The Results of the First Half of the Implementation of Interdepartmental Comprehensive Plans for the Accessibility of all Levels of Education for People with Disabilities and Disorders

The materials of the conference dedicated to the results of the first half of the implementation of the Interdepartmental Comprehensive Plan to increase the accessibility of secondary vocational and higher education for people with disabilities and disorders, as well as the Interdepartmental Comprehensive Plan for the development of inclusive general and additional education, children's recreation, and the creation of special conditions have been published for students with disabilities and disorders. The conference took place on July 29, 2022 in Moscow (Russia).

On July 29, 2022, in accordance with clause 5 of the Action Plan of the Council under the Government of the Russian Federation on guardianship in the social sphere for 2022, the following conference was held: “The Results of the first half of the implementation of the Interdepartmental Comprehensive Action Plan to increase the accessibility of secondary vocational and higher education for people with disabilities and disorders, including vocational guidance and employment of these persons and the Interdepartmental Comprehensive Action Plan for the Development of Inclusive General and Additional Education, Children’s Recreation, Creation of Special Conditions for Students with Disabilities and Disorders for a Long-Term Period (until 2030)” (hereinafter referred to as the Conference).

Among the members of the Conference there were representatives of federal and regional executive authorities in the field of education and social protection of the population, educational organizations of higher education, chief freelance psychologists, heads of public organizations and non-profit organizations (NPOs). The conference was held in a mixed format at the site of Moscow State University of Psychology and Education. In total, 421 people participated in it1.

The Commissioner for the Children’s Rights under the President of the Russian Federation M.A. Lvova-Belova presented the report “Proposals and recommendations on the implementation of the Interdepartmental Comprehensive Plan (ICP) from the Institute of Commissioners of Children’s Rights”.

Among the main speakers of the Conference were the Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, D.V. Afanasiev, Deputy Minister of Education of the Russian Federation, D.E. Gribov, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation, A.V. Vovchenko. In their speeches, the representatives of the federal executive authorities informed the Conference participants about the current state and intermediate results of the implementation of ICP for the period January-July 2022.

The Heads of regional executive authorities in the field of education O.G.

Antonova (Ivanovo region), E.V. Shamonova (Primorsky region), M.V. Bykova (Tambov region), A.N. Golovnin (Novosibirsk region), M.A. Teteruk (Volgograd region) in their reports shared information about regional experience, problems and possible solutions at the initial stage of the implementation of the Interdepartmental Comprehensive Plans for the Accessibility of All Levels of Education for Persons with Disabilities and Disorders2.

The speakers noted that the following is of fundamental importance for the

successful implementation of Ru events:

organization of interdepartmental interaction and coordination of the work of those responsible for the implementation of ICP;

enhancing the role of regional education systems to achieve the goals and objectives of ICP;

wider involvement of professional and public organizations, as well as NPOs working in the field of educational and social inclusion, in the implementation of ICP.

An expert assessment of the first results of the implementation of ICP activities and proposals for their adjustment were presented in the reports of the Council members E.Yu. Klochko and V.V. Rubtsov.

E.Yu. Klochko informed the participants about the results of the analysis of regional plans and first results of their implementation. The expert noted the importance of ICP for the long-term development of inclusive education at all its levels. She emphasized that the document should become the basis for real changes in the development of inclusive education in the country until 2030.

The results of the analysis of regional plans showed that in 44.6% of the constituent entities of the RF interdepartmental plans were approved only by the regional executive authority in the field of education, in 18% of the subjects the plans were approved by a joint order of the executive authorities in the field of education, social protection and health care, in 37% regions the plan was approved by the Government of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation. Moreover, as the examination showed, the quality of the Plans and the interagency of approaches on the implementation of measures indicated in it directly depends on who approved the Plan of the subject. It is noteworthy that public organizations of the disabled and specialized NPOs were involved in the development of regional interdepartmental plans only in 21% of the subjects of the Russian Federation, in the rest of the subjects such a cooperation has not been built. At the same time, the Ministry of Education recommended that the subjects involve public organizations of the disabled, regional parent organizations and specialized SO NPOs in the development of regional plans.

In 42.2% of the constituent RF entities, ICP provides for interdepartmental interaction, 12% of the subjects provide for interaction only with regional authorities in the field of social protection. The rest of the subjects, when developing the interdepartmental plan, did not focus on interdepartmental interaction.

NPOs, parental and public organizations of the disabled are not properly involved in the implementation of ICP at the regional level: only 31% of the constituent RF entities assume cooperation with these organizations in the implementation and monitoring of strategic and practical changes in the development of the inclusive process in education. At the same time, the quality of strategic planning largely depends on the specificity of the result of the planned activities. In ICP of most regions (66%), the planned activities are not defined specifically and require further development.

