The opportunities of physical environment in the context of inclusive education

We discuss the possibilities of the physical environment to create conditions to en- able every child in the process of learning and social interaction. It is shown that the physical environment is a crucial factor in human development, encompassing the capacity to maintain psychological well-being and human capabilities. We draw at- tention to the importance to study not only the social aspect of the living environment, but also its material component. We reveal the basic concepts and mechanisms of the interaction of humans and the environment as the basis for the formation of an inclusive space. The authors suggest that such concepts as environment friendliness and inclusiveness are closely interlinked with common ground in principle of environ- ment compliance to capabilities and features of a person. We also discuss a possible model of the physical environment of inclusive space, based on the principles of hu- man interaction and the living space and the ideas of universal design. We conclude that the creation of conditions for equal access to education must take into account features of the physical environment in terms of its friendliness to every student.

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