The Purpose, Objectives and Main Directions of the Development of Inclusive Higher Education in the Russian Federation

The article provides an analysis of the current state of inclusive higher education in Russia based on the results of the implementation of the Interdepartmental Comprehensive Action Plan to ensure accessibility of vocational education for people with disabilities for 2016-2018 (approved by the Government of the Russian Federation on May 23, 2016 N 3467p-P8).According to this Plan a set of measures was implemented to help ensure that persons with disabilities receive high-quality higher education. The development and adoption of this document marked the beginning of a new stage in the formation and development of inclusive higher education in the Russian Federation, which determined the goals, objectives and ways to achieve the main indicators of creating an accessible educational environment in Russian universities. Today in the Russian Federation a new Interdepartmental Comprehensive Action Plan has been developed and approved to increase the accessibility of secondary vocational and higher education for people with disabilities and limited health capabilities, including career guidance and employment of these persons. It was approved by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Tatyana Golikova No. 14000p-P8 (hereinafter referred to as the Interdepartmental Comprehensive Plan, ICP, VO, SPO). The 2021 ICP was formed by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science together with the Russian Ministry of Education, the Russian Ministry of Labor, other federal executive bodies and public organizations. The activities of the Interdepartmental Comprehensive Plan bring together more than 25 performers. The development of this Plan, as a strategic planning document based on the principles of succession and continuity, taking into account the stages and results of the implementation of previously adopted documents and largely determines the main directions for the development of inclusive higher education.

Introduction

After the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, affordable and high-quality higher education for people with disabilities is the leading idea of social policy in education and at the same time the most important basis for further growth in the quality and standard of living for all citizens of the Russian Federation, including this category of the population [1]. The orientation of social policy to fully meet the needs of people with disabilities in receiving higher education requires not just changes, but a deep transformation of the entire educational system, including programs, projects, organizational and managerial decisions.

The inclusive transformation of higher education means an approach in which taking diversity into account is a priority in the process of changing the eco-environment. Transformation, unlike changes in any local aspects, involves the transformation of the university as a system, i.e. a change in its purpose, mission, its functions in society and, in accordance with this, the set of activities carried out, the technologies used and the forms of incorporation. The changes affect both the ideal plane (the image of the university, the understanding of its mission) and the actual plane (how the university is organized, what its activities are). In the transformation process, the university becomes different – a "different entity" corresponding to the situation of a new "reassembly of the world" [3].

An inclusive transformation includes four main characteristics: 1) process; 2) identification of and barrier removal; 3) involvement and progress of all students; 4) consideration of vulnerable students [1]. In addition, inclusive transformation (inclusive excellence) is considered as a process and result, including the achievement of high academic results and a high level of the subjective well-being of all university community members [2].

The accelerated development of inclusive higher and professional education in Russia, which began in 2016, contributed to the creation of Resource Educational and Methodological Centers for teaching people with disabilities on the base of educational organizations of secondary professional and higher education, building network communication between the stakeholders in this process. It allowed to form a support system for students with disabilities who enrolled in universities and develop an interaction algorithm with employers interested in the employment of persons with disabilities, who have obtained higher education. [4] It should be noted that during this period there is a gradual formation of inclusive higher education methods, the number of research papers that consider inclusive processes in higher education from different positions is increasing. On the portal of the scientific electronic library e-library.ru, there are 12,036 research papers that present various areas of inclusive higher education, including 4,097 research publications in the last 3 years (2020-2022) [6]. According to the Scopus International database, from 1996 to 2022, 845 research papers were published with the keywords "inclusive higher education", "university", "students with disabilities"; at the same time, the Russian Federation is among the top ten countries in terms of the number of such publications and occupies an honorable fourth place (the study was conducted in December of 2022). These studies offer opportunities for the development of search (research, trend, exploratory) and regulatory prognoses. In the first case, we mean an inclusion development forecast in universities on the basis of a conditional continuation of those trends of the past and present, based on programs, projects, solutions, that can change existing trends, give them a fresh impetus. In the second case, it is forecasting ways to achieve the desired state - gaining access to higher education, obtaining it at a qualitative level, and then the independent life of people with disabilities – on the basis of predetermined norms, ideals, goals, and competitiveness in the labor market equally with unimpaired people.

