CC BY
84
УДК 338 465 A.M. D'Azevedo Breda, E. Rocha,
ВАК 08.00.11 ' '
ринц 06.00.00 E.A. Khudorenko
Comparative Analysis of Education Systems for People with Disabilities in Portugal and Russia
Being the most important factor in socialization, education for persons with disabilities has a great importance. It gives them an opportunity to start working career, to be useful and socially active citizens of the state, to ensure their well-being and lifelong intellectual development. In other words, education for people with disabilities is a special social resource of profound importance, deliberately acting to reduce their isolation and economic dependence. The article is concerned with education of persons with disabilities in Russia and Portugal, with statistical studies and examples of legislative regulation of education system for people with disabilities.
Keywords: structure of education system, special and inclusive education, person with disabilities, secondary vocational education, higher education, performance and availability of educational services, employment of people with disabilities, smart-economy, development of inclusive education.
СРАВНИТЕЛЬНЫЙ АНАЛИЗ СИСТЕМ ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ ДЛЯ ЛЮДЕЙ С ИНВАЛИДНОСТЬЮ В ПОРТУГАЛИИ И РОССИИ
Являясь важнейшим фактором социализации человека, образование для лиц с ограниченными возможностями здоровья имеет огромное значение. Оно дает им возможность включиться в нормальную трудовую деятельность, быть полезными, деятельными и социально значимыми гражданами своего государства, обеспечить свое благосостояние, непрерывное интеллектуальное развитие, духовный и творческий рост. Иначе говоря, образование для инвалидов является особым социальным ресурсом, имеющим первостепенное значение, целенаправленно действующим на уменьшение их изоляции и экономической зависимости. В статье рассматриваются вопросы образования лиц с ограниченными возможностями здоровья в России и Португалии, приводятся данные статистических исследований и примеры законодательного регулирования образования инвалидов двух стран.
Ключевые слова: структура системы образования, специальное и инклюзивное образование, лицо с ограниченными возможностями здоровья, среднее профессиональное образование, высшее профессиональное образование, результативность и доступность образовательной услуги, трудоустройство инвалидов, smart-экономика, перспективы развития инклюзивного образования.
1. Introduction
Elimination of imbalances in access of educational services by different groups of population is one of the key challenges of our time. Inequality problem is comprehensively covered in UNESCO program «Education for All», the most important task of which was elimination of all kinds of barriers to education of different groups of population. The program draws attention to the problems of education for persons with disabilities.
According to experts, this diverse category of people plays a role of social indicator of true af-fordability of education for population [1]. That is why expansion of access to education for people with disabilities, their integration into educational environment have always been the focus for the most countries of the world. We will compare systems of education for persons with disabilities in Russia and Portugal.
2. Structure of the Portuguese and Russian Education Systems
2.1. Structure of the Portuguese Education System
The Portuguese Educational System is organized in levels of education, training and learning: the pre-school education, primary education, secondary education, post-secondary education not higher than, the education and training of
Ana Maria Reis d'Azevedo Breda,
Prof.,
E-mail: [email protected] Tel.: (00351)234370665 Departament of Mathematics, University of Aveiro, 3810-474 Aveiro, Portugal http://www. ua.pt/
Ана Мария Рейс Д'Азведо Бреда,
Профессор Эл. почта: [email protected] Тел.: (00351) 234370665 Кафедра математики, Университет Авейру, 3810-474 Авейру, Португалия http://www. ua.pt/
Eugénio Alexandre Miguel Rocha,
PhD,
E-mail: [email protected] Tel.: (00351)234372534 Departament of Mathematics, University of Aveiro, 3810-474 Aveiro, Portugal http://www. ua.pt/
Еужений Александр Мигель Роча,
PhD, Доцент Эл. почта: [email protected] Тел.: (00351) 234372534 Кафедра математики, Университет Авейру, 3810-474 Авейру, Португалия http://www. ua.pt/
young people and adults, and higher education.
• Pre-school - intended for children aged 3 years old and the mandatory school entry and attendance is optional.
