3rd Workshop on Training of Teachers of the Visually Impaired in Europe,
Warsaw, Poland, 3 - 6 April 2002
by mrs Svetlana Gaidukevich
The idea of integration of pupils with special educational needs is being adopted in Belarus and has been actively taken root in practice last seven years. This work is supported by Ministry of Educational, Research Institute of education, Parent's Association of visually impaired children.
There is a necessary legislative base for integration of pupils with special educational needs in our Republic. There are "Law about children's rights", "Law about education", "Project of Law about special education". Due to this laws family can choose any form of education for visually impaired children (special schools, special classes in mainstream schools or general classes in mainstream schools). Except these lows 12th legislative documents regulate educational integration of visually impaired children ("Conception of special education reformation", "Provisional Regulations about integration for pupils with special educational needs").
This legislative base allowed to make structural and organization reforms in the visual impairment educational system, to make them more open and flexible. All parts of this system (a pre-school, a primary school, a secondary school, a vocational school) give a good possibility to receive education both in the special establishments and in the mainstream establishments. There are three main forms of integration for pupils with special educational needs: 1) the special class in the mainstream school (only visually impaired children study in this class, a special teacher (with special education) work with them); 2) the integration class in the mainstream school (healthy and visually impaired children study in this class together, and two teaches work in this class together too, one of them is a classroom teacher, another - a support teacher; 3) the consultation (visually impaired children study in mainstream school, they work with a classroom teacher, a special support they receive from specialists out side the school in the Special Centre or the Special Station (full name of these establishments: the Centre of Development and Rehabilitation, the Station of Special Pedagogical Support). In most of all cases the first and the second form is used for blind and multi-disabled visually impaired children, the third form - for partially sighted children.
There are not many special and integration classes in Belarus where visually impaired pupils can study. Families of this children (especially blind and multi-disabled) prefer to give training for them in the special establishments (in the special kindergarten, in the special school). The causes of this situation are: 1) traditions; 2) impossibility to receive special psychological and pedagogical support near home (especially for children from village); 3) the lack of special educational equipments in mainstream school.
There is a special methodical base for integration of pupils with special educational needs. This base includes: 1) standards which define content of education in general and special support spheres (visual basic skills, orientation and mobility, daily living skills, social skills and e.t.c.); 2) plans and programs (there are 6th versions of them for pupils with different disabilities). Classroom teachers and support teachers use these documents to make up individual curriculum for visually impaired pupils.
There is the special Methodical Centre in Belarus, which prepares and issues textbooks and manuals for visually impaired children, special publications for teachers and parents. Pupils are provided with educational literature within the school program free-of-charge. There are certain difficulties in ensuring the visually impaired pupils with special equipments, tiphlotechnical means. They are not produced in Belarus and the schools have a lack of finance to buy them in other countries.
Support teachers can ask for special-school specialists on professional questions, can take educational literature and special equipments in the library, can take part in the professional seminars and master-classes.
Support teachers must have special education. They receive it in the University (on the Special pedagogical faculty) or on the department of educational specialists retraining. Support teachers can enhance your qualifications on the different courses after the base special education.
The base of support teachers is determined by forms of educational integration which the family choose for their visually impaired child. It may be the integration class in the mainstream school, the Centre of Development and Rehabilitation (it serves big territory (province, region)) or the Station of Special Pedagogical Support (it serves several schools in one region).
The ratio of the number of support teachers to the number of children is different. It is regulated by legislative documents. Usually 6 (blind) or 12 (partially sighted) pupils study in the special class with special teacher; 3 (multi-disabled visually impaired) or 6 (only visually impaired (blind and partially sighted)) study in the integration class with one support teacher; in Centre and Station - 8 (multi-disabled visually impaired) or 20 (only visually impaired) for one support teacher.
The ultimate aim of support teacher in mainstream school is to provide support for pupils. Except this aim he collaborates with the classroom teacher, healthy pupils, and families.
We decide several tasks in preparing support teacher:
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