Ways and prospects of development of higher inclusive education in Russia

U Rongwei Postgraduate student, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia 117198, Russia, Moscow, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 6 wu.rongwei@yandex.ru

Introduction

Issues related to the introduction of inclusive education into the practice of universities still remain one of the topics discussed in research circles and among practicing teachers. Despite the high degree of orientation of modern society towards the humanization of education, ensuring equality and non-discrimination, persons with disabilities and people with disabilities are among those segments of the population who are insufficiently covered by the sphere of higher education. The development of the system of higher inclusive education will allow young people to realize the right to education regardless of their psychophysical characteristics, which is one of the indicators of a modern developed society, each citizen of which can benefit according to their capabilities.

The relevance of the topic of this study lies in the fact that the introduction of inclusive education in universities, first of all, makes it possible to change the attitude of people with disabilities to their own learning opportunities in universities. It should be noted that today there are still quite a lot of factors that impede the quality education of this category of potential students within the walls of a modern higher school – people with disabilities "face serious obstacles to obtaining higher education even at the stage of professional self-determination" ^[13]. However, the implementation of inclusive education can become a tool for the integration of people with disabilities into the social sphere, as well as a guarantor of the protection and support of their rights to receive education. In addition, in this aspect, it is important to transform the educational paradigm, for example, providing high-quality education and preparing students with disabilities for life in society ^{[5, p. 202]}.

The study of the problem

The current stage of the development of ideas of inclusion in the practice of Russian universities is characterized by a high degree of research activity. Thus, various aspects of inclusive education in Russian higher education are described in the works of S. V. Alyokhina, A. A. Lebedeva, M. N. Smolnikova ^[1], A. A. Bikbulatova, E. A. Petrova ^[4], G. A. Romanova ^[10]. Practical ways of introducing inclusion into the activities of individual departments of universities and the work of Russian universities in general are reflected in the works of T. Y. Bogomolova, S. V. Korzhuk ^[5], O. P. Doroshina ^[7], G. S. Ptushkin, O. E. Roschenko ^[9]. The legal side of the organization of inclusive education and quality control of education for people with disabilities was considered by N. S. Volkova, E. V. Pulyaeva ^[6], L. V. Khristoforova, E. A. Krasnova ^[14]. Valuable information about the practice of introducing inclusive education in foreign universities is contained in the works of E. N. Morgacheva ^[8], V. G. Sushentsova, M. V. Burkova ^[12]. Despite the abundance of scientific research in the field of ideas of inclusion in education, the emphasis of state regulatory documents on the need to educate people with disabilities in higher education, universities still find certain difficulties in organizing conditions for people with disabilities, which significantly reduces their ability to provide education to people with disabilities. In addition, in the field of inclusive education, the problem is the lack of special training of teachers and the introduction of effective teaching methods for students with disabilities.

The scientific novelty of the study lies in the justification of the need to restructure the system of higher inclusive education in the Russian Federation, which today arises due to the transformation of both the education system itself and society, as well as the lack of high-quality integration of persons with disabilities into the educational space of universities. The author of the article establishes that the modern educational system should proceed from the current needs of society and ensure effective education in the future. In this regard, the paper analyzes the current processes in the higher education system, including inclusive education, and identifies the reasons that caused them. The answers to these questions will make it possible to develop modern education systems, including taking into account the capabilities and needs of students with special educational needs, which will further ensure a decent life for the younger generation.

Goals and objectives of the study

The purpose of this article is to identify the features of the development of inclusive education for people with disabilities and disabilities in Russia, its current problems and prospects, which determines the renewal and improvement of public policy in this area.

The objectives of the study are determined by the following:

1. based on the analysis of the existing regulatory framework and the actual practice of some Russian universities, identify the problems of introducing higher inclusive education in the Russian Federation;

2. identify the main approaches to the implementation of inclusive education in the higher school system;

3. to propose possible ways to improve the quality of the process of inclusion in the educational activities of higher schools of the Russian Federation of inclusive education and improvement of educational programs through the introduction of the index of inclusivity – a kind of "product" of self-reflection of the activities of higher schools seeking to implement inclusion in their activities.