• Basic Education - corresponds to compulsory education lasts for nine years, from 6 to 15 years old, and is organized in three consecutive cycles. The 1st cycle works under a single teacher, using specialist teachers in certain areas. The 2nd cycle, teaching is organized by disciplines and areas of study multidisciplinary. The 3rd cycle, teaching is organized by disciplines. The main objectives of this cycle are the development of knowledge and skills necessary for entry into employment or further education. The 2nd and 3rd cycles operate on a multi-teacher, with specialist teachers in different subject areas or disciplines. It should be noted that public education is free.
• Secondary Education - it is organized under different forms, geared for both the continuation of study for both the world of work and has a duration of three academic years and includes four types of courses: courses scientific-humanistic, technological courses, arts courses specialized and professional courses. In public education, the students have to pay a small annual fee.
• Education Post-secondary but not higher - meets the technological specialization courses (CET) provide specialized training courses in different technological areas, allowing insertion into the world of work or further study at university level. The training held in CET is
credited within the college in which the student is admitted. Successful completion of a course of technological specialization confers a degree of technological specialization (DET) and professional qualification at level 4, and may also give access to a professional aptitude certificate (CAP)
• Education and Training for Youth and Adults - offers a second chance to individuals who left school early or are at risk of leaving, and those who have not had the opportunity to attend when young and also looking to the school issues for professional or personal development, a perspective of lifelong learning. The education and training of youth and adults includes the following modalities: System of Recognition, Validation and Certification of Competences (RVCC); Education and Training (CEF) for students from age 15; Education and Training of Adults (EFA) and Modular Formations for students over 18, «Actions short S @ ber +» for students over 18; teaching applicant's primary and secondary school for pupils aged 15 or 18 years for the primary and secondary, respectively, and the National Apprenticeship System, the responsibility of the Institute of Employment and Professional Training for youth from age 15.
• Higher Education - is structured according to the Bologna principles and aims to ensure solid scientific preparation, cultural, artistic and technological that enable for the discharge of professional and cultural development of the skills of design, innovation and critical analysis. At this level of education
Organization of the Portuguese Educational System
Figure 1. Diagram of the Portuguese Educational System
Elena A. Khudorenko.
Ph.D. in Political Science, Assistant Professor, Department of World Economy and International Relations, Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics (MESI), Moscow, Russia E-mail: [email protected] Tel.: 8 (495) 442-23-93
Елена Александровна Худоренко, к.п.н., доцент, Кафедра Мировой экономики и международных отношений, Московский государственный университет экономики, статистики и информатики (МЭСИ), Москва, Россия
Эл. почта: [email protected] Тел.: 8 (495) 442-23-93
are awarded the following academic qualifications: First degree (graduate), masters degree (master) and Ph.D. (Doctor).
2.2. Structure of the Russian Education System
According to the federal law basic and vocational education in Russia consists of the following levels [2]: 1) preschool education, 2) primary education, 3) general education, and 4) secondary (full) education, 5) initial vocational training, 6) secondary vocational education, and ) higher education (bachelor's and master's degree programs), and 8) post-graduate education.
The structure of the Russian Education is presented below.
3. Special and Inclusive Education in Portugal VS Russia
3.1. Special and Inclusive Education in Portugal
The aim of special education is the socio-educational rehabilitation and integration of individuals with specific educational needs, due to physical or mental handicaps. It consists of adapting the learning and teaching environment and system for students attending basic or secondary education; in cases where the extent of the student's handicap so requires, he or she may be taught at a special institution.
Whenever possible, students are integrated into mainstream schools, with adaptations to the curriculum
Figure 2. Structure of education system of the Russian Federation Source: website of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. Overview of the education system: http://www.russia.edu.ru/edu/description/sysobr/902/
Figure 3. Evolution of the number of children and youth with educational support, nationally, being the academic years 1997/1998 and 2002/2003
and studies depending on the type and degree of the student's handicap. Special supervision is provided, with the help of specialist teaching staff; assessment is also geared to take the student's difficulties into account.
