“WorldView is made for us”: A Conversation with the Director of Yerevan Special Educational Complex for Children with Hearing Disorders

“What makes WorldView exceptional is that it offers every child, whether they have a hearing disorder or not, a powerful opportunity to fully grasp information.”

When you enter the Special Educational Complex for Children with Hearing Disorders in Yerevan, the first thing you’ll notice is the purple door decorated with colorful handprints of children. If you don’t, Principal Armine Babayan will make sure you do. The idea was hers. From her very first day at school, she decided that dullness had no place in the school—it should be replaced with color and joy. That same philosophy applies to everything: students with hearing loss or limited hearing must be motivated and should never feel they’re at a disadvantage compared to their peers in other public schools.

“We have children facing different levels of difficulties. But each one of them, regardless of the degree of their need, has their strengths. They are full members of our society. And our mission is to work with them correctly, to uncover and nurture their potential, and to reveal the strength and beauty within them that initially may be a little harder to see,” shares Armine Babayan, passionately advocating for inclusive education.

Since June 24, 2023, she has served as the principal of the complex, ushering in a wave of changes: new subjects such as English, national song and dance, and military preparedness were added to the curriculum. She also led the initiative to introduce the WorldView platform into the school.

“I was familiar with the WorldView educational platform from my previous job and was determined to bring it here as well. These days, it’s quite a challenge to attract and retain children’s attention during class. The visual channels play a vital role in supporting concentration and engagement among children. This is especially true for students with hearing impairments. Why? Because when one sensory channel is absent, the others become more active. That’s what first compelled me to reach out to the WorldView team. WorldView is made for us.”

Just like with other seemingly impossible initiatives, Babayan had no doubt they would succeed.
“What makes WorldView exceptional is that it gives any child, regardless of hearing ability or any other developmental differences, an opportunity to fully absorb the information. Hearing something is one thing, but seeing it is another. With students with hearing impairments, when we read a text, students follow it with their fingers. The more advanced students stay focused throughout the process, but the others fall behind. And our goal isn’t to make the good students even better or turn A students into straight-A ones—it’s to help the ones with more challenging limitations, the less engaged ones to improve.”

Smart boards are a powerful complement to WorldView in this mission. In 2024, our special school entered the “Smart Boards for WorldView Schools” competition on an equal footing with other public schools.

“When it comes to special schools, people often react with pity. I’m against that. As an educator, my mission is to develop every child, to see their potential, and to do everything I can to help them believe in themselves, work hard, and become full members of society. Nothing is impossible. Our teachers know my philosophy. Our children can do anything. That’s why we had to compete on equal terms. In fact, I often say we have an advantage—we can communicate not only in verbal Armenian but also in sign language,” says Babayan.

The school’s project was selected among the competition’s winners, and they earned one of the most advanced smart boards on the market. But that’s only part of the success story. Recognizing the crucial importance of smart boards, particularly in their environment, Babayan had already started the process a year earlier to acquire two more through a government grant—a process that took nearly twelve months.

“It just so happened that all three arrived at once. I remember calling the company we had ordered from, and they said, ‘You know, it looks like you have one more coming.’ I was sick in bed, but jumped up—‘What, a third one?’ We already knew we had won the WorldView competition, but I hadn’t realized that Visual Armenia had also ordered smart boards from the same vendor—an even more advanced model. These are the best currently available models on our market,” says Babayan. However, she didn’t stop there. With the support of another donor, the school secured a fourth smart board.

“Teachers say these boards made their work much more engaging. They’re more excited to teach because they can see the sparkle in the children’s eyes. With smart boards and the WorldView, the quality of our lessons has transformed. For example, when teaching climate zones—a complex topic—students struggle to visualize it. But through WorldView, it becomes like an illustrated encyclopedia that comes to life. You open it, and the images start to move. Can you imagine how exciting that is? Naturally, even the students with lower academic performance begin to pay more attention. One, two, three… their motivation to learn increases sharply. Listening is only part of the process. Seeing the words on the screen, one by one, matters just as much. When a student links a word to a sign and reinforces it visually, they remember it. They won’t make that mistake again.”

WorldView and the smart board have transformed teaching and daily school life. Armine Babayan has only one proposal for the Visual Armenia Foundation: expand WorldView to cover all school subjects.