27.11.2015  NovSU Students and Professors Studied American Experience of Creating Inclusive Learning Environment

On 14-22 November, NovSU delegation consisting of the head of Information and Analysis Section of NovSU Office of International Affairs Natalia Ilyashenko, the chair of Education, Technology and Crafts Petr Petryakov, the associate professor of Special (Defectology) Education Victoria Klyputenko, students Diana Ivanova, Innokentii Nasirov and Valentina Pakhomova explored the experience of creating inclusive environment at schools and organizations in Muncie, Indiana. A study tour took place within the framework of the joint US-Russia University Partnership Program (UPP) project between the Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana) and Novgorod State University under financial support of Eurasia Foundation. Creation of inclusive educational environment is the topic of the project.

Secondary Education
The delegation from Veliky Novgorod got a unique chance to meet with Glenda Ritz, the State School Superintendent, and Pam Wright, Director of Special Education at the Indiana Department of Education, who presented the organization of inclusive education in the schools of the state, services and programs offered to students with disabilities as well as the preparation of school teachers and administrators for work with disabled students. 

Professors and students of Novgorod State University also learned implementation of inclusive education by the example of the Muncie Central High School, which has 1,500 students and 301 of them are disabled. Usually, students with mild intellectual disability or autism are mainstreamed into regular classes. However, their number should not exceed 15% of the total number of students in the class. The school also has special education classes for students with moderate and severe intellectual disability, autism and Down syndrome. Each disabled student has an individual curriculum. Children with communication disabilities are provided with special equipment free. Students with hearing and visual impairments study at special education schools. 

Higher Education
It should be noted that 2015 is a jubilee - 40 years ago, in 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was passed by the U.S. Congress. Ball State University, truly, is a university of equal opportunities, and learning from its experience could be very useful in terms of creating an inclusive educational environment at Novgorod State University. There is comfortable learning environment for students with different types of disabilities: with visual, hearing and mobility impairments, with a mild form of autism and learning disabilities, with mental disorders, etc. The Disability Services provides services that vary depending on the nature of the disability. For example, there are the following services for students with autism: notetaking, priority class scheduling, test accommodation. For students with hearing impairments - Audiology Clinic (hearing evaluation, assistive listening device counseling), captioning of educational videos, interpreting, rent of video phones and text telephones (TTY). For the blind and visually impaired students there is a laboratory of adaptive computer technology, printing of educational materials in Braille, enlarged and tactile maps of the university campus, mobility orientation before classes, notetaking, service animals, etc. please go to  the Disability Services for more information. 

Particular attention should be paid to the experience of special education teacher's training, which is provided by the BSU Special Education Department - the largest department of special education in Indiana. One can clearly see that their graduates are in demand by the fact that only in the master's program in Behavioral Analysis and Autism has 1500 (!) students. In total, department trains 3,500 students enrolled in 10 undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate studies. Unfortunately, it is due to the following sad statistic: one out of 45 US children has autism, 80% of them - are boys. The cause of autism is still unknown, but experts tend to assume that this is excessive immersing of modern parents in information and digital technologies. 

Assistant Professor of the Department of Special Education Penny Craig has demonstrated technology and technical devices for people with disabilities. More information on the technical devices can be found on the Augmented Communication web page. 

 Disabled Employment
The Novgorodians have had an opportunity to be acquainted with the first unique American project on disabled employment. The hotel Marriott is being built in Muncie on the mayor Dennis Tyler's initiative and his direct support. People with mild mental disability, autism and Down's syndrome, that will be 20 % of the total stuff, are going to work there. The training facility Erskine Green Training Institute attached to the hotel that will train disabled people and help them with job placement in the hospitality industry. Not only Muncie but also residents of Indiana and other states will be able to study at the Institute. According to the fact that the unemployment rate among people with disabilities in the USA is large (82%), this initiative is the great opportunity to mend a situation and an example to follow for other industries as well.

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