The Special Education in Portugal is guided by some basic diplomas, namely, the Law of the Education System, published in 1986 (Law n.° 46/86 of 14 October), the Decree-Law n. 35 / 90, of 25 January on the compulsory education of students with special educational needs (SEN), this include rights that constitute the principles of the education sector the right of children with SEN to education, access to regular school and an integrated life in society. It also denotes the Decree-Law n. 319/91 of 23 August that he intended to provide the country with a degree that would ensure the children with SEN in school attendance, the Salamanca Statement and Decree-Law n. 3 / 2008 of 7 January, the current ordinance regarding inclusive education.
The inclusion of children with SEN in mainstream schools in Portugal has been increasing since the 70s, a time when teams were created for special education, and before pupils with SEN were virtually removed from mainstream education. With the Law on the Education System of 1986 is defined integration of special education into mainstream education. But only with the Legislative Decree Law no. 319/91 of 23 August is the special education in mainstream schools was defined and regulated, providing tailoring the conditions of teaching and learning of pupils with SEN. This has created a new reality for the education system, in which students with SEN are entitled to access to regular schools and is the school that must be prepared to respond to these students according to their characteristics and needs (Nogueira and Rodrigues, 2010).
It should be noted that one of the official documents that promoted inclusive education in Portugal was the Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994). This was supported by Portugal, said the regular school should accommodate students with special needs, which is the best way to meet the objective of enhancing their ca-
pabilities to the fullest. In this perspective, the school became part of children and young people traditionally «excluded» from mainstream education, with Portugal being one of the last countries that favors inclusion, alongside others such as Iceland and Norway (World Health Organization and the World Bank Group. 2,011, 211).
As the Salamanca Statement (1994) advocates, the basic principle and essence of Special Education is to consider the personality as a whole, involving perception, cognition, emotion, motivation and socialization. The action should not focus on the disability of individuals considered with Special Educational Needs (SEN), but, in minimizing these disabilities so they can make an educational background and the social least as limited as possible and in the least restrictive environment possible. We must be able to recognize and meet their needs, and how to deal with different rhythms and styles of learning experiences and the individual's relationships with their environments.
Special education evolves around equality (or equity) of opportunities, where all individuals, regardless of their differences, should have access to quality education, able to respond contingently to their needs, individual differences of each child, through adaptations of the education system (Correia, 1997). Currently, «the capabilities of students with special educational needs have been recognized,
and to help these students develop their potential, you need a school organization open and flexible, allowing the implementation of an adapted curriculum and methods of use , techniques and special features such as the computer, educational software and alternative communication systems «(Miller, 2008, p. 13).
According to the observatory of educational supports the 2002/2003, we will present some data on the prevalence of students with SEN permanent in Portugal between 1997/1998 and 2002/2003 (see Figure 3).
Considering the graph of Figure 3 shows that in the academic year 1998/1999 an increase over the previous school year, 11 858 (18.5%), this increase can be explained by the entry into force of the Joint Order 105 / 97 that will facilitate a more comprehensive notion of SEN and in the academic year 2002/2003 there was a drop from the previous academic year, 15 332 (19.9%). In the academic year 1999/2000 there was a decrease of 4,121 (5.4%) and in the academic years 2000/2001 and 2001/2002 is observed, for the previous academic years, an increase from 3170 (4.4%) and 1884 (2.3%) respectively. The decrease of the academic year 2001/2002 for the academic year 2002/2003 may be related to the entry into force of Decree-Law 6/2001 which limits the Special Education (DEB, 2003)
Therefore, in the academic year 2002/2003 the number of students with educational support was 61 552,
Figure 4. Number of children and young people with special education, nationally and by level of education - academic year 2002/2003
Figure 5. Number of children and youth with educational support by type of SEN and domains - academic year 2002/2003.
Figure 6. Level of education of people with special needs
of which the majority (62.4%) have SEN permanent character, representing 5% of the school population of examined preschools, primary and secondary education. In Figures 4 and 5 contained some data on the prevalence of students with SEN permanent, by level of education and in various areas in Portugal in the academic year 2002/2003, verifying that most pupils with SEN attending the 1st cycle of basic education and it is observed that the prolonged nature of SEN (62.4%) most students are included in the cognitive domain (23.8%).