The development of inclusive higher education in Russia is a strategic plan that defines the basic principles, primary goals, objectives, directions and mechanisms for the obtaining of higher education by students with disabilities. In the Russian Federation, as part of the implementation of the Interdepartmental Comprehensive Plan of affordable vocational or higher education for people with disabilities for 2016-2018 (approved by the Government of the Russian Federation on May 23, 2016 N3467p-P8) a set of measures was implemented to promote high-quality higher education for persons with disabilities [5]. The development and acceptance of this document was the beginning of a new stage in the development of inclusive higher education in the Russian Federation, which defined the goals, objectives and ways to achieve them. The strategic result of the Interdepartmental Comprehensive Plan for 2016-2018 was a systematic increase in the number of students with disabilities studying at Russian universities, as well as an increase in the number of higher education institutions that establish the necessary special conditions for the qualitative development of educational programs by persons with disabilities. According to the Federal State Statistics Service, the total number of people with disabilities on 01.01.2022 was 11,331,000 people, of whom are 521,000 people aged 8-17 years old, and 490,000 people aged 18-30 years old. According to the official published data on the admission, training and employment of people with disabilities on the incedu.ru portal, 1140 universities and branches took part in the survey as separate entities. The study was conducted by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation in 2022, the total number of persons with disabilities studying at universities was 33,368 people (for reference, on 01.09.2021 there were 31,100 students with disabilities at university, and on 01.09.2019 there were 25,252 students). The most popular (top 10) bachelor degree programs among people with disabilities are: pedagogical education (with two specializations), law, economics, pedagogical education, computer science and computer engineering, psychological and pedagogical education, applied computer science, special (defectological) education, management, information systems and technologies.

For reference: the incedu.ru federal portal provides informational and methodological support for inclusive higher education for people with disabilities.

It is important to note that the network creation model and development of Resource Educational and Methodological Centers for the training of persons with disabilities (hereinafter – REMC) on the basis of educational institutions of higher education, allowed to form a modern guidance system for the activities of educational institutions of higher education in the implementation and development of inclusive higher education, to test managerial mechanisms for the development of inclusive higher education in Russia through building a partner network of universities that provides special learning conditions for students with disabilities, introduces mechanisms for person-centered career guidance, allowing a person with disabilities to make the right choice in their educational and professional development, significantly update the content of training programs and introduce differentiated models of an educationally-friendly organization for people with disabilities with different educational needs.

Main Part

Some results of the project

By the end of 2022, there are 13 REMC training centers for people with disabilities in Russia, subordinate to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and 8 resource training and methodological centers related to the Ministries of Education, Health, Culture, Agriculture, Transport, and Sports. Each REMC is assigned an "area of responsibility" (from 2 to 9 subjects of the Russian Federation, depending on the number of universities and students with disabilities studying at them. The formed network model (which today has more than 600 universities) of interaction between REMC universities and partner universities allows a greater variability in the choice of educational programs of higher education at the regional level, which undoubtedly contributes to improving the accessibility and quality of higher education for persons with disabilities and student-centered services to meet the unique educational needs of students.

During 2016-2022, the following models have been developed and implemented in Russia:

• person-centered career guidance counseling;
• person-centered guidance on university admission;
• person-centered guidance counseling while completing bachelor, specialist, master, postgraduate degrees as well as career enhancement and professional retraining programs;
• person-centered employment assistance.

Person-centered career guidance counseling includes monitoring the educational needs of students with disabilities, professional tests that allow to respond swiftly to the academic needs of potential applicants with disabilities, provide the necessary support by specialists during the receiving of higher education and influence the conscious career choice by this category of students. The practice of implementing person-centered career guidance sessions based on professional diagnostics with reference to nosology is regular in REMC activities. The activities carried out by the REMC network for the training of persons with disabilities contribute to the development of a career guidance system and makes professional education for persons with disabilities more accessible.