Research methods and techniques

When working on the first stage of the study – the analysis of the right aspect of the introduction of inclusive education into the practice of Russian higher education – the author took into account the following documents:

- Federal Law "On Education in the Russian Federation" dated 12/29/2012 No. 273–FZ. Ed. dated 08/04/2023;

- Federal Law "On Social Protection of persons with Disabilities in the Russian Federation" dated 11/24/1995 No. 181–FZ. Ed. dated 04/28/2023;

-     The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;

- Collection of regulations and documents "Architectural and construction design. Providing an accessible living environment for the disabled and other low-mobility groups of the population."

When analyzing the experience of Russian higher education in teaching students with disabilities (the second stage of the study), information from the official websites of Russian universities was used: Chelyabinsk State University, St. Petersburg State University of Economics, Ural State Pedagogical University, which, in our opinion, show a high degree of readiness for admission and training of persons with disabilities.

The third stage of the study (formulation of conclusions and results of the work) applied theoretical methods of synthesis, systematization and extrapolation.

The theoretical significance of the work is determined by the expansion of ideas about higher inclusive education, the level of its development in Russian practice. The analysis of the main directions of education policy states that effective higher inclusive education in Russia is possible only in conditions of special training and retraining of teaching staff. At the same time, the purpose of this kind of training is the introduction of modern teaching methods and techniques into the system of higher inclusive education that could provide high results in this area.

The practical significance of the work lies in the fact that the identified problematic aspects of legal and state regulation of the education of persons with disabilities can be taken into account when improving the legislative framework in this area. In addition, the results of the study are intended to enrich the tools of self-reflection of universities seeking to implement true inclusion in their educational practice.

The main part

The development of the higher inclusive education system began in 1995 with the adoption of the law "On Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities in the Russian Federation", which made fundamental changes in this area. The goal of Russia's policy in the field of protecting the rights of citizens with disabilities has become "ensuring equal opportunities for disabled people with other citizens in the exercise of civil, economic, political and other rights and freedoms provided for by the Constitution of the Russian Federation", as well as "ensuring equal opportunities for disabled people with other citizens in the exercise of civil, economic, political and other rights and freedoms provided for by the Constitution of the Russian Federation." To date, the main regulatory documents in the field of higher inclusive education are such as the Federal Law "On Education", the Federal Law "On Social Protection of persons with disabilities in the Russian Federation".

The creation of legislation and policy in the field of higher inclusive education is an integral part of the overall state strategic development in the education system. All this forms a legal framework that can ensure that the rights of all students with disabilities are respected.

The very concept of "inclusive education" in the Federal Law of the Russian Federation "On Education" acts as a learning process that "ensures equal access to education for all students, taking into account the diversity of their specific educational needs and individual capabilities." Despite the fixation of this provision on the need to include persons with disabilities in the process of obtaining higher education, in practice their participation in the higher school system is hampered by many factors that underlie the educational process, form and emphasize the goals and objectives of education.

Undoubtedly, the modern education system is characterized by the humanization of learning and the creation of such learning and upbringing conditions that would contribute to meeting the educational needs of students with disabilities ^{[12, p. 12]}. And ensuring the right to receive high-quality education for people with disabilities seems to be an extremely important task, which has not been implemented as a whole today. In order to include inclusive education in the practice of higher education institutions, authorities and higher educational institutions should ensure, according to the accurate observation of G. S. Ptushkin, O. E. Roschenko:

- a holistic view of how the admission of people with disabilities to the university is organized, the teaching process itself and the assessment of its effectiveness;

- development of a mentoring system for students with disabilities;

- providing both academic and non-academic support to students with health restrictions ^{[9, p. 72]}.

These conditions, in fact, are dictated by the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which require guarantees of an inclusive education system at all levels and lifelong learning ^{[6, p. 57]}, which is "an effective form of active integration of students with disabilities into society" ^{[7, p. 21]}. Inclusive higher education is characterized by the elimination of barriers, encouraging the participation of all students in the educational process of higher education on the basis of equality for all and the elimination of discrimination.

