Abstract

PADILLA MUNOZ, Andrea. Inclusive Education of Persons with Disabilities. rev.colomb.psiquiatr. [online]. 2011, vol.40, n.4, pp.670-699. ISSN 0034-7450.

Introduction: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the World Declaration on Education, and the Decree 366 dated February 9, 2009, among others, regulate the organization and proper functioning of the educational support service provided to students with disabilities and with exceptional capacities within the framework of inclusive education. This requires an effort in planning and preparation on the part of the educational entities that will provide this service. Objectives: Describe the commencement and training of teachers in order to offer adequate attention and care for people with disabilities in three educational establishments located in Bogotá. Materials and Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among the teachers of three public schools, in the locality of Usaquén (Bogotá). An anonymous, voluntary, and confidential survey was conducted among the teachers of the three public schools, based on a self-elaborated questionnaire including Likert-type questions. The results were entered in a database and analyzed based on simple frequencies, percentages and scores obtained in the questionnaire. Results: The heterogenic aspect of disabilities and the difficulty of including disabilities as homogenous matter in the local legislation are described. In total 343 teachers participated in the survey, 93.4% of the 367 teachers forming the combined faculty of the three public schools. The average age of the interviewees was around 48 years, and 81% (292) were female. 28% (97) of the interviewed teachers claimed to be trained and prepared to educate students with sensorial disabilities; 19.3% (65) felt qualified to teach students with mental disabilities (cognitive), and lastly, 45.8% (154) considered themselves to be apt to educate and handle students with emotional issues. Conclusion: The topic of disabilities is heterogeneous; this heterogenic aspect is represented or proven by the fact that teachers have a differential appreciation regarding their aptitudes and preparation to attend different types of disabilities. There are few teachers qualified to deal with students with disabilities and this may affect the successful educational inclusion of said students. Although the legislations, both local and international, have shown an evident evolution and progress regarding the proper terminology about disabilities, and although they demonstrate support and attention to the problem, there are still various legislative loop-wholes that prevent the effective educational inclusion of the disabled population.

Keywords : Inclusive education; disability; educational legislation; physical disability; cognitive disability; mental disability; sensorial disability; emotional problems.

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