The Portuguese Association of Disabled presents a study «Model-ling Policies and Practices of Social Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Portugal (2005/2007)» presented by CRPG - Vocational Rehabilitation Centre of Gaia, which showed data on the education level of people with and without special needs, verified to the urgency of taking drastic measures that contribute to reverse a situation of stark inequality (cf. Figure 6).
The special education under Decree-Law n. 319/91 was repealed by Decree-Law 3/2008 of 7 January, the current ordinance in place. This is to ensure the attendance of pupils with SEN in mainstream schools, rather than these being referred to special schools or institutions, the population covered by the Special Education services can now be defined by the scope of the proposed International Classification of Functioning of the World Health Organization (CIF) and advocates the existence of a single official document, the Individual Educational Plan (IEP) which sets out the educational responses and their evaluation forms for each student.
According to the same decree the Special Education aims «to educational and social inclusion, access and success in education, autonomy, emotional stability, but also the promotion of equal opportunities, preparation for further study or for adequate preparation for employment and for a transition from school to employment of children and young people with special educational needs.» Thus, this decree comes devote creating educational supports for the realization of an educational intervention and differentiated and personalized, adapting the
Figure 7. Number of pupils with SEN and educational support by level of education in the academic year 2010/2011 Source: DGIDC, June 6, 2011
Figure 8. Placing Contingent special (SEN) per year in higher education
teaching and learning needs of pupils with SEN with individual curricular adaptations, adjustments to the process of registration, to the adequacy evaluation process, specific curriculum and individual support technologies. In this sense, students with SEN have an IEP where the route is mentioned educational, curricular adaptations and the kind of support that students need to overcome their difficulties.
In the academic year 2008/2009 there were 25 753 pupils with SEN in mainstream schools public (State of Education 2010). For the academic year 2009/2010 there is the existence of 31 776 pupils with SEN and PEI, which represents 2.6% of the enrolled students and students with SEN 2382 (0.2%) are enrolled in special schools, which puts Portugal in the group of countries with the highest rate of school inclusion of students with SEN. It is observed that there was an increase in the number of pupils in mainstream schools, registering an annual growth of around 23.39% over the previous academic year (Nogueira and Rodrigues, 2010).
In 2010/2011 it is observed that there are 43 708 pupils with SEN in mainstream schools of public education, reflecting an annual growth of 37.55%. The Decree-Law n. No. 3/2008 concerning the organization of the support provided for the establishment of schools in the academic year reference above there were 23 schools for bilingual education of deaf students, 52 for supporting education of blind students and low vision, as well as specialized support units to 228 students with autism spectrum disorders and 310 students with multiple disabilities. Mention is also the Resource Centres for Inclusion (CRI), which works in conjunction with mainstream schools (State of Education, 2011). In an analysis of the distribution of students in special education and educational support in Portugal, it appears that the 1st CEB is integrating more students (15,557), followed by the 3rd cycle 2nd cycle with 11 981 and 10 852, respectively. The preschool is one that incorporates fewer children referenced (2527) (see Figure 7).
In this perspective, it appears that while the number of pupils with SEN in mainstream education increases,
there is a significant decrease in the number of students in special education schools. Many of these schools (mostly CERCI and APPA) have come to reorient itself towards forming themselves into «resource centres», favoring the development of activities to support mainstream schools that integrate students with disabilities, under the curricular areas specific therapies, the transition to working life and also early intervention (State of Education, 2011).
Students with special educational needs arising from physical or mental disabilities are subject to compulsory schooling and can not be exempted from its frequency. It includes the option of having additional support to encourage equal opportunities for access and success in school.
In Portugal, there is access conditions and frequency of higher education for students with special
educational needs, there are several regulations that have predicted the existence of special quotas for candidates with physical disabilities or sensory access to higher education, which are assigned certain percentages of vacancies (2% or 2 vacancies) in 1st stage of competition in each school / course (DGES, 2009).
According to the data collected in the General Directorate of Higher Education, the following chart sample the number of candidates placed by special quota.
l quota for students with special educational needs from 2000 to 2011 (see Figure 8).