In turn, the implementation of an inclusive higher education system in accordance with the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires a process of transformation of the university system, supported by the whole society. This determines the existence of appropriate legislation, the development of curricula that take into account the peculiarities of teaching people with disabilities, and special qualified training of teaching staff for the implementation of pedagogical activities among students with disabilities. Provided that universities are able to qualitatively integrate people with disabilities into their space, society as a whole will be able to realize inclusion not so much as a way of adapting people with disabilities to society, but as a category of natural consciousness.

Hence, first of all, the question of accessibility arises: to what extent universities form the conditions for the implementation of educational activities with students with disabilities and support their own employees in an effort to acquire the necessary professional skills to work in an audience of people with disabilities. The degree of material and technical equipment of the university, the didactic component of the educational process and the level of readiness of teachers to work with this contingent of students will depend on which type of inclusion develops in each particular educational institution.  There are two of them:

1. Formal inclusion is an educational process during which students study in educational programs along with students without special health conditions. But, despite this, in practice, the educational practice of students with disabilities is accompanied by a lack of adaptation of the educational process in accordance with the peculiarities of their health. Another option is to teach students with disabilities according to individual programs developed directly in educational institutions ^{[14, p. 170]}.

2. True inclusion, which is possible only if the teaching staff is prepared for inclusive education: teachers must have competencies that contribute to the selection of optimal technologies and methods of work for this category of students, extracted from the field of both general and special pedagogy ^{[15, p. 28]}. This approach to the organization of the educational process ensures the implementation of the principles of individualization and differentiation of the educational process to improve the quality of inclusive education.

It is significant that true inclusion is preferable, which is a more holistic process of creating conditions for the university to teach people with disabilities. Teachers working with people with disabilities, in order to expand their own competencies in the field of higher school work with an audience of students with disabilities, resort to taking advanced training courses on relevant topics, as well as using self-education opportunities. In our opinion, this list of measures to develop the necessary competence of the teaching staff interacting with students with disabilities should be enriched through interuniversity contacts. Joint events involve the exchange of experience between teachers (conferences, seminars, round tables, master classes). Within the framework of such formats of experience exchange, pedagogical achievements in this field are demonstrated, the effectiveness of which is proved through testing, which greatly enriches the competence of university teachers in working with people with disabilities and disabilities in the implementation of higher education tasks, forms their readiness to carry out activities with people with disabilities, expressed in a competent approach to compiling the content of educational programs of disciplines and courses ^{[8, p. 63]}.

The main tool for the qualitative inclusion of students with disabilities in the educational process of the university is the introduction of an adaptive learning environment, which partially overcomes the difficulties of adapting this category of students to the educational process. An adaptive educational environment involves the implementation of three components: spatial-subject, content-methodical, communicative-organizational ^{[3, pp. 19-21]}.

The spatial and subject component of the adaptive educational environment implies ensuring comfortable and safe access to the educational organization for people with disabilities, their movement within the university, which determines the availability of necessary ramps, handrails and other means, both on the territory of the university and directly in recreation areas and classrooms.

The content and methodological component involves the organization of a high-quality educational process for students with different educational needs, which includes people with disabilities, it is necessary to introduce modern teaching methods and technologies that can take into account the interests and needs of each subject of the educational process. Here, information and communication technologies, digital and electronic, become relevant, allowing information to be presented in a format accessible to persons with disabilities (for example, converting text elements into sound form), as well as technical means of organizing training - specialized software, a material and didactic base focused on use by persons with disabilities (specialized literature, in particular, it is decorated in Braille, etc.).

The communicative and organizational component of the adaptive educational environment is aimed, among other things, at maintaining the psychological comfort of students with disabilities studying in a mixed team (along with students without health characteristics). In the implementation of this component of the adaptive environment of the university, the role of teachers is great, striving to provide all possible support to the category of students in question, apply various methods and forms of work in the classroom, ways of broadcasting information that allow students with disabilities to master the educational program of the discipline.

However, the success of the implementation of inclusive education in the field of higher education of the state depends not only on the activities of universities. Currently, the national program "Accessible Environment" is being implemented at the state level, one of the goals of which, among other things, is to ensure accessibility of higher education for people with disabilities ^[14].

