International Conference “Inclusive Education: Perspectives for Development in Russia.”
The Conference was held in the Moscow region from 14-15 June 2004. Conference organizers included: Perspektiva, a Russian regional organization for the disabled, and the World Disability Institute (USA). Financial support for the conference was provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Russia's Ministry of Specialized Education and Science also supported the conference.
More than 150 representatives from 22 Russian regions from western Russia to the Far East participated in the conference. Representatives from Armenia, Georgia, Lithuania, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Great Britain and the United States also attended and among them were specialists, educational organizers, parents of disabled children, and young people with disabilities. Representatives from social organizations also attended.
Presented during the conference sessions were examples of international experiences in gaining support for inclusive education and successful models of inclusive education as well as the positioning of government structures, educational institutions and social organizations toward the backing and development of inclusive education. Also looked at was the legal protection of the rights of the disabled to accessible education.
Conference participants drew up a number of proposals aimed at the more effective introduction of inclusive education in Russia, including
- To pass legislation on the implementation of inclusive educational models at mainstream schools. Getting members of the community with experience in inclusive education, including representatives of NGOs, parents committees, and educational institutions, to help implement this legislation.
- To calculate the expenses associated with educating a disabled child at a local, non-specialized school and presenting this information to social organizations.
- To organize training and continued training in inclusive education for educators, including the creation of a resource center with consultants from specialized schools to provide assistance and advice to teachers from mainstream schools. Also, to create internship/work experience/training opportunities at those schools that have successfully implemented inclusive education.
- To create a system of special educational assistants for teachers and educational personnel of mainstream schools.
- To implement a system of standards for evaluating children who are excluded early on from the educational system, i.e. how to effectively provide education to those children with severe or multiple disabilities and who require individual educational plans.
Suggestions for NGOs committed to securing the rights of disabled persons to a quality education:
- To consolidate the efforts of those NGOs that are interested in introducing inclusive education by forming a national coalition called “For Inclusive Education.”
- To promote active inclusion of children and young people with disabilities in all spheres of the educational system: preschool, grades k-11, institutions of higher learning and in process of attaining job-related skills and training.
- To promote effective models for inclusive education using unified informational resources and effective exchanges of information.
- To strengthen parental participation and influence in securing education for their child with a disability.
See Perspektiva's website for more information about their work.
24/11/2005
