The State Duma warned about the threats of pseudo-inclusion

October 10 is World Inclusive Education Day.

According to State Duma deputy Oleg Smolin, Russia needs parallel development of the system of correctional and inclusive education.

MOSCOW, October 10 – RIA Novosti. October 10 is World Inclusive Education Day. Deputy of the State Duma, academician of the Russian Academy of Education (RAO) Oleg Smolin, who is a member of the Commission under the President of the Russian Federation for Persons with Disabilities, warned about the threats associated with pseudo-inclusion.

“If 15-20 years ago we drew attention to the fact that there is a lack of inclusion in the country, now the main threat is pseudo-inclusion, which takes on different forms. For example, people with disabilities of different nosologies are gathered under one roof and they say that this is inclusion. This has nothing to do with inclusion - this is profanation. This cannot be done,” he said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“Blind and deaf children cannot communicate normally with each other. Likewise, blind children and children with autism spectrum disorders communicate very poorly with each other. Why bring them together in one school? Inclusion should always be considered within the limits of the possible and reasonable,” he noted, adding that there are situations where inclusion is completely justified, for example, for children with musculoskeletal disorders it is enough to create a common accessible environment and provide a reasonable approach to the regime day.

“Never in any country in the world can a system be created where every child with a health impairment can study in every school. Yes, you can create an accessible environment, but train all teachers in the Braille method (tactile raised-dot font that helps blind and visually impaired people read and write - editor’s note), sign language, and even more so, teach them how to instill in deaf children the skill of reading lips... This is impossible,” the parliamentarian believes.

In his opinion, Russia requires parallel development of both systems.

“Without under any circumstances destroying the system of correctional education, it is necessary to simultaneously develop a system of inclusive education,” Smolin noted, emphasizing that this is exactly the position he will defend in the Commission under the President of the Russian Federation for People with Disabilities.

“I graduated from a correctional school (Smolin is a visually impaired person of the first group. - Ed.) and I am convinced that in a regular school I would not have received such a high-quality education that the dear teachers of the correctional school gave me,” he added.