three quarters of parents support the idea of ​​inclusive education

Three-quarters of Russian families consider it useful to educate children with disabilities and their normotypical peers together. These results were shown by a survey by VTsIOM on the attitude of Russians towards inclusive education. However, half of the parents could not answer whether there were children with disabilities in their child’s school – this may indicate a lack of awareness among Russians about the topic of inclusive education.

VTsIOM analyzed the attitude of Russians towards inclusive education in a joint study with the All-Russian Organization of Parents of Disabled Children (VORDI). To do this, experts conducted an all-Russian telephone survey with the participation of 1,600 respondents aged 18 years and older. According to the survey results, three-quarters of Russians (74%) see benefits in joint education of children with disabilities and their normotypical peers. Moreover, 32% said this with complete confidence. The opposite point of view is held by 14%, and every eighth found it difficult to answer (12%).

65% of Russians consider it necessary to create conditions for joint schooling of children with disabilities and their neurotypical peers, but 24% of respondents do not see the need for this. Another 5% of respondents opposed co-education.

The authors of the study believe that inclusive education has mutual benefits: “It promotes the integration into society of children with health needs, and in the case of their normotypical peers, the development of tolerance and respect for others.” First Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection Alexey Vovchenko, presenting the study, said that the education and self-realization of children with disabilities determine their involvement in “conscious working life in the future.” “An inclusive environment is very important for this – it helps people with disabilities find their careers, since the foundation of knowledge and communication is laid at school,” says Mr. Vovchenko.

“Today there is already a consensus on the need for universal access to education, but there are a number of obstacles to inclusive education,” notes Anastasia Ekushevskaya, academic director of the Skyeng online English language school. Among them, the expert listed the lack of competent specialists and funding for educational institutions, insufficient adaptation of school premises and their transport accessibility. Mrs. Ekushevskaya believes that the format of online education can partially solve them. “In some projects, online schools and specialized foundations cooperate, which provide psychological support for parents, children and teachers themselves. This allows us to take a comprehensive approach to the issue,” she notes.

Director of the N. A. Ostrovsky Museum (methodological center for socio-cultural integration of people with disabilities) Igor Dumenko notes that today issues related to the education of children with disabilities are within the competence of various structures, “and sometimes there is no interaction and coordination of activities between them.” “National organizations can become a connecting link in this process,” the expert believes. “They are often much closer to the real problems of people with disabilities than government departments and organizations. And they have the opportunity to influence social policy by making their suggestions and comments, thereby increasing the effectiveness of social activities, including those related to the education of children with disabilities.”

Also, a VTsIOM survey showed that almost half of the parents surveyed do not know whether there are children with disabilities in the school their child attends (48%). Another 33% of parents know that there are such students at school. 17% were able to confidently answer that there are no children with disabilities in their school. The head of the department of social research at VTsIOM, Andrei Daudrikh, called these results “indicative from the point of view of the need to work with parents in terms of information and report that such a topic exists.” However, Svetlana Alyokhina, director of the Institute for Problems of Inclusive Education, noted that such results may indicate positive changes: “Perhaps students’ disabilities are not the focus of the school. Therefore, both children and teachers perceive their friends with disabilities as a natural part of the team and do not focus attention on this.”

Polina Yachmennikova