Latvia regained its independence in 1991 and has been slowly transforming the education system to meet the standards of the European Union (EU) and the Western world. Since regaining independence Latvia has started to integrate children with special education needs into regular schools and society; yet the process is quite restrained and measured, causing many to suggest that there must be a way and means to accelerate this process. If only Latvians could access and use practices found (Alberta) Canada or another inclusive country (Finland), that has successfully integrated students and adults with disabilities into school and society, to diminish Latvian problems such as life long dependency, poverty and social exclusion that adds to an already existing stigma of intellectual disability according to the European Union Monitoring and Advocacy Program (EUMAP, 2005). Stigma is the one issue that keeps surfacing as the key challenge for people with special needs in Latvia (Fine-Davis & Faas, 2014). Latvian society at present has minimal exposure and experience with children and adults with special needs, resulting in unawareness, avoidance, and a general misunderstanding of this population.
Ask: a health advocacy program for adolescents with an intellectual disability: a cluster randomised controlled trial
