PECULIARITIES OF INCLUSIVE RESOURCE CENTERS IMPLEMENTATION IN UKRAINE

Abstract

Promoting equal access to quality education is an international agenda. In Ukraine, many changes have been made along the way, both at the level of legislation and at the level of practice: changes have been made to the basic Laws of Ukraine on the development and implementation of inclusive education; created conditions for teaching children and youth with special educational needs on the basis of many preschool, secondary and higher education institutions, training teachers to work in an inclusive educational environment, etc. At the same time, there are still many challenges along the way: lack of resources, experience, understanding of the main advantages of this new philosophy of education. The modern paradigm of education is based on the idea of ​​creating adequate conditions for individuals with different learning needs (including for people with various mental and physical disabilities and gifted people). Modern educational practices and pedagogical systems of developed and developing countries are undergoing the necessary changes in society, making the transition to new educational concepts and technologies. International organizations recommend inclusive education as a priority for the development of the education system, aimed at realizing the rights of citizens to receive quality education and social integration. The underpinning principal is that all children have the right to be educated regardless of their special needs, disabilities and abilities with appropriate support provided. In order to make the education system inclusive and provide education for all citizens, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine together with other stakeholders developed strategies which support the education of children with special educational needs and initiated the creation of the inclusive resource center (IRC). The aim of this study is to highlight new approach on theoretical justifications and applied calculations necessary to ensure the implementation of inclusive resource centers. This article focuses on implementation of inclusive resource centers in Ukraine. The article also presents target audience, characterizes the profiles of children with special educational needs, their parents and teachers. Competitiveness of substitute institutions is analyzed using parametric method and the method with the weighted indicators. To evaluate the project alternatives, the «SPACE» method is applied. The article demonstrates the international experience of two models of іnclusive resource centers.