Acceptance of children with disabilities in the conditions of inclusive education on the basis of research conducted in a Primary School named after Knights of the Order of the Smile in Rudzienko

Abstract

The aim of the research was to examine the process of inclusion and to assess the level of acceptance of children with disabilities by healthy peers in a public Primary School named after Knights of the Order of the Smile in Rudzienko. The introduction presents the problem of social exclusion, the idea of inclusive education, based on the reports and analysis of the literature. The empirical part presents the results of the research obtained by the use of the diagnostic survey method, the survey and the interview technique using the tools of author’s own design - a survey questionnaire and an interview questionnaire. The analysis of the research results covers such issues as: the level of awareness about the presence of students with disabilities in the peer group, the perception of children with disabilities in the peer group, events dedicated to the inclusion of children with disabilities in school and social life, presentation of the results of an interview with a school counsellor. The analysis of the results of the conducted research showed that learning and integration of non-disabled and disabled students in the conditions of inclusive education in the researched institution proceeds effectively, and the level of acceptance of children with special educational needs among peers is quite high.