Stresses the occurrence of data submitted by DGES are unreliable, because not all students with special needs placed in higher education compete for vacancies for special contest - with disabilities or motor sensorial. Thus, the number placed with special
Table 1.
Number of students with SEN placed in the University of Aveiro, source DGES
(2011)
Institution 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
University of Aveiro 9 5 10 4 1
Table 2.
Number of students with SEN placed per year and the total number of students with SEN at the University of Aveiro, source: Bureau of Pedagogical University of
Aveiro
University of Aveiro
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Number of students with SEN placed 15 12 12 9 6
Total number of students with SEN at the University of Aveiro 36 46 54 61 63
needs in higher education, according to data from DGES not correspond to reality.
In this context, we will compare the data provided by DGES and the data collected in the teaching office of the University of Aveiro, in relation to the number of students with SEN placed in the University of Aveiro (cf. Table 1 and 2).
As we can see in Tables 1 and 2( data provided by DGES) on the number of students with SEN placed in the University of Aveiro not correspond to reality, this is due, as previously stated, not all students with special needs placed on higher education compete for vacancies for special contest - with disabilities or motor sensorial but by general access, and the DGES has no statistical data of these situations, only each university owns its own data.
3.2. Special and Inclusive Education in Russia
Right to education as a fundamental human right is enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation. According to the article 43 of the Constitution, «everyone has the right to education» (p. 1) and «the right on a competitive basis to get free higher education in a state or municipal educational institution or enterprise» (p. 3). [3].
The above statements have been detailed in several federal laws and legal acts regulating education of persons with disabilities. Thus, in accordance with the Article 5 of the Law «On education», the State ensures access to education for all citizens of Russia regardless their health status.
[4] And in order to fully exercise the right of citizens with disabilities the state lends financial support during the period of their studies. Adopted in 1995 the Federal Law «On Social Protection of Disabled People in the Russian Federation» developed and supplemented legal provisions of the Federal Law «On Education», securing diverse forms of education for persons with disabilities in Russia [5].
However, despite all state measures experts point out that the current education system for persons with disabilities in the Russian Federation is outdated, has strict barriers, consolidating existing inequalities and segregation in society [6].
One of the reasons for this is reliance on inefficient methods and forms of education for persons with disabilities.
A few basic forms of education for persons with disabilities are used in the Russian Federation:
1. Specialized training;
2. Blended learning;
3. Inclusive education.
Specialized training has deep
roots in Russia. The first special institution (experimental school) for 12 deaf children appeared on October 14, 1806 in Pavlovsk which is near St. Petersburg [7]. After 200-year path of development specialized training for many years was the main form of education and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.
Meanwhile special education is not a panacea. Shaping special conditions for training of persons with disabilities and satisfying their needs for medical and educational services, it is
not taking into account the changing external environment, need to communicate with external environment. It reinforces segregation, impedes social integration of people with disabilities contributes to their exclusion from society, limiting life chances and possibility of getting higher education.
Currently, the most effective method of solving this problem is inclusive education. In Russia the first inclusive education institutions emerged in the late 80s of the last century [9]. In 2008 - 2010 implementation of inclusive education model started in a number of regions of the Russian Federation: Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Samara Region, capital city of the Buryat Republic, Ukhta (Komi Republic), the Republic of Karelia (Petrozavodsk, Sortavala), Tomsk, Voronezh, St. Petersburg, Khabarovsk, in the republics of North Caucasus [10].
In May 2012 Dmitry Medvedev signed the Federal Law «On Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons» making inclusive education one of the main forms of education for persons with disabilities in Russia.
According to government plans till 2015 inclusive education should cover half of all schools in Russia, which will require comprehensive reformation, changes in schools' infrastructure, teachers' training, and outreach activities towards parents and public [11].
However, inclusive education in Russia is far from ideal. For example, in Moscow the number of inclusive schools is less than 50 (the total number of schools is more than 1,500), which is just over 3% [9]. If we consider the situation in Russia in general, according to the United Nations Children's Fund, an inclusive approach to education is applied only by 2% of Russian schools. [11]
Speaking on April 12, 2012 in the State Duma in the parliamentary hearings «Inclusive Education of Persons with Disabilities in Russia: Problems of Industry and Society» the chairman of the State Duma Committee on Education Alexander Degtyarev pointed out on two major problems associated with the implementation of inclusion in the Russian Federation.
