Former Eastern Bloc countries still segregate disabled children

From the CEC Smart Brief:

UNICEF: Even though attitudes toward disabled youth are improving, many Eastern Europe and Central Asia countries are still continuing the Soviet practice of placing special-needs children in institutions apart from mainstream society, according to a UNICEF report released yesterday. Marta Santos Pais, director of the research center that conducted the study, says outdated medical approaches and a lack of alternatives for dealing with the disabled could explain the countries' high rates of child abandonment. San Diego Union-Tribune/Associated Press (10/6)