network of resource centers across Bulgaria).
Naturally what else would we ride in to Peter's resource center, but the center's big yellow van for disabled kids? (It does not have a wheelchair lift---I really have not seen any vehicles with wheelchair access here yet.) So, off we went across Sofia to the center.
At the door we were greeted by a young man named Dimitar Ivanchev, better known as Mitko, who works at the center but will serve as the English/Bulgarian translator this week. Peter, Mitko, Kristen and I went upstairs at the center (admin is on the second floor, classrooms on the first) to meet with a resource teacher named Nevena Pashova, with whom I had a fascinating discussion about the education of Bulgarian children with disabilities.
In Bulgaria, children with disabilities typically go to mainstream schools. The resource teachers travel to each school to work with the children on a regular basis. In Sofia, there are 1,730 children documented as having disabilities. Nationally 16,000 have been identified and are in school now. About 200 special education specialists work in Sofia alone. Children who have great difficulty in mainstream schools are sent to separate special schools, which are now transferring to administration by regular schools, though they are physically separated.
During the current school year, a new initiative has started to have some children with autism come to Nevena's center for therapies related to sensory integration, as well as other therapies. Her resource center works with children with cerebral palsy, autism, ADD/ADHD, intellectual disabilities and others. They serve kindergartners through age 18, though here "kindergarten" means ages 3 to 7. Resource centers are government run; the National Association of Resource Teachers, on the other hand, is an NGO.
Children with disabilities are referred to the resource centers by their teachers. The special education specialists consult with the parent and evaluate the child. They prepare a recommendation and secure a statement from a professional testifying to the disability. As I mentioned yesterday, schools receive a set amount of funding per child, but the amount is greater for children with disabilities to cover the added cost.
In general, regular education teachers are not prepared at university to work with children with disabilities, or with the resource teachers and specialists. This poses a great challenge because the specialists much teach the regular education teachers how to work with the children. They must also address disability discrimination from the regular education teachers. Stigma of disability is a huge cultural problem---but more parents are starting to speak out against the stigma.
Due to a new law, next year regular schools with begin allowing teacher assistants in classrooms to support students with disabilities. Previously, only the regular education teachers were allowed in the classrooms. The teacher assistants will not be required to have the same education as regular teachers, but they will be important supports for the children with disabilities.
The specialists stay closely connected with parents because they usually serve smaller groups of students at one time. However often parents find it difficult to accept that their child has a disability, and this delays the start of support services. There are also no ways to hold parents accountable for maintaining therapies at home. However some parents (and siblings!) do come to support their children at the center. I saw this for myself.
Nevena is currently working with a group of about 10 Deaf and hard of hearing children. In Bulgaria, sign language is not officially recognized as a language and is not really permitted in the classroom. Nevena works with her children through oral methods, as part of a team that includes a speech therapist, a psychologist, a teacher and a specialist for sports.
Nevena noted that sometimes in families with Deaf or hard of hearing children, the hearing siblings are ignored. When this happens, the center involves the siblings in activities and parents realize the need to be fair with their children.
I asked her to tell a story about an activity that was very successful. She talked about taking the children to a horse camp for one week, during which not only did they ride horses but they also improved their self care skills. This impressed the parents, but unfortunately the training was not always maintained at home, so the skills of some children dropped again. Still, horse camp was a success.
Some of Nevena's children have cochlear implants and some wear hearing aids. An odd hierarchy has developed where the two groups have separated socially. The CI children think they are cooler than the children with hearing aids. Strangely, the only child that actually signs and wears no aid moves between both groups and is the most popular child in the class.
She also pointed to the example of an 11 year old with a cochlear implant whose parents allow him to participate in extreme sports. This child is a leader not only with the group but in the school.
Some schools use FM systems for children with hearing loss, but few have elevators. There are many learning aids for students, but if it is not high tech many time the teachers make them themselves.
I asked whether some specialists have disabilities themselves. Nevena and Peter think there are a few out there; recently they hired a Deaf one. There is also a blind teacher that they know of, and one with CP.
I also asked how much the teachers make---the answer is about 350 leva per month, which is about $200 US. They do have national health care and some additional benefits.
