“The
current segregated system of education is injurious to Ukraine as much talent
and potential is being wasted by failing to provide capable students an
opportunity to attend universities and other programs of higher education.”
Dr. Olga Krsek, Dean of the Department
of Philology, Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, Severdonetsk,
Ukraine.
Those who are familiar with my work here, are aware that I have been spending the last five years trying to open the doors of educational institutions of all levels (from kindergartens to universities) to students with disabilities. Recently, I wrote and submitted a formal proposal for the development of an inclusive education program at Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv. Dr. Ihor Kobel and his colleagues have a strong commitment of providing post-secondary education for students with disabilities, so I hope their efforts of making UCU an inclusive university are successful.
Most Americans are accustomed to studying, working and living side-by-side with individuals with disabilities. The same is not true in Ukraine. The idea of allowing students with special needs to attend classes with their peers without disabilities is a radical and revolutionary concept here. The people of Ukraine aspire to be a modern, democratic European nation, so it is critical that significant and permanent reforms be made within the Ukrainian education system at all levels.
In 2009, Ukraine took a step towards improving equality for
individuals with disabilities by ratifying the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Interfax-Ukraine, 2011). While this is clearly a positive
development, the path toward improving educational and social opportunities for
individuals with disabilities has been excruciatingly slow and labored. The government of Ukraine is still very young,
and the country continues to face many daunting challenges regarding the
economy, the justice system, political system, the battle against corruption,
and the ongoing war with Russia. Consequently,
development and implementation of special education laws protecting the rights
of children with disabilities has been highly inconsistent (Weishaar &
Weishaar, 2011), with the result that special education legislation in Ukraine
has stalled. Currently, while Ukrainian
law states that all individuals with disabilities have a right to an education,
in reality, the law does not protect equality in education for individuals with
disabilities (Raver-Lampman & Kolchenko, 2007b), and, furthermore, laws
that are on the books are not enforced, so in reality students with special
educational needs are not guaranteed the same education provided to students
without disabilities.
In addition to inadequate and unenforced laws, teachers and
the general public are frequently resistant to inclusive education (Bondar,
2004; Kolupayeva, 2004; Ivanyuk, 2007).
Indeed, Kolupayeva (2004) has suggested that many teachers may even be
intentionally thwarting progress towards inclusion of students with
disabilities. When school teachers in
Lviv were surveyed about their opinions of inclusion, only 6% said they
supported inclusive education (Ivanyuk, 2007).
I have spoken in schools and universities throughout
Ukraine, and while many Ukrainians are beginning to support inclusive
education, I continue to encounter teachers and administrators who are
strongly opposed to inclusive education at all levels of education, including
post-secondary programs. Continued
opposition to inclusion has resulted in reform delays as educators face
resistance to the implementation of inclusive education programs (Ivanyuk, 2007;
Raver-Lampman & Kolchenko, 2007b).
Consequently, the absence of effective special education law
and active opposition to inclusion has resulted in a de-emphasis on equality
for students with disabilities at all levels of education, leaving Ukraine highly
dependent on an extensive network of special and residential schools for
children with disabilities (Raver-Lampman & Kolchenko, 2007a; UNICEF,
2011). Most children with disabilities
do not go to school with their peers without disabilities, but rather attend
segregated schools which are organized according to eight categories: deaf,
hard-of-hearing, blind, partially sighted, cognitively challenged,
learning-disabled and children with speech disorders (Zasenko, 2004; Ivanyuk,
2007). Additionally, it is not uncommon
for students with disabilities to be home schooled rather than attend a public
school program (Weishaar & Weishaar, 2011), while many other students with
disabilities are not educated at all (UNICEF, 2011). During my travels throughout Ukraine, I have been told repeatedly of instances when students with
disabilities have not been permitted to attend school, and most experienced
Ukrainian educators will also be aware of the same situation. Even students having just a physical
disability and normal cognitive ability may not be permitted to attend classes in their local school
or take secondary school exit exams following home schooling (Weishaar &
Weishaar 2011), making admittance into post-secondary programs exceedingly
difficult.
Sadly, the situation worsens as students with disabilities
grow to adulthood. Following
graduation from high school, students without disabilities continue on to
post-secondary programs, while adolescents with disabilities live at home with
their parents and do not further their education, resulting in high
unemployment. Adults with disabilities
have an extremely difficult time obtaining jobs. According to Ukrainian law, 4% of workers
hired by employers must have disabilities, but unfortunately, the law is not
enforced, so employers usually either avoid hiring employees with special needs or hire those
with only the mildest of disabilities (Raver-Lampman & Kolchenko,
2007a). Young people with special educational needs face chronic unemployment and social isolation.
Without opportunities to work, they become perpetual wards of their
parents and ultimately the State, because they are unable to support themselves
and live independently. Consequently,
they do not become integrated, productive members of the community, and the
resulting social isolation and dependence on public assistance comes at a very
high cost, not just for individuals with disabilities, but also for society,
which ultimately ends up paying a pension to individuals who remain at home and do not
productively contribute to the community.