16000
14000
12000
10000 8000
6000 4000
2000
мим
Jill 1 I I llillll || I
2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
I Admission
i Number
Graduation
Figure 9. Admission, number and graduation of people with disabilities from secondary vocational institutions of Russia (number of people) Source: Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) 23. 10. 2012, Service Letter 07-07-5 / 3196 - D1.
30000 25000
20000 15000
10000 5000
X
111111
2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
Admission
Number
Graduation
Figure 10. Admission, number and graduation of people with disabilities from higher educational institutions of Russia (number of people) Source: Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) 23. 10. 2012, Service Letter 07-07-5 / 3196 - D1.
Figure 11. Budget of the Ministry of Education, for actions in Portugal
(2001 to 2009)
The first problem is the weak public support of the idea of inclusive education. According to researchers, 80% of parents would not want their children to study together with children who have any health problems [13].
The second problem is the lack of well-thought policies for implementation of inclusive education in the Russian education system. In this connection the Chairman of Education Committee suggested to provide legal right to equal, affordable, and quality education for all and to develop a unified long-term coherent policy in the field of inclusive education in order to build in Russia a continuous vertical inclusive education, starting from inclusion of disabled children of early age in the educational environment and ending with development of specialized secondary and higher education [12].
With the absence of such vertical system there is a considerable decline in the availability of post-secondary education for the Russian people with disabilities since 2010-2011 school year.
Thus, according to statistics for 2006-2007 till 2010-2011 school years, there was an increase of admission, number of students and number of graduates with disabilities in Russian secondary vocational and higher educational institutions. However, the peak of access to education for persons with disabilities in Russia accounted for 2009-2010 school year. [14]
See figures 9 and 10.
3.3. Financing Special Education in Portugal
According to the Ministry of Education of Portugal and the Organization of Ibero-American States (2003), administration, management and financing of special education services depends on two ministries: the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Labour and Solidarity. Under the Ministry of Education, special education, as other educational responses, is decentralized, with responsibilities distributed among the Central Services, Municipalities and Regional Services.
The European Agency for the Development of Special Needs in Education, an autonomous organization established in 1996, funded by the European Commission and Member
States, is represented the Portuguese Ministry of Education, has given an important contribution to the definition of inclusion policies, through its participation in working groups and Europeans in the preparation of studies, reports and policy documents in the area of early intervention, support
for teacher and classroom practices, funding of special education, information technology and communication, and the transition from school to employment (Brandâo, 2011).
According to data collected by the Budget Actions - Enforcement officer from 2001 to 2009. GGF - Ministry
of Education in this document State of Education 2010 - school careers, the following figure shows the data for the budget of the Ministry of Education Special Education from 2001 to 2009 (see Figure 11).
3.4. Funding of education system for persons with disabilities in Russia
According to Article 14, paragraph 1 of the Federal Law "On Education of Persons with Disabilities", educational institution receives financial support from the federal budget if persons with disabilities are enrolled to the institution. [15].
3.5. Inclusion of People with Disabilities in the Labor Market
The inclusion of people with special needs is very important because it provides their social inclusion and active participation of citizens in society. This is a right recognized in the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic and the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for persons with special needs.
The lack of updated statistical data does not allow a real knowledge of the
situation of people with disabilities in the labor market, but according to the data of European Union and the United Nations Regional Centre, people with disabilities represent 15% of all population and this percentage is increasing, whose unemployment rate is two or three times (80%) higher than that of other citizens, because employers consider people with special needs unable to work (Portuguese Association of the Disabled, 2010). It is estimated that about 8% to the Portuguese population with disability / incapacity, and only 25% have jobs (Brandao, 2011).
The report by Professor Bent Greve (University of Roskilde, Denmark) for the Academic Network of European Disability Experts (ANED), dated April 2009, highlighted the situation of people with disabilities in the labor market in the countries of the European Union and Portugal (See figure 12).
