Giving Disability a Voice: Empowering the Disability Rights Movement in Armenia
The project, which was implemented between 2013 and 2016, received financial support from the Danish civil society development organization CISU and was carried out in partnership with the Danish international organization Mission East’. Its main objective was to enhance the ability of Armenian organizations representing persons with disabilities to affect state policies regarding disability. The project aimed to ensure that the legal framework and the country’s development plans incorporate disability as a human rights issue, promoting equal opportunities and conditions for people with disabilities to access education, and employment, and live independently and with dignity in their communities.
During the project, advocacy groups for parents of children with disabilities and young people with disabilities were formed, which were so effective that they established their own public organizations: ‘Voice of Silence’ and ‘We Can’ NGOs in Yerevan, and ‘Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities’ and ‘White Hawk’ NGOs in Lori Marz. The program continued to support these newly created organizations by providing them with office spaces, which were renovated and equipped with the necessary furniture, computers, and other equipment. The program also assisted these organizations in developing their management and fundraising capacity and provided financial support for salaries and running costs.
Today, all these NGOs continue to be active in the field of disability.