Abstract
Azerbaijan is in the process of dismantling a system of medical model approaches to rehabilitation of people with disabilities inherited from the Soviet Union, and replacing it with a new approach to services based on social model thinking. This transformational initiative, designed to improve the lives of people with disabilities, is a priority of the EU-Azerbaijan Partnership. In Azerbaijan the voices of disabled people, their families, caregivers and representative organizations have previously been seldom heard. Now their voices will be heard alongside those of policy makers and service providers, in order to make sure that people with disabilities will become the principal architects of systems for their support in Azerbaijan.
In Azerbaijan we are excited to have new political impetus for improving disabled people’s lives by applying the social model of disability to social policies and services affecting disabled people in our country. An EU funded project is being implemented under the European Neighbourhood Instrument allowing the EU to accompany the reform efforts undertaken by Azerbaijan in various directions including promotion of new social protections system in the country. With this new opportunity, we are starting a radical transformation of our historic systems of rehabilitation to remove disabling barriers and environments.
The initiative to transform services for people with disabilities in Azerbaijan from the current system of medical rehabilitation to a system of social model intervention has been inspired by a National Strategy Document for Azerbaijan 2030 which sets out national priorities for socio-economic development. The document states that:
‘By making the social security system more effective and fair, the social protection and social security of the low-income and vulnerable groups, people with disabilities, including children under the age of 18 with disabilities, should be strengthened. The required social rehabilitation infrastructure for people with disabilities, including children with disabilities under 18, should be accessible, employment support programs for these groups should be expanded, and their social security should be strengthened’.
Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on approval of Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development, 2nd February, 2021
To advance the new strategic priorities the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan has committed to overhauling the quality of care of people with disabilities with particular focus on promoting social inclusion. A project to provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population in the task of operationalising the process of modernization of services and systems is now in place, funded by the European Commission.
Azerbaijan has a medical rehabilitation approach to support of people with disabilities inherited from Soviet times, which is still in place, meaning that most services are delivered via state Rehabilitation Centers. However, the firm intention of the government now is to transform the system away from medical rehabilitation towards social intervention. Shifting all aspects of disability services, from diagnostics through all aspects of service provision to a social model culture is seen as very exciting and promising for both beneficiaries and service providers in Azerbaijan. New amendments to Disability Law will encourage assessment of disability in terms of restrictions encountered. This constitutes a progressive step towards a social model approach to disability identification. These amendments come into force from July 1, 2022 and mark a critical turning point for social model transformation of services.
The new approach to supporting people with disabilities in Azerbaijan also envisages development and implementation of a new system of Individual Plans informed by European best practice. The importance of transformation of the system of rehabilitation of people with disabilities from a traditional medical model of disability approach to a rights-led social model which helps people overcome the barriers they are facing is very important.
Our starting point in Azerbaijan is to engage with initiatives already implemented in the country that contribute to inclusion of people with disabilities in accordance with international standards. For example, the World Bank is providing support to the Government of Azerbaijan in preparing the Employment Support Project to strengthen self-employment and entrepreneurship as a pathway out of poverty and into the labour market for vulnerable individuals including people with disabilities. UNICEF supports inclusive education in Azerbaijan by targeting three main areas: improvements in legislation, strengthening content of education (including through teacher training) and fostering more positive attitudes of parents and school children towards inclusive education. In addition, the UNDP has implemented several projects aiming to promote inclusion of people with disabilities through development of inclusive vocational programs and employment opportunities through self-employment projects.
Two similar projects enhancing employability skills and employment opportunities of people with disabilities were initiated by the British Council in partnership with the energy company BP, Pasha Bank and the ADA University in Baku implemented through the MLSPP to help embed the social corporate responsibility strategy. All these initiatives, undoubtedly, contribute to independent living of people with disabilities and their full participation in the society. However, there are still many gaps in diagnostics and services provision covering education, health and employment which we hope to address over the coming eighteen months of our development project.
The project will support the Government of Azerbaijan and its MLSPP in the development of rights-based social model policies and rehabilitation system for people with disabilities aspiring to equal best practices in the EU Member States. The directions of the project will include development of legal and institutional frameworks for transition from medical to social rehabilitation model as well as strengthening competence and capability of the Disability Policy Department (DPD) and State Medical-Social Expertise and Rehabilitation Agency under the Ministry. A team of international and local experts, including people with disabilities will work together on selection and introduction of evidence-based best social model practice implemented in EU countries to local context. This will be carried out according to the priorities of key stakeholders, people with disabilities, their families and representative organisations.
Our goal is to facilitate the process of review and assessment of current policies and existing institutional frameworks to identify main directions of transition. Based on our findings, a strategy paper, transformative methods and guidelines will be proposed. A capacity-building program to strengthen competence of the Ministry departments and state rehabilitation centres for social model practice will be implemented in accordance with what can be learned from EU- standards for best practices in service provision.
Engagement of people with disabilities, their families and their representative organisations will be prioritised to maximise the chances that the transformation of services will fit with the priorities of the key beneficiaries. Providers of services including social-psychological services, education and employment assistance will be included in new skills-based trainings for social model practice, awareness raising seminars and tutorials to help drive change through the project.
The project aims to push change from medical to social model responses to disability at all levels of perception of disability in society. Our approach embeds rights-based social model values in all aspects of design, delivery and evaluation by prioritising disabled people’s own agency and voices. It privileges inclusion of people with disabilities in the process of creating change. The social model perspective will bring a fresh look at environmental barriers, organizational and attitudinal barriers to inclusion. We wish to move to an understanding that it is these barriers which prevent the full participation of people with disabilities: our strategy and approach to create change in Azerbaijan is to enable people with disabilities to play a full part in decision making processes that will transform their own experience of services and shape their own lives.
In this way we hope to drive transition from the outdated former Soviet medical model of disability installed in Azerbaijan, to a comprehensive rights-based system meeting the individual needs of people with disabilities and developing their skills and abilities necessary for their full inclusion and participation in the society. A priority will be to include training of people with disabilities enabling them to develop themselves as the future principal architects of systems for support of people with disabilities in Azerbaijan.
We want to emphasise the importance of enabling disabled people to be more in control of their support. A key determinant of successful implementation of change to a social model ethos is for service providers to be familiar with this ethos. Capacity-building projects and on-job trainings are being set up to help services providers question their own fears and barriers—for example, negative perceptions of disability—which can function as a barrier for inclusion. We hope those who take part in the projects will cascade change by sharing their positive experiences of inclusion with other people at work and at home. Throughout the process, data on responses to change will be collected and shared to enable learning for further change.
A study visit to a European country to see best practices in the field of disability services is planned to further inform and inspire Ministry representatives. Of course each country has its own unique way of transformation and adaptation of best solutions to local context, however, acquaintance with how other countries have gone through similar processes of reshaping of the concept of disability can boost creativity, curiosity and productivity of local experts. Cultural aspects will also be taken into account and considered carefully for better efficiency of the interventions.
In Azerbaijan we have realised that stigma and social exclusion of people with disabilities caused by barriers which exist in any society need to be relegated to the past for ever. In this project we will be trying to galvanise the enthusiasm of all stakeholders for transformation to social model thinking. The voices of disabled people themselves have been seldom heard and we commit to raising these voices.
Disclaimer
This report has been prepared with the financial assistance of the European Commission. The views expressed herein are those of the consultants and therefore in no way reflect the official opinion of the European Commission
Correction Statement
This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.