Children with special needs accepted and rejected by society

More than half of the children who are in the same class with children suffering from disabilities regard them as ordinary persons. More than 50% of the disabled children attending secondary schools say they get along with their classmates, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a study of the efficiency of the inclusion of disabled children into general education institutions in Moldova. Inclusion in education brings about notable changes. According to the study, over 60% of the children started to better understand the subjects, especially the humanistic ones. The children are in high spirits and are more joyful. The study shows that many persons do not accept the children with special needs. Thus, these children do not believe in themselves. This uncertainty is seen during classes and the extracurricular activities. A change of mentality is needed in order to make the educational inclusion process more efficient. There should be also established partnerships between the state institutions and nongovernmental organizations so as to devise the legislative base and inclusive education policies. The education institutions where disabled children study should be outfitted with special teaching aids. The curriculum must be modified and there should be created intraschool child development teams. The study was carried out by the Resource Center “Inclusiv Eu” that is affiliated to the Center “Speranta”, in cooperation with the School Psychology Sector of the Institute of Education Sciences, with financial support from Hilfswerk Austria and ERSTE Foundation. There were questioned respondents from primary and secondary schools from six settlements, including 788 classmates of children with special needs, 87 teachers, representatives of the local public administration, district and municipal education divisions, and parents of disabled children.