Same Progress for All? Inclusive Education, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities and Students With Intellectual Disability in European Countries

Abstract

Over the course of the last 30 years, inclusive education has emerged as a key aim of education policies around the world. Also in Europe, most countries took efforts to make their education systems more inclusive—which led to growing numbers of children and young persons with disabilities in general education in Europe. The implementation processes of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) fuelled these efforts. However, as some authors have argued, not all students with disabilities seem to have benefited in the same way from these developments—such as children and young persons with intellectual disability (ID). This paper aims to explore this phenomenon in more depth by comparing some measures in relation to the implementation processes of the UNCRPD of seven European countries. Doing so, we analyze trends in placements (mainstream and special schools) of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in general and of students with intellectual disability specifically. As we show, an increase of students identified as having SEN in mainstream schools can be observed in all countries during the implementation process of the UNCRPD. However, in comparison to this rather broad group of learners, the percentage of students with intellectual disability in mainstream settings did not increase as much. Furthermore, the calculation of the “exclusion rate” revealed that this group of learners remains a key population of special schools. These results need to be understood as effects of specific shortcomings in the implementation of the UNCRPD, as we discuss in a further section. We conclude our paper with recommendations on future research and policies on inclusive education regarding students with intellectual disability.

Are Inclusive Education or Special Education Programs More Likely to Result in Inclusion Post-School?

“…It is important to evaluate the effect of various inclusive and special education programs and settings on outcomes for children with learning or behavioral difficulties in order that a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of each of these can be provided. This involves examining outcomes for a range of educational options, such as those typically used in many countries [1,2]. A recent study of seven European countries [2] found that, although there was a trend toward increased inclusion of children with learning or behavioral difficulties in mainstream schools, most countries educate some children in four different types of settings, with a range of special education support.…”

Preconditions of Transforming the Educational Process by Applying Inclusive Education Strategies: Theoretical Background

“…It is a practice targeted exclusively at students with special educational needs (SEN), based on the components of special needs education. Specialised schools are recognised as a Social "displacement" (social and cultural grounds) L. Vygotsky (1993) Disability, disordered function (biological grounds) L. Vygotsky (1993) more appropriate environment for the education of students with special educational needs (Buchner et al, 2021). The competency of the pedagogues is linked to special needs education.…”

“…However, when pursuing an inclusive and quality implementation of inclusion for all, it is obligatory to find solutions for students with mental disorders, most of whom still attend specialised schools (Buchner et al, 2021), principles of joint operation of specialists and teachers in building a flexible learning environment (Takala et al, 2009), and to eliminate obstacles for equal participation of all students (Ramberg & Watkins, 2020).…”

Dialogic Learning Environments That Enhance Instrumental Learning and Inclusion of Students With Special Needs in Secondary Education

“…Moreover, the rates of students with special needs (SEN) in mainstream secondary schools are lower than in primary schools, despite the gap between the percentage of students with SEN in mainstream primary and secondary schools has reduced in recent years (Buchner et al, 2021 ). Mastropieri and Scruggs ( 2001 ) remarked, two decades ago, the complexities of inclusion in secondary education, ranging from academic complexity, pace of instruction and teacher attitudes.…”