YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. Currently children's disability makes 0.9% in Armenia. Disability of 70% out of 8000 registered disabled children is conditioned by moving, neuropsychological and hearing disorders. 66% of disabled children are teenagers aged 10-17. Karine Saribekian, Head of Mother's and Child's Health Protection Department of RA Ministry of Health, said this at the roundtable dedicated to problems of disabled children in Armenia. She said that starting 1995 the number of disabled children has been increasing in the country. However, in K.Saribekian's words, "this is rather conditioned by change of criteria of children's disability made in 1995: the list was enlarged, which resulted in double growth of the number of disabled children." K.Saribekian said that formerly issues of disability were treated only from medical point of view, while today by a united system - healthcare, social, psychological, urban development, etc. She reminded that Armenia has laws "On Social Protection of Disabled" and provisions on ensuring a favorable environment for the disabled are included in RA law "On Urban Development." Besides, strategy of protection of mother's and child's health, conception of early revelation and early treatment of children having disorders of development were approved. Jemma Baghdasarian, Head of the Problems of Disabled and Old People of RA Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, said that order of providing favorable conditions for the disabled was adopted in 2006, according to which the national criteria will be established by the end of the year or at the beginning of the year. J.Baghdasarian also said that necessary conditions are formed for disabled children at schools repaired in Yerevan with funds of the Lincy foundation.

---