At this point I was given a quick tour of a play therapy room and a sensory integration room. In the second room, I met Ani, who works with children with autism, but has a background as a sign language interpreter and an audio visual therapist. Ani provided several interesting insights, such as the lack of official recognition of sign language and its prohibition in Bulgarian education. Ani will be attending my discussion tomorrow at Sofia University and I look forward to seeing her.
The sensory integration therapy room where I spoke with Ani
From left to right: Mitko, Ani, Peter, me and Kristen
After another ride in the school bus to CEGA, Kristen and I quickly ate lunch and then joined our U.S. colleagues for a meeting at the U.S. Embassy. I have been to consulate buildings in the U.S., but that was nothing compared to the armed security process at the U.S. Embassy compound in Bulgaria. Given Bulgaria's situation in a volatile region, the security is understandable. No pictures were allowed.
We met with Brian Stimmler, the Counselor for Public Affairs, Justin Heung and Evgeni Todorov, Political-Economic Specialists, and Vanya Ivanova, a Cultural Affairs Assistant. After introductions, we got down to discussing the Embassy's perception of issues in Bulgaria.
According to the embassy staff, at the broadest level, understanding Bulgaria today means being aware of generational differences and competing interests. The role of Russia in the region cannot be underestimated, along with the economic pull of China. They reminded us that transition after Communism fell in 1989 was extremely difficult and the effect is still felt. There is a swing of the historical pendulum: under the Soviet era, Bulgarians yearned for the West, but under capitalism, many Bulgarians are feeling a pull to the East.
They pointed out that Bulgaria is the poorest country in the European Union, and it was asked what they forecast for economic prosperity. They noted that money is being made in the car industry, that information technology has become significant, and that tourism has become central to the Bulgarian economy. Its larger and richer neighbors can have an impact, both good and bad.
The Embassy staff noted that the position of the Roma people in Bulgaria has declined since 1989, with the closure of factories.With fewer jobs and difficulties with education, the current young generation of Roma are a "lost generation," the most marginalized in Europe, the poorest of the poor.
The Embassy works with NGOs and in public affairs to try to use limited resources to assist with oppressed groups in the country like Roma. They work with the Red Cross to provide relief, for example, and each summer they host two to four Roma fellows working at the Embassy.
Garbage is, interestingly, a major concern in Roma communities and when it is not picked up it ends up poisoning the environment and the people. Most Roma do not own homes and are often squatting, which means they don't pay the fees necessary for garbage to come by.
Also, each year the Embassy supports LGBT Pride in Bulgaria, which is increasingly gaining visibility. There remains a large resistance to marriage equality.
I asked about the issue of Syrian refugees. Ebassy staff said that Bulgaria first began to feel the impact in 2013. Due to lack of funding for supports, Bulgaria just unlocked the doors of abandoned schools and moved people in with no infrastructure. The Embassy called on the Red Cross to help, and they built kitchens so people could eat. They also assist with translation services. The Embassy has called upon the Bulgarian government for an integrated approach to support.
The staff pointed out that one difficulty for funding NGOs is that most funding from the European Union tends to go to tourism rather than NGO work. This undermines the efforts to assist the refugees.
A major difficulty in refugee work is the effort to document and fingerprint each person. The vast majority are constantly on the move, and in many cases would rather not accept government help. Since 2010, 15,000 people have applied for asylum in Bulgaria, but when asked to locate each person, the Bulgarian government could only locate 800. The constant motion of refugees and their personal preferences can make consistent work very difficult.
We then moved on to reviewing the work each of us from the US was doing with community projects in Bulgaria. Although our time was limited, I was very glad to meet the staff (who said to say hi to you, Judy Heumann!! And to come visit, smile).
After the Embassy Kristen and I walked back to the hotel to take a break. Later, we joined our group to eat dinner at Osteria la Prima, one of the best Italian restaurants in Bulgaria, and right down the street. As it turned out, our coordinator Emil knows the chef, Elica Venkov, who is famous in Bulgaria. Elica was so nice, and gave us free dessert!
So when I think of thirst in Bulgaria, I think more of a desire for the things that will make life easier, with more opportunities and with less barriers. A very particularly Bulgarian thirst.
Thank you, Amber for giving so detailed information of our/yours meeting. Looking forward to read more about your next days.
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