However, the Portuguese legislation (Decree-Law 38/2004 of 18 August) establishes quotas for employment of persons with special needs, which requires 5% of vacancies for jobs created in the public serv-
ice are for persons with disabilities equal or greater than 60% and 2% in companies (depending on their size), but this provision has not been enforced. Although the State / Institute for Employment grant funding for some companies (subsidies for elimination of barriers, adaptation of jobs, compensation to productivity) and tax deductions (exemption from Social Security contributions for a year), and there are isolated initiatives constitution of companies that employ mostly people with disability / incapacity, placements tend to keep up or even decrease in a recession and widespread increase in unemployment. The autonomy of citizens with special needs goes through an economic independence that can be achieved through a stable job and salary (Brandao, 2011).
Please note that in Portugal there is legislation that protects people with special needs, but it is vital to put these measures into practice.
3.6. Employment of Persons with Disabilities in Russia
According to the Chairman of the All-Russian Society of Disabled People, deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation A. Lomakin-Rumyantsev, Russian persons with disabilities have very few options to find proper job in a labour market [16]. Often professional activities of persons with disabilities do not correlate with education obtained by those people during the period of their education. According to statistics, only 5% of disabled people of working age have an opportunity to work within their professional field. [6] Others do not have this choice.
According to research conducted by Russian scientists E. R. Yarskaya-Smirnova and P. V. Romanov, only 16.4% of disabled people with a degree have a job that requires higher education. More than a half of disabled graduates are unemployed (54.1%) [17].
According to researchers, higher education degree gives some advantages to its holder (unfortunately, these are short odds) in the labor market. Unemployed persons with disabilities among university graduates
Figure 12. Situation of disabled people in the labor market in the European Union
and Portugal
Table 3.
Employment in accordance with obtained qualification for persons with
disabilities
Education Job that requires higher education degree Job that does not require higher education degree Student Unemployed Total number of respondents
Higher 16,4% 23,0% 6,6% 54,1% 61
Vocational Secondary 1,0% 30,8% 5,6% 62,6% 198
Source: E. R. Yarskaya-Smirnova, P. V. Romanov. Accessibility of Higher Education for People with Disabilities // Sociological Research. 2005. 10.
are 54.1%, while among graduates of secondary vocational educational institutions are 62.6% [17].
There are several factors influencing on employment of persons with disabilities in the Russian Federation:
1. Insufficient development of social consciousness in Russia. That is why there is no understanding among Russian population that people with disabilities are equal productive members of society.
2. Imperfect state policy in enforcement of disabled people's rights [18].
Ideally, legislative regulation would have to ensure that every able-bodied person with disabilities is employed in accordance with his professional background. But the reality is quite opposite. For example, quota system for employment of persons with disabilities is almost eliminated in small and medium-sized enterprises [19]. Data on number of people with disabilities in Russia employed via quotas for the period of 2000 - 2007 is presented below (Figure 13).
Negative impact on level and quality of employment of persons with disabilities has phasing out of initiatives on development of a barrier-free living environment for people with disabilities in many regions of Russia.
Another reason for funding cut for regional and federal programs on increasing employment of persons
with disabilities has become global financial crisis. The global financial crisis has led to decrease in economic activity, contributed to job losses and wages' cuts.
As a result of state support cuts employment of persons with disabilities in recent years declined dramatically both in open and closed labour markets. It had a negative impact on specialized enterprises employing disabled persons, as they are more than others are dependent on the level of government support. [19]
All above mentioned factors in varying degree contribute to deterioration of the labor market for people with disabilities in Russia. The main reasons of low efficiency of university graduates with disabilities in the Russian labour market, in our view, are the lack of general psychological and vocational training for specialists with disabilities.
Low level of professional skills acquired in the walls of higher education institution impedes the full integration of people with disabilities, which leads to underestimation of competences and capabilities of people with disabilities by Russian employers. A considerable part of the Russian experts claim that as a result of existing practice of training and employment of persons with disabilities there are two artificial worlds in the labour market: the world for disabled people and the closed world for healthy people for whom all doors are
opened. