Kazakhstan is strengthening inclusive education, rehabilitation services and social entrepreneurship to expand opportunities for people with disabilities and advance a human-rights-based approach to inclusion.
Kazakhstan is working to enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities. With nearly 750,000 registered nationwide, the demand for broad, sustained inclusion is evident.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Communities, professionals, and businesses are helping build a more accessible future through inclusive education and social entrepreneurship.
Inclusion starts from schools
School No. 59 in Astana was one of the first to introduce the concept of inclusive support classrooms. Funded and organised by Samruk Kazyna Trust, the social development foundation of Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund, the classrooms provide psychological and developmental support to children with disabilities.
“We conduct special courses aimed at creating an inclusive environment. Students participate in social adaptation programmes, benefit from psychological support, and engage in various developmental exercises,” explained the school’s principal Gulzhazira Sultanova.
Specialists work and play with children outside regular classes, helping them navigate their school life. Teachers also try to involve parents in the process.
“Opening an inclusion classroom in our school is just one opportunity, we want to create an inclusive culture. This is why we do this. Our main mission is to create equal opportunities for all children, taking into account their individual characteristics,” said Sultanova.
There are already 21 schools across Astana and 10 more in two regions that have adopted the inclusive support classroom model.
Concept of Inclusivity
Dozens of rehabilitation centres and various initiatives have been launched to help people with disabilities take care of their health while integrating into society.
The Kazakh Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has planned construction of 12 large rehabilitation centres across the country, four of which have already been built. There is also a pilot project to provide rehabilitation at home by providing special adapted equipment and teaching parents.
“Whenever new programmes are adopted, the needs of people with disabilities are always taken into account. We receive many requests for expert reviews to ensure that disability-related issues are properly considered,” said Zakhira Begaliyeva, Labour Minister’s Advisor on People with Disabilities.
To advance this work further Kazakhstan has launched a Concept of Inclusivity for 2025-2030, the main objective of which is the transition from a socio-medical model to a human rights model
“A person with a disability is a bearer of rights. This means they have the same rights as all citizens of Kazakhstan, and they have the full right to equal access and equal opportunities. This means no stigma and no discrimination,” Begaliyeva explains.
She highlighted that the Concept also increases requirements for social workers and their qualifications and simplifies procedures for registering disability status.
Begaliyeva is also involved in curating and supporting initiatives like “Bakytty Shanyraq,” a centre for supporting families raising children with disabilities. The centre provides rehabilitation with specialists and equipment along with sports and art therapy classes.
How social entrepreneurs shape the future workplace
More than 55% of people with disabilities are of working age, while only a third of them are employed. The government allocates grants for entrepreneurs with disabilities wishing to open their business, but the community is also stepping in.
A growing group of social entrepreneurs opens businesses that accommodate the needs of people with disabilities, while teaching them useful hard and soft skills.
Asset Akhmadiyev and Emin Askerov co-created a special space that combines a coffee shop, a showroom and a Social Innovation Hub to showcase products from 11 inclusive workshops and show other businesses how to be more inclusive.
“When we first started making our products, we didn’t know where to sell them for a long time. That's precisely why we came up with a showroom. Later we learned that other social entrepreneurs were also looking for such a location,” Akhmadiyev said.
The pair also co-created GreenTal company, which is a carpentry workshop, a sewing workshop, and a printing shop that employs people from socially vulnerable groups, which also include single mothers or reformed ex-convicts.
“I used to be a second-category person with a disability, and I happened to see an interview on TV with Emin Askerov. I called the channel, and they gave me his number. I came here and, after seeing what they have, I decided to try myself in sewing,” shared Bakhyt Katenov, GreenTal’s Acting Sewing Workshop Manager.
Bakhyt came here without any skills 8 years ago. He says it’s hard to find work for people with disabilities, that’s why workplaces that create not only opportunity but also a special bond, are important.
He adds that some have formed families here, but most of all, this workplace provides financial independence, while accommodating their health needs.
By creating spaces that help people with disabilities adapt while being integrated into society, Kazakhstan is charting a path toward a more inclusive future.