Person-centered admission to university is taking into account the special needs when applying documents, admission, interview, assistance in choosing an education according to interests, Unified State Exam results, and the health condition of the applicant.

The person-centered assistance service during the receiving of higher education provides special learning conditions, a refusal or request for an adapted academic program; adaptation to the university; guidance sessions, the attachment of a counsellor and tutor; the creation of special conditions for the development of an educational program, practices, research, state final examination, depending on nosology.

Person-centered employment assistance includes the integrative activities of practice managers, tutors, employers, representatives of employment services, public organizations, labor and employment departments.

During the period under review, in order to organize consultative assistance to representatives of partner organizations, employees of partner universities, students with disabilities, parents of students, employers on the basis of the REMC for training of persons with disabilities, the work of call-centers was organized. Consulting support is provided on the selection of educational organizations of higher education, admission to a higher education institution, the organization of training, support and guidance in the process of higher education, as well as the creation of available jobs and measures to assist the employment of graduates with disabilities.

An important area of activity of the REMC network is to provide methodological support for the implementation of inclusive higher education. The REMC network developed and used methodological materials, teaching aids, educational and methodical materials for students and teachers, described the practice of specialist’s work on the training and support of persons with disabilities, presented on the federal portal of IHE (https://xn--80aabdcpejeebhqo2afglbd3b9w.xn--p1ai/) and ASI resources, boxed solutions on the VYATSU website (https://forum.vyatsu.ru/projects/magazin-korobochnyh-resheniy).

The key measure ensuring the development of inclusion in higher education institutions is the formation and improvement of the competencies of employees of educational organizations on the issues of creating special conditions for the education of students with disabilities. The network of REMC for higher education implements additional professional programs (professional development programs) both developed by the network and unique author's programs for the staff of partner universities on the issues of training, support and employment persons with disabilities.

Much attention in the work of the REMC is paid to the issues of promoting the employment of graduates with disabilities graduating from educational organizations of higher education. University programs to promote the employment and postgraduate support of graduates with disabilities have been developed and implemented. Successfully implemented are programs of additional education for graduate students with disabilities and employers. The implementation of these programs involves the formation of students' skills of self-presentation and the presentation of a portfolio of their achievements, demonstrating to a potential employer the professional competencies formed in the process of training. Among the significant events that promote the employment of students with disabilities is the All-Russian competition of student projects with the participation of students with disabilities "Professional students with disabilities "Professional Tomorrow", which since 2018 has been held by a network of resource educational and methodological centers for the training of people with disabilities. Since 2022, REMC higher education institutions have been implementing network training programs for supervisors of practical training (academic and (or) industrial practice) from among the representatives of employers on issues of interaction with students with disabilities

As part of ICP implementation, the REMC network ensures the implementation of presidential initiatives, such as the development of inclusive volunteer work (the Constitution of the Russian Federation (Part 4, 5, Article 13; Part 2, Article 19, Article 30); Federal Law No.181-FL dated 24.11.1995 "Concerning Social Protection for Disabled Persons in the Russian Federation" (amended and restated on 01.01.2019); Federal Law No.135-FL dated 11.08.1995 " Concerning Charitable Activities and Charitable Organizations ";

The concept of the long-term socio-economic development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2020 (approved by the order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 17.10.2008 No.1662-r); The Concept of volunteer work development in the Russian Federation until 2025" (Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 27.12.2018 No.2950-r) and tourism (Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 27.12.2012 No. 2567-p, the " Culture and tourism development" state program of the Russian Federation for 2013-2020. The "Development of domestic and inbound tourism in the Russian Federation (2011-2018)" federal target program, the Strategy for the Development of Tourism in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2035, has also been adopted as a tool for its implementation. The REMC network organizes and conducts All-Russian sessions on inclusive volunteering and inclusive tourism, including the formation of additional competencies for session participants, the creation and presentation of projects.

An important area of the network's activity is the development of the rehabilitation activity of the REMC according to the Concept of the development of comprehensive rehabilitation and habilitation system of people with disabilities, including children with disabilities, for the period up to 2025 in the Russian Federation.