Resource training and methodological Centers (RMC) are being created to support inclusive education at the level of higher educational institutions. The centers help both students and university staff. Their field of activity includes cooperation with subjects of educational relations aimed at "changing such components of the educational environment as the curriculum, teaching methods (using special educational technologies), transforming the activities of teachers and specialists working with students with disabilities," as well as ensuring the psychological comfort of persons with disabilities who are university students ^{[11, p. 59]}.

There are 21 resource educational and methodological centers in the Russian Federation:

- 16 RMC operates on the basis of universities of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia;

- 5 RMC operates on the basis of universities subordinate to the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture.

The active work and development of the RMC, as well as the desire of universities to support the initiative of students with disabilities to study in higher education, confirm that the level of inclusive education in Russian universities is constantly developing. Cooperation agreements have been concluded with local authorities, local organizations of the disabled, cultural institutions and public organizations. Coordination of information exchange between resource educational and methodological centers, students with disabilities and universities is carried out through a specialized information portal https://èíêëþçèâíîåîáðàçîâàíèå .RF ^{[4, p. 8]}.

In addition, universities in the country have created advanced training courses for teachers of higher education to implement advanced training programs in the field of inclusive education. Much attention is also paid to measures to attract university graduates with disabilities and to accompany graduates in the activities of the Centers.

The organization of inclusive education in higher education with the support of the RMC is carried out by creating the following elements:

- adaptive training programs;

- accessible environment;

- computer systems for training, psychology, pedagogy and medical support;

- distance learning.

Thus, special technological solutions are provided for students with disorders of the musculoskeletal system, vision and hearing. In addition to adapting the software and ensuring the architectural accessibility of the entire infrastructure, staff training and retraining are being carried out in full, and teacher training programs are being updated ^{[4, p. 12]}.

Thus, the RMC solves problems related to the participation of people with disabilities and various health disorders in higher education, and provides educational and methodological support to universities working with such citizens. At the same time, this system is based mainly on the efforts of the educational community and has not yet received sufficient legal status.

However, even if there is no RMC directly within the walls of an educational organization, some Russian universities find an effective practice of introducing an inclusive educational environment for students with disabilities into the university's activities. For example, Ural Pedagogical University has created an environment for visually impaired students, in particular, Braille and a special enlarged font are widely used when printing textbooks. Distance learning has been introduced at the St. Petersburg University of Economics for students with limited mobility. A barrier-free environment has been created at Chelyabinsk State University, namely: ramps, elevator lifts have been installed, and an auditorium for visually impaired students is functioning.

These examples demonstrate fruitful solutions in the field of the development of ideas of inclusion in higher education, however, even in the conditions of active work of universities in this direction, as well as strong support from the state, it should still be stated that currently Russia is experiencing only a period of formation of inclusive higher education. As for the prospects for the development of inclusive education, the so–called inclusivity index can be used as an assessment of the effectiveness of state programs - a kind of self-assessment of the university's activities, consisting of several factors determining the university's readiness to accept and teach students with disabilities.

To calculate the index of inclusivity, a survey is conducted among the management and staff of the university. At the same time, the index should by no means be understood as a tool for developing university standards or a control tool, but rather as a self-assessment method for internal use in higher education.

The central element of the index may be an extensive list of questions designed to serve as a kind of incentive for self-reflection. The questions can be grouped according to three dimensions of the university's readiness to accept and teach students with disabilities (cultural, structural and practical) (Table 1).

Table 1. The structure of the index of inclusivity in higher education

Based on this model of the inclusivity index, it is supposed to exchange views of university staff on the main dimensions of inclusivity. Three interrelated aspects form the basis for the analysis of the organizational development process. In particular, the cultural dimension is aimed at supporting the development of inclusive culture in the institution, creating a common inclusive framework of values. The structural dimension improves the quality of education for people with disabilities through the use of adaptive teaching methods, accessibility of the format of educational information provided, etc. The practical dimension focuses on the development of learning mechanisms that correspond to the diversity of the parties involved, and serves to identify sources of resources to increase inclusivity.

Thus, the inclusivity index can be used in various ways to take the steps taken by a particular institution towards inclusive higher education.