Taking into account the results of the analysis, the report formulates and gives specific proposals and recommendations for the implementation of ICP. The effective measures are the following:

in accordance with the interdepartmental nature of ICP, to recommend to the constituent RF entities, the approval of ICP and control over its implementation by the executive authorities of the regions the level of which ensures interdepartmental interaction for the departments of education, social protection, healthcare, culture and sports;

holding regular strategic sessions with regional authorities in the field of education, social protection and healthcare to discuss consolidated requirements for regional plans and their implementation for the planned period in order to develop inclusive general and supplementary education;

in order to create a resource network of regional organizations that develop inclusive pre-school, general and supplementary education, the implementation of resource, coordination and scientific and methodological support, as well as expert activities in terms of the implementation of ICP, to create the Federal Resource Center for the Development of Inclusive Education on the basis of MSUPE;

amend paragraph 4.1 of the federal ICP on the development of early correctional care, taking into account the development of an early care system for children from 0 to 3 years old in accordance with the Concept of a system of comprehensive rehabilitation and habilitation of the disabled, including children with disorders developed in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2025, approved by Decree of the Government of the RF dated December 18, 2021 No. 3711-r;

supplement the activities of ICP with measures to provide educational institutions with special didactic equipment, special technical and assistive means, including means of alternative additional communication;

to consider the issue of creating a working group under the Expert Council of the Ministry of Education on the comprehensive support of children with severe and multiple developmental disorders, to introduce a separate item in ICP in this area;

involve regional organizations of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Sports in the implementation of the Intermediate Program and training of personnel for work in additional education, the development and network implementation of adapted basic educational programs, ensuring the availability of additional education organizations and the services provided for children with disabilities and disorders;

to recommend the wide involvement of public organizations of the disabled, specialized SO NPOs at the level of the constituent entities of the RF in the implementation and monitoring of strategic and practical changes in the development of an inclusive process in education, as well as the study of parental requests on this topic, including inclusive summer holidays, specialized camp shifts, summer camps in educational organizations.

V.V. Rubtsov, in his report, dwelled on the organizational and managerial conditions that ensure the success of the implementation of ICP activities and the systematic development of inclusive education at all its levels. Within the framework of ICP, these conditions include the models, standards and standardized methods of working with the problems of educational and social inclusion that are being developed. These are, first of all, those indicated in the relevant ICP events:

a typical model of an inclusive educational organization (taking into account the principle of continuity of education, it is proposed to include in ICP the development of a model of an inclusive organization of secondary vocational education and a model of an inclusive educational organization of higher education — clause I.1.1);

a new model for the activities of centers for psychological, pedagogical, medical and social assistance that contribute to the development of comprehensive support for children with disabilities and disorders (clause V.1);

PMPK performance standard (clause V.2);

a standard (standardized method) for identifying and evaluating the best practices of social and educational inclusion, based on the principle of evidence (the method determines the nature of the activities of Laboratories created on the basis of universities that have the Resource Educational and Methodological Centers (REMCs) in their structure — items II.4.2., I.4.6);

a pilot model of the rehabilitation of a student with a disability on the basis of the RGSU and MSUPE (clause II.4.1).

The expert proposed to clarify the wording and tasks for the implementation of relevant activities within the framework of the IPC, pay special attention to the novelty and requirements for the implementation of these activities.

According to V.V. Rubtsov, it is also advisable to specifically consider the development and adoption of the National Strategy for the Development of Inclusive Education in the Russian Federation. And although the development of such a Strategy formally goes beyond the scope of ICP, the demand for it is currently growing, which is associated with new social risks and challenges.

Under the new conditions, the Strategy can become an important guideline in solving the problems of educational and social inclusion, and, as a result, a relevant tool for the qualitative implementation of ICP activities.

During the subsequent discussion on the implementation of ICP, the Conference participants, representatives of the professional community and the parent community made proposals that should also be taken into account when adjusting the activities of ICP.

D.G. Gurtskaya, in her speech, spoke about the practice of the Diana Gurtskaya Center for Social Integration, which implements additional education programs for blind children, and suggested using the experience of this center when involving children with disabilities in socio-cultural activities (provided for in clause II.3.7. ICP).

F.R. Mukhamedzhan presented information about the systematic experience of the Art, Science and Sport Charitable Foundation with people with visual impairments, as well as about the projects implemented by the Foundation aimed at improving the competencies necessary for teachers and employees of educational organizations to communicate with students with disabilities. F.R. Mukhamedzhan proposed to include a special educational course in the advanced training programs for the teaching staff of universities, aimed at developing the competencies of the teaching staff in terms of tutor support for students with visual impairments (the proposal corresponds to clause II.2.6. ICP).

