The Inclusive University

“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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