There are also several possible approaches to ensuring inclusive higher education:

1. Adaptation of buildings and premises to ensure their accessibility for people with disabilities (for example, installation of elevators, ramps and handrails for barrier-free movement).

2. Providing distance learning and distance learning opportunities to meet the needs of students with disabilities.

3. Creation of counseling centers, mentoring programs and tutoring services to support students with disabilities who discover academic or emotional problems in the process of mastering educational programs and/or co-education with students without special health conditions.

4. Training of university staff to create awareness of the needs of various groups of students.

5. Integrating diverse content and points of view into the curriculum in order to reflect a wide range of experiences and opinions. This includes creating platforms for intercultural exchange and creating an atmosphere of diversity at the university.

6. Providing information in an understandable language and in various formats such as text, audio and video to meet different learning styles and needs.

7. Digitalization is also playing an increasingly important role in higher education. Implementation of digitalization strategies focused on inclusivity. Digitalization can promote integration, equality of opportunity and increased teaching flexibility in higher education institutions, as it helps to realize the different needs of students in the learning process. But, on the other hand, it can also create educational barriers if the software is not designed in accordance with the needs of a specific group of students with disabilities (there is no possibility of broadcasting text material in audio format, textbooks with enlarged font, Braille, sufficient visualization of educational information, etc.).

The results of the study

Higher inclusive education is one of the key aspects of the development of society and ensuring equal opportunities for all citizens. In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the development of inclusive education in higher education in Russia, preference is given to true inclusion, which, along with formal (unfortunately, still present in the practice of Russian universities) is defined as one of the types of inclusion of students with disabilities in the educational process of higher education.

Methodologically, inclusive education in Russian universities is based on such legislative acts as the Constitution of the Russian Federation, where one of the key provisions is to ensure equal rights of citizens to education, and also mentions the prohibition of discrimination regarding health characteristics. People with disabilities should have access to general higher education and lifelong learning without discrimination and on an equal basis with others. This is required not only by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but also by other national and international legal norms. Universities solve this problem in various ways. But communication, digital, didactic, structural and other barriers still make it difficult for people with disabilities to enroll, study and improve their skills.

Modern university practice in the field of inclusive education still finds problems with the inclusion of adaptive learning programs in its activities; an accessible educational, material and subject environment, specialized software for learning tools; an appropriate didactic base that takes into account the health characteristics of all persons with disabilities; distance learning technologies.

Among the most promising, in our opinion, models for improving the system of inclusive higher education, is the use of the inclusion index in the practice of universities, which has cultural, structural and practical components in its structure. In connection with its consideration, possible ways to improve the quality of inclusive education in universities are considered: ensuring proper material and technical equipment of buildings, classrooms and adjacent territories of universities for the convenience of use by persons with disabilities; implementation of correspondence and/or distance learning for this category of students; continuous improvement of knowledge, skills and abilities of the teaching staff of universities in matters of inclusion through participation in thematically related events and systematic completion of advanced training courses; strengthening the role of digitalization as a tool that increases access to education for people with disabilities.

Conclusions

Thus, all the above-mentioned ways to effectively implement inclusive education in the practice of Russian higher education should be taken into account in the context of political regulation of the activities of higher schools of the Russian Federation, which could provide equivalent opportunities regarding the availability of quality education for students with disabilities.

It also outlines the need for measures to improve legislation in the field of inclusive higher education in the Russian Federation as a promising way to introduce inclusion into the work of universities. The implementation of policy in this area in accordance with the planned plans and programs will enable young people with disabilities to integrate into society and become its full-fledged citizen.

The prospects for further development of higher inclusive education in the space of Russian universities are the inclusion in the activities of universities of self-examinations on the university's readiness to accept and train people with disabilities, the results of which will provide a basis for a more adequate assessment of the state of higher inclusive education in Russia. In addition, scientific research on the search and implementation of new tools that promote the attraction and high-quality professional training of students with disabilities, taking into account their educational needs and health characteristics, is promising in this direction. The information component of the activities of teachers working with people with disabilities also requires expansion. Newsletters for the teaching staff of higher education institutions should contain recommendations on various categories of disability.