A significant result in the resource center development is the testing and implementation of a model of an interdepartmental and cross-sectional regional system of multilevel interaction with educational organizations of higher education, schools, professional education organizations, public organizations of people with disabilities, employment agencies, employers, regional executive authorities of the subjects of the Federation ministries (departments, head offices, committees) of education, labor and social protection of the population.

All the results of the REMC activities within the framework of state tasks (2016-2022) and Interdepartmental Comprehensive Plans undergo a multi-stage expert assessment, meet the certification standards of inclusive education practices, which are the basis of special conditions for students with disabilities to receive education. The principal results are reported by representatives of the REMC network and partner universities at the annual Forum on Inclusive Education, academic workshops, international, nationwide conferences, published in monographs, top-rated journals, confirmed by certificates and patents.

In order to improve state policy in inclusive higher education, taking into account the results achieved during the implementation of the Interdepartmental Comprehensive Plan of measures to ensure accessibility of professional education for the persons with disabilities for 2016-2018 (approved by the Government of the Russian Federation on May 23, 2016 No. 3467p-P8), in 2021, a new Interdepartmental Comprehensive Plan was developed and approved to improve the accessibility of professional and higher education for the persons with disabilities, including career guidance and the employment of these persons, was approved by Vice-Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Tatyana Alekseevna Golikova No.14000p-P8 (hereinafter– an Interdepartmental Comprehensive plan, ICP, HE, SPE). ICP 2021 was formed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education together with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labor and other federal executive authorities and public organizations. The events of the Interdepartmental Comprehensive Plan unite more than 25 executors. The development of this Plan, as a strategic planning document, is based on the principles of continuity, taking into account the stages and results of the implementation of previously adopted documents.

The interdepartmental comprehensive plan consists of 55 activities combined into three key sections:

I. Development of the career guidance system and ensuring the accessibility of admission to educational programs of professional education for persons with disabilities;

II. Introduction of the best professional education practices for students with disabilities;

III. Employment guidance of graduates with disabilities.

The implementation of the ICP activities in each section is carried out in the following areas:

• regulatory framework and financial mechanisms;
• skilled staff and new management models for the inclusive education development;
• development of educational organizations infrastructure (HE, SHE) and digital technologies to ensure equal access to education;
• development of educational content for persons with disabilities and conducting scientific and methodological research.

With state support, the modern high-tech infrastructure of universities is actively developing. Science technology parks, co-working and engineering centers have been created and are functioning on the base of universities, where projects are entrepreneurial initiatives of students with disabilities.

Since 2022, systematic work has been carried out to upgrade university facilities, conform to the conditions of the modern level of the development of science and technology, including those contributing to the development of rehabilitation tools, which is presented in the videos of university accessibility.

Inclusive higher education is an area that is changing rapidly. The mobility of students, the development of new rehabilitation and assistive technologies that create conditions for the diverse inclusion of students with disabilities in the educational process and contribute to a wide range of opportunities for self–fulfillment - changes the state of inclusive higher education, the life of a particular person with disabilities.

Key challenges of the Current Development Stage of Inclusive Higher Education

The official statistics on the total number of people with disabilities in the Russian Federation show a slight decrease in this category over the past 8 years and the relative stability of the number of disabled people of categories I and III. However, the indicators of child disability tend to increase (Table 1).

Table 1.Total Number of People by Disability Categories (January 1, 2023)

Positive trends associated with the relatively stable number of people with impairments in Russia are preserved, in our opinion, due to the focused state policy on early health care for children born with various health conditions, as well as the development of rehabilitation services that contribute to the elimination of disability and the return to a full-quality life of a person with disabilities.

Since the purpose of this work is to design the development of inclusive higher education, which in most cases has age limits from 18 years and older, it will be interesting to consider the distribution of people with disabilities by age and gender in recent years (2020 – 2023) (Table 2).