One way of ending this vicious cycle of poverty and dependence is by providing students with disabilities unfettered access to post-secondary education.
Given the current political and educational climate, it is
critical for Ukrainian educators to be able to effectively justify why it is
important to desegregate higher education programs in Ukraine. Providing an inclusive education to students
with disabilities achieves a number of significant goals, one of the most
important of which is to develop students’ independence, thus ending the cycle
of poverty and perpetual dependence. Students
with disabilities who are successful in higher education learn skills and earn academic
degrees which help them secure employment following graduation (UNICEF, 2011;
WHO & World Bank 2011). Inclusion also
gives students with special needs opportunities to learn and socialize with
peers without disabilities, helping them develop valuable social skills
(Ivanyuk, 2007). It has also been
observed that the motivation and academic learning of students with special
educational needs improves when they are educated in an inclusive environment, leading
to greater academic achievement (Ivanyuk, 2007; UNICEF, 2011), which culminates
in improved feelings of self-worth (Ivanyuk, 2007).
Inclusive education is beneficial to students without
disabilities, as well. For instance,
they learn how to live and work cooperatively with students with special needs,
and they develop acceptance of their peers, which encourages positive social
interactions and successful integration within the wider community (Ivanyuk,
2007). The changes are considerable, as students
learn to be more open, while improving their relationships with their peers
with disabilities. Additionally, by
working and studying with students with special needs, students without
disabilities develop positive attitudes of their peers, leading to greater
social cohesion (UNICEF, 2011). Finally,
inclusive education reduces stigmatization of individuals with disabilities as
students learn tolerance and acceptance of individual differences and respect
for diversity, which are important characteristics in democratic societies
(UNICEF, 2011).
If Ukraine can successfully desegregate post-secondary education,
the results will be significant. Students
with disabilities will complete higher education programs and become
contributing members of society, rather than exist as wards of the State. Our experiences in the U.S. demonstrate that
students with special educational needs can succeed in higher education, and career options for these students are nearly limitless.
While
it is essential that Ukrainian universities begin the process of developing
inclusive education programs, it is not enough to simply admit students with
disabilities. Placing students
with disabilities in university classrooms may be considered a form of
integration, but it is not inclusion (Ivanyuk, 2007). Inclusion is a philosophy and
process that allows all students to participate in all academic and
extra-curriculum programs (Ivanyuk, 2007; Krsek, 2012; UNICEF, 2011). Furthermore, in order for individuals with
disabilities to succeed in higher education, a university must develop critical
support systems and services for these students. Academic support services and classroom
accommodations aim to provide deaf and hard of hearing students equal access to
the same instructional content as their peers without disabilities (Cawthon,
Schoffstall, Garberoglio, 2014), which provides students with special
educational needs with full and unfettered access to the curriculum. These supports and accommodations equalize
educational opportunities for students with disabilities and facilitate their
academic success. It is critical to
remember that success will not occur by merely placing students with special needs in
university classes. In cases
where students with disabilities have been admitted to Ukrainian universities without
being provided support, the consequences have been failure, which is then used
as evidence against inclusive education.
Furthermore, if Ukrainian universities are going to be serious about educating students with special needs, faculty and administrators must espouse a sincere belief and a strong vision that students with special needs have the same academic potential and educational rights as all other
students. This entails a rejection of
the stereotypical practice of limiting students with disabilities to
manual vocational training programs and allow them to participate in the same
academic programs as their peers. Dr.
Olga Krsek at V. Dahl EUNU constantly reminds other Ukrainian administrators
and professors that the role of universities is to train students’ minds for a future of independence, not their hands. It is also
important to remember that opening the doors of higher education to individuals
with disabilities is a basic human right (UNICEF, 2011).
Obviously, with any reform proposal there will always be
detractors opposed to any change, individuals who will insist that inclusion in
higher education is not possible. But it
is possible. Other programs in Ukraine
have succeeded in educating students with special needs, for example,
Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University in Luhansk and National
Dragomanov Pedagogical University in Kyiv. Will this be easy? No, of course not. In fact, it will be very difficult, but being
difficult is not a valid excuse to avoid doing the right thing. We must continue striving to make quality
education accessible to all students in Ukraine. There is a fundamental relationship between
how a society treats all of its members and the success of democracy. A society that systematically disenfranchises
and excludes specific groups cannot claim to be truly democratic. Democracy is a fragile system of government,
and it becomes increasingly frail, if a society denies education and community
participation to targeted groups who do not meet the social norm. One very important way to facilitate the
development of democracy is to foster acceptance of and equal opportunity to
all individuals, and desegregating higher education can help accomplish this
goal. Ukraine has made progress, but we
cannot stop now, for the future of the nation and its citizens depends on a shared
vision of equal educational opportunities for all students. Individuals with
disabilities can achieve their goals if given the opportunity, and they can
become independent, successful, contributing members of society. To continue denying students with
disabilities access to higher education not only holds them back, but it holds
Ukraine back as well.
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