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Autism and Developmental Disorders
2025. Vol. 23, no. 2, 24–34
doi:10.17759/autdd.2025230203
ISSN: 1994-1617 / 2413-4317 (online)

Parents’ assessment of the accessibility of educational institutions for children with autism spectrum disorders in Belarus

 
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Abstract

Context and Relevance. Ensuring the accessibility of educational institutions for students with special educational needs is based on the principle of inclusion. Accessibility is defined by the maximum possible inclusion of the student in the educational process and social interaction, as well as the satisfaction of their educational needs. Objective. To assess the level of accessibility of educational institutions in the Republic of Belarus for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Methods and Materials. The study analyzed data from a national survey on the accessibility of preschool and general secondary education institutions for students with special educational needs in the Republic of Belarus, conducted in 2025. The study involved 1,887 parents (legal representatives) of preschool and school-age students with ASD. Accessibility was considered as a combination of components: organizational, substantive and methodological, financial (material), territorial, socio-psychological, and informational. The main research method was a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire items assessed the criteria and indicators for each component of educational institution accessibility. Evaluations were made using a three-point scale corresponding to critical, basic, and optimal levels of accessibility. Results. Parents of students with ASD frequently rated the accessibility of educational institutions for their children as optimal: from 46.2% to 66.9% depending on the specific accessibility component. Statistically significant differences were found in the levels of accessibility between preschool and general secondary education institutions, as well as in the levels of individual accessibility components for students with ASD. Every eighth respondent indicated an unacceptable level of territorial accessibility, and every tenth indicated unacceptable organizational and financial accessibility. Conclusions. The lowest accessibility ratings were given to the territorial, financial, and organizational components. Preschool education institutions were found to have higher accessibility levels compared to general secondary education institutions. Further analysis is needed to identify and address the factors that reduce the accessibility of educational institutions.

General Information

Keywords: educational institutions, accessibility, students with special educational needs, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), parents, inclusive education

Journal rubric: Diagnostic Tools

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/autdd.2025230203

Funding. This article was prepared based on the results of the international technical assistance project “Inclusive Education: A Favourable Environment for Realizing the Potential of Every Child”, approved by Resolution No. 15 of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus on March 21, 2022.

Received 24.04.2025

Accepted

Published

For citation: Khitryuk, V.V., Lemekh, E.A., Feklistova, S.N., Strogaya, Yu.V., Kutysh, A.Z. (2025). Parents’ assessment of the accessibility of educational institutions for children with autism spectrum disorders in Belarus. Autism and Developmental Disorders, 23(2), 24–34. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/autdd.2025230203

© Khitryuk V.V., Lemekh E.A., Feklistova S.N., Strogaya Yu.V., Kutysh A.Z., 2025

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

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Information About the Authors

Vera V. Khitryuk, Doctor of Education, Professor, Director of the Institute of Inclusive Education, Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank, Professor of the Institute of Education of the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Minsk, Belarus, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1722-3713, e-mail: 3577058@gmail.com

Elena A. Lemekh, Doctor of Education, Professor of the Department of Special Pedagogy, Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank, Minsk, Belarus, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2634-7435, e-mail: vea.68@mail.ru

Svetlana N. Feklistova, Doctor of Education, Professor, Professor, Chair of Correctional and Developmental Technologies, Institute of Inclusive Education, Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank, Minsk, Belarus, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0195-897X, e-mail: feklsv@mail.ru

Yuliya V. Strogaya, Deputy Director for Academic Affairs, Institute of Inclusive Education, Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank, Minsk, Belarus, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0994-0038, e-mail: strogaya.uv@gmail.com

Alexander Z. Kutysh, Head of the Educational and Organizational Department, Institute of Inclusive Education, Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank, Minsk, Belarus, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-5053-2742, e-mail: alexkutysh@gmail.com

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