Table 2. Gender and Age Distribution of People with Disabilities(by Thousand People)

The data in Table 2 shows that the number of disabled people of working age, including those aged 18-30 and 31-60 (men), 31-55 (women) has decreased and on September 1, 2023 is 1,270 people. Surely, it is necessary to maintain the trend of decreasing disability rates in the age group from 18 years and older by improving the various forms of rehabilitation assistance aimed at preventing the progression of diseases and the cause of disability. Despite the fact that the positive dynamics of the decrease in the number of people with disabilities in the age group from 18 years old and older remains, the focus of the next stage of the inclusive higher education development is concentrated on proactive actions of attracting multidisciplinary teams to determine the career path, educational needs, employment of a person with disabilities who has obtained professional education, and also to provide further necessary assistance to persons with disabilities in terms of the constitutional right to high-quality higher education access. It seems necessary to implement a set of measures aimed at the continuous support of the educational and professional trajectory of a person with disabilities at all stages of education and subsequent affordable employment. 

From the brief overview above of the positive results achieved over the period of 2016-2022 by the REMC network for teaching people with disabilities, it is quite obvious that the development of inclusive higher education should take into account the social, economic and demographic conditions and respond to the new emerging needs of people with disabilities, among which:

• the underdevelopment of diversity and inclusion of a person with disabilities when changing education levels;
• a lack of higher education programs for various categories of students with disabilities in different regions of the Russian Federation;
• the insufficient use of the potential of the educational environment of the university in the rehabilitation measures while obtaining higher education by students with disabilities;
• the insufficient effectiveness of interdepartmental and inter-level interaction in the regional systems for inclusive higher education development;
• the lack of inclusive skills and competencies;
• the predominance of traditional educational strategies focused on a homogeneous student population;
• the dominance of inclusive education idea based on the medical model of disability; ideas about disability as an individual issues;
• the underestimation of the humanitarian, psychological aspects of inclusive education;
• the discrepancy between the pace of facilities updating, the content and teaching methods of students with disabilities and the pace of development of science, economics, technology;
• the insufficient implementation of academic programs that take into account the special learning conditions of students with disabilities;
• the shortage of modern, rehabilitation equipment for academic programs of higher education;
• the limited use of learning experience (practices of inclusive higher education) in the training of specialists in the field of education and social sphere;
• the mechanisms for identifying, selecting and replicating practices (technologies) in teaching and follow-up of students with disabilities have not been worked out;
• a new economic model for the development of inclusion in higher education requires development and testing as well as updating the cost and increasing coefficients to the regulatory financing of students with disabilities in educational institutions of higher education, taking into account the nosology of the disease, the existing limitations in the development of the program.

Goals and Objectives of the Development of Inclusive Higher Education 

The goals of inclusive higher education development are to create conditions for the self-fulfillment of a student with disabilities, the development of their success, vitality, as well as the upbringing of a highly moral, well-rounded, active and socially responsible personality.

To achieve the goal of inclusive higher education, it is necessary to solve the following tasks:

• improving the managerial system of inclusive higher education by including infrastructure and personnel policy measures to improve accessibility for people with disabilities in universities;
• the development and implementation of common criteria for evaluating an inclusive educational organization of higher education, development of a standard model of an inclusive educational organization of higher education;
• refreshing the infrastructure of higher educational organizations, including the development and implementation of an effective economic model, inclusion development in educational institutions of higher education;
• improving the system of person-centered career guidance counseling, including the development of the procedure for issuing a certificate of individual financing, regardless of the place of residence, health status and level of material security of the family, granting the right to obtain secondary professional education and higher education (master’s degree) for children with disabilities, people with disabilities of category I and II, people with lifelong disabilities, people disabled as a result of war injuries or illness received during military service, veterans of combat operations;
• the creation of a single open educational and rehabilitation system, service extension provided by educational institutions of higher education in teaching students with disabilities;
• the inclusion of students with disabilities in the process of inclusive pre-education of the university, taking into account their votes when making decisions;
• the extension of educational and rehabilitation services to students with disabilities on the basis of those educational institutions of higher education in which they study;
• the expansion of opportunities for using teaching and follow-up practices for students with disabilities in training specialists in education and social sphere;
• including of inclusive higher education practices in academic training programs that ensure students' practical experience of working with persons with disabilities;
• improving the continuity mechanisms of educational paths for persons with disabilities between secondary general, secondary vocational and higher education;
• the involvement of students with disabilities in early career guidance programs and activities that provide studying modern and future professions, professional self-determination guidance, career planning skills, including career-guidance tours and internships;
• ensuring the interaction with mentors from scientific institutions to involve students with disabilities in scientific workflow;
• the involvement of students with disabilities in the development of rehabilitation technologies and assistive equipment;
• the development of creative competitions, festivals, research and practical conferences in which students with impairments take part;
• improving the academic and social mobility of students with disabilities, including guided tours on historical, cultural, scientific, educational and patriotic topics, assistance in organizing student cultural and patriotic trips;
• creating conditions for the professional development and self-fulfillment of human resources and teaching staff working with students with disabilities;
• improving the training mechanisms and continuous professional development of human resources and teaching staff on inclusive higher education;
• the development of mentoring in employment and securing a graduate with disabilities at the workplace of the university;
• improving the conditions for the use of digital services and content available for students with disabilities for educational activities;
• the development of an inclusive culture among the university community, including the promotion of inclusive volunteering projects.

State Policy Principles in Inclusive Higher Education

State policy principles in inclusive higher education for students with disabilities include:

• openness expressed in building interdepartmental cooperation and increasing the degree of influence on the sphere of inclusive higher education of students with disabilities and other subjects, including parents and children;
• the variability of educational programs related to ensuring the diversity of education based on the needs, interests and life self-identification of students with disabilities;
• accessibility of high-quality higher education for students with disabilities of different social groups, regardless of their territory of residence;
• client-centricity, personification, ensuring the possibility of participation of every person with disabilities by introducing individual financing (education certificate) regardless of the place of residence, health status and the level of material security of the family, granting the right to receive secondary vocational education and higher education (master’s degree programs) for children with disabilities, people with disabilities (category I and II), people with lifelong disabilities, people disabled as a result of war injuries or illness received during military service, veterans of combat operations;
• practice-oriented educational programs of higher education, which allows for the designing of a student-centered educational path, taking into account the directions of socio-economic development of the subjects of the Russian Federation;
• evidence of effective inclusive education practices;
• continuous training programs of educational levels in the educational path of a person with disability.

Expected results

The following results are expected:

• in the Russian Federation, the transition to the individual financing of the variable educational paths of a person with disabilities has been carried out, the possibility of admission using individual financing education certificates to all types of educational organizations, including non-governmental ones, has been provided;
• in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, certificates of individual financing have been provided to at least 25 percent of persons with disabilities for SPE programs - until 2024, at least 30 percent - until 2030;
• the system of regional policy management for the development of inclusive education includes educational organizations of higher education, taking into account the tasks of socio-economic development of the subjects of the Russian Federation, including the needs of the relevant sectors of the economy;
• the management system of inclusive higher education has been improved by including infrastructure and staff policy measures to improve access conditions for people with disabilities in the development programs of universities;
• standard evaluation criteria for an inclusive educational organization of higher education have been developed and implemented, as well as the development of a standard model of an inclusive educational organization of higher education;
• the infrastructure of educational institutions of higher education has been upgraded, including the development and implementation of an effective economic model for the development of inclusion in educational institutions of higher education;
• the system of individual career guidance has been improved, including the procedure for issuing an individual financing voucher, regardless of the place of residence, health status and level of material security of the family, granting the right to receive secondary vocational education and higher education (master degree programs) for children with disabilities, people with disabilities (category I and II), people with lifelong disabilities, people disabled as a result of war injuries or illness received during military service, veterans of combat operations;
• a single open educational and rehabilitation space has been formed, expanding the range of services provided by educational organizations of higher education when teaching students with disabilities;
• models for providing educational and rehabilitation services to students with disabilities on the basis of those educational institutions of higher education in which they study have been developed and implemented;
• teaching and follow-up opportunities for students with disabilities in training specialists in training specialists in education and social sphere have been expanded;
• higher education inclusive practices have been included in academic training programs that ensure students' practical experience of working with persons with disabilities;
• continuity mechanisms of educational paths for persons with disabilities between secondary general, secondary vocational and higher education have been improved;
• students with disabilities in early career guidance programs and activities that provide studying modern and future professions, professional self-determination guidance, career planning skills, including career-guidance tours and internships have been included;
• interaction with mentors from scientific institutions to involve students with disabilities in scientific workflow has been provided;
• the involvement of students with disabilities in the development of rehabilitation technologies and assistive equipment has been provided;
• the system of creative competitions, festivals, research and practical conferences in which students with impairments take part, has been developed;
• academic and social mobility of students with disabilities has been improved, including guided tours on historical, cultural, scientific, educational and patriotic topics, assistance in organizing student cultural and patriotic trips;
• conditions for the professional development and self-fulfillment of human resources and teaching staff working with students with disabilities have been created;
• the mechanisms of the training and continuous professional development of academic and management staff on issues of inclusive higher education have been improved;
• the training mechanisms and continuous professional development of human resources and teaching staff on inclusive higher education have been improved;
• mentoring in employment and securing a graduate with disabilities at the workplace have been developed;
• the conditions for the use of digital services and content available for students with disabilities for educational activities have been improved;
• the development of an inclusive culture among the university community, including the promotion of inclusive volunteering projects, has been provided.

