• CHAPTER ANNOTATION

1. INTRODUCTION TO INCLUSION:
2. INCLUSION IN INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTS 1945 - 1999:
3. INCLUSION IN INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTS 2000 – PRESENT:
4. INTEGRATION OR INCLUSION?
5. MEDICAL VS. SOCIAL MODEL OF DISABILITY
6. PRINCIPLES OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
7. THE CURRENT CONCEPT OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
8. INCLUSION BEYOND EDUCATION
9. SOURCES AND LITERATURE

2. INCLUSION IN INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTS 1945 - 1999:

The idea of inclusive education has become gradually accepted at international conventions and declarations over the past half a century. At present, it is an integral part of all declarations and laws relating to education in the European Union member states. Below, you find outline of the basic international and national documents which have supported the emergence of the concept of inclusive education.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the UN in 1948. Is one of the first international documents supporting inclusion. Article 26 states: "Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit." Globally, the groups which are mostly excluded from education include individuals living in poverty, remote areas, poor areas (slums), refugees, women and girls, indigenous peoples, migrants, people in areas troubled by armed conflicts, members of linguistic minorities, working children and children living on the street, people with HIV / AIDS and other diseases and people with disabilities of all ages.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in New York in 1989, in Article 2 undertakes to protect the rights set forth of all children and was the first document to specifically mention children with disabilities ("irrespective of disability") and children of various social origins. Article 6 then undertakes the obligation "to ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child". Article 12 yields a new perspective assuring to "a child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child". Earlier declarations and conventions recognized only the right of parents / carers to choose their child's educational path.

The World Declaration on Education for All, adopted at the conference in Jomtien, Thailand in 1990, was launched on the basis of an analysis of the state of basic education throughout the world. The analysis revealed some disturbing facts, namely that 100 million children (60 million girls) do not have access to basic education, basic education is often narrowed down to acquiring trivia instead of creating greater competence for life and lifelong learning, and some marginalised groups, including persons with disabilities, are at very high risk of exclusion from any form of education. Article 3 of the Declaration states verbatim that: "The learning needs of the disabled demand special attention. Steps need to be taken to provide equal access to education to every category of disabled persons as an integral part of the education system." The declaration further supports the creation of different systems to support the diverse and specific needs of individuals and further emphasizes the need to strengthen partnerships both at governmental and regional offices as well as at the community and family level.