Specific proposals for adjusting the activities of ICP were made on the basis of a detailed analysis verified by the head of the REMC network A.A. Bikbulatova. She noted the need to develop mechanisms for cooperation between ROIB, BPOO, REMC SPO, PMPK, SZN with universities in the framework of interdepartmental interaction; as well as inclusion in regional programs, regulations of road maps, the conclusion of relevant agreements (clause I.2.3., clause I.4.1.).

It is also proposed to conduct an annual advanced training of experts participating in evaluation activities on the organization of inclusive vocational education and the creation of special conditions for the receipt of vocational education by disabled people and persons with disorders, on the basis of universities where REMCs operate, as well as on the basis of specialized federal centers (p. I.2.5.) A package of rewordings, which must be introduced into the relevant paragraphs of ICP has been presented.

M.A. Teteruk, in her report, spoke about the intermediate results of the implementation of ICP in the Volgograd region and presented new standards for financing education for students with disabilities developed at the regional level in accordance with the Federal State Educational Standard for students with disabilities, depending on the nosology. The norms for financing education for such students being implemented in the Volgograd Region can be taken as the basis for further work within the framework of the implementation of clause I.1.5. ICP.

In the report of A.L. Bitova made suggestions that should be taken into account when implementing the activities of ICP:

— to create an interdepartmental working group under the Ministry of Education of Russia, including representatives of the Ministry of Education of the RF, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the RF, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the RF, the Ministry of Health of the RF, Rosobrnadzor, ICP RAO, VORDI, the “Value of Everyone” Alliance, other public organizations and prepare coordinated proposals for making additions to interdepartmental comprehensive plans;

— to prepare recommendations to the executive authorities of the constituent entities of the RF on the creation of regulatory, organizational, methodological, material, technical, personnel, financial and other conditions for the development of high-quality education for children with severe multiple developmental disorders (SMDD);

— in order to organize interaction and continuity in the education and socialization of students and the use of special individual development program (SIDP) as a common tool for achieving the goals of forming life competencies, develop and approve an exemplary procedure for interdisciplinary interaction between educational organizations and social (inpatient) service institutions in which children and adults with disabilities live intelligence, with SMDD.

S.V. Alyokhina, in her speech, provided information on the progress in the implementation of clause I.1.1. of IPC, in terms of the development of unified criteria for assessing an inclusive educational organization in the field of general, additional education and the Typical model of an inclusive educational organization, indicated the need to develop models of this type to focus on the principle of continuity of inclusive education, to develop models for all stages of children’s education (planned by the Plan for 2023).

The participants of the Conference agreed with the proposal that the primary problem, the solution of which will make it possible to better organize the timely and high-quality implementation of the entire range of IPC activities, could be the holding of strategic sessions, where the stages and conditions for the implementation of specific activities will be discussed. In this regard, it was proposed to organize the 1st strategic session “Development and testing on the basis of the universities of FGBOU VO “MSUPE” and FGBOU VO “RGSU” of a pilot model of rehabilitation of a student with disabilities, taking into account the available variant possibilities of these organizations (university clinic, sanatoriums, etc.)” in September 2022 (Pyatigorsk, responsible A.A. Bikbulatova, G.G. Saitgalieva, MSUPE, RGSU), the 2nd strategic session “Identification, evaluation and replication of the best inclusive practices based on the method of evidence” — in October 2022 (Moscow, MSUPE, ASI; responsible: V.V. Rubtsov, E.Yu. Klochko, A.A. Bikbulatova).

The Conference participants decided:

1. To create a working group consisted of interested members of the Council, representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, the Ministry of Education of Russia, the Ministry of Labor of Russia, in order to summarize proposals and recommendations for adjusting and implementing the activities of the IPC. By September 15, 2022, submit the agreed proposals for adjusting ICP to the Council (responsible E.Yu. Klochko, V.V. Rubtsov).

2. To agree and submit to the Council the Plan for holding strategic sessions on the implementation of the most relevant activities of ICP for the period up to June 2023. (Deadline: September 10, 2022, responsible E.Yu. Klochko, V.V. Rubtsov, A.A. Bikbulatova, G.G. Saitgalieva).

The participants expressed their gratitude to the Council and its leader T.A.

Golikova, highly appreciated the work of the Conference as an important stage in the implementation of ICP events, and confirmed their intention to actively participate in the implementation.

By order of the Council:

E.Yu. Klochko, V.V. Rubtsov