Conclusion

The general directions for the development of inclusive higher education were formulated in the Memorandum of the "Inclusive School. The success of each child" forum, held in Grozny on April 18-19, 2023. The Memorandum defines the policy of educational inclusion, which is based on the following values of our community:

• friendliness and safety of the educational environment;
• nondiscrimination;
• life-long continuous inclusion;
• personalization and support relevance.

Based on the following principles:

• evidence-based practices;
• the teamwork and synergy of participants in the educational process;
• student-centricity in the educational process;
• the partnership of children and adults and taking into account students’ opinions;
• a Universal design for learning;
• school and social institutions relations;
• the recognition and consideration of the cultural and historical context and traditions of the country.

This document defines the tasks of the professional and public community for 2023, which are:

1. Formation of a complete inclusion glossary;
2. Development of a system approach to the self-assessment of inclusion maturity and indicators of inclusive culture of an educational institution (assessment by the final recipient);
3. Formation of criteria and mechanisms to assess the best practices;
4. Model solution development for resource security of inclusion (networking, social partnership, mentoring, a new methodology for calculating the financing of inclusive processes);
5. Creation of children and adult communities.

Thus, the Federal REMC Network is a unique tool for the development of IHE in the territory of the Russian Federation, significant results of qualitative and quantitative indicators of this process are convincing and steadily increasing. At the same time, we see that, having launched and stabilized the IHE development process, the mission of this project cannot be completed, since new tasks have been set, the results have been determined until 2030. The activity of the federal network is reaching a new strategic level. This is determined by:

• an increase in the category of persons with disabilities, including after the SMO, who are guaranteed to obtain state budget supported education, both when receiving a first higher and second higher education;
• the heterogeneity of social, psychological and pedagogical features of young people with disabilities (including after the SMO), requiring the development of new approaches to IHE support;
• the support and implementation of federal initiatives at the regional level as part of regional programs to support young people with disabilities in obtaining vocational education and assistance in subsequent employment;
• the development of the rehabilitation industry and the need to use the potential of the REMC in the development of rehabilitation facilities for the disabled;
• the need to create laboratories on the basis of universities that allow for scientific (fundamental and applied) research, to form IHE practices with proven efficiency, as well as to consider these laboratories as practice bases effective for training specialists whose professional activities are related to educational and social inclusion;
• the need for a wide promotion of the obtained results by the REMC Network;
• balancing the requirements for indicators of inclusive higher education development of Ministries, RAE, RAS;
• the need for an expert assessment by the participants of the federal network of Higher Education Centers and the Association of Inclusive Universities of the activities carried out by structures and organizations for the development of inclusive higher education that are not included in this federal project.

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