Inclusive education is a right, not luck

Hristina is a mother of a child with autism, currently attending a modified education programme in a mainstream elementary school. She shares her experience with the functional assessment, resource centres, and support in learning, highlighting the impact of collaboration between parents and teachers and how visual displays in her daughter’s classroom helped the child to learn and express herself. Hristina is aware that much more needs to be done but welcomes the progress introduced with the 2019 Law on Primary Education.  She provides valuable insights into the challenges and successes of inclusive education from a parent's perspective. Watch to learn more.

Tipping Point for Change: Primary Education Law

I think that the Law on inclusion is a good starting point for many changes, raising awareness initiating progress. This way, children can function and have quality education. And become citizens like everyone else, with the same rights.

Acceptance vs. Equal Opportunity

As parents, we will always fear for our children, right? And what will happen later? I know that most parents of children with disabilities share the same thoughts. However, I encourage them not to be discouraged by the system, whatever it is. I call them not to restrain their parental instinct. And they should not seek to always be accepted; they should know that they are like everyone else and that they have the same rights. My child should have quality education like any other child.

Valued Support - Education Assistants

She was seven years old when she got an assistant, and she has been with her for four years now.  Each year, we were asked to give an opinion about the assistant's work and whether we would like her to continue working with our child. With the reassessment by the International Classification of Functionalities (ICF), the final opinion is given on whether there is still a need for an assistant or not.

Assessing barriers and focusing on abilities

It is good that the Functional Assessment Center was opened. The ICF is good because it allows you to decide everything there. Whether the child needs an assistant, additional classes at school with another special educator, a special education teacher, or a speech therapist. Does the child need visual support, assistive technology, for example. So, we look at the needs of the child so that she can get quality education and be able to progress.

Resource Centres: Bridging Schools and Special Education

With the law on inclusion special schools have now become resource centres. The resource centre guides the educational assistants. Each educational assistant has a mentor. They also provide them with support with materials, with didactic exercises and tips on how to handle different situations.

Power of Parent-Teacher Collaboration

Parent-teacher cooperation must be there for the child to be able to move forward. My child is in the fourth grade now and she already has a better routine. Her speech is a little better developed. We also need assistive technology because she is non-verbal, and it was very helpful that these were provided at the school. The classroom is fully equipped with visual displays to make it easier for her to function.

Investing in inclusion, investing in resources.

For the inclusion to be functional in practice, there must be investments in the schools, starting from educational assistants, equipment, conditions in schools, facilities. From knowledge, trainings, teaching materials.

Rights, Not Luck

I always laugh because, when we talk with some other parents who are in the same situation as me, they constantly say, "Hey, you were lucky". It's so bittersweet for me because we should not see that as luck. Did it just happen to me? Did I win the lottery? No. I see that as a right. You have the same right. And you should have the same things if your child needs them.

The right to education is a fundamental human right, guaranteed to every child, through a range of legally binding international instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The right to inclusive education applies to every child, including children with disabilities. An inclusive education system accommodates all students whatever their abilities or requirements, at all levels – pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, vocational and life-long learning. It means children are learning together in the same classrooms and in the same schools. Inclusive systems value the unique contributions students of all backgrounds bring to the classroom and allow diverse groups to grow side by side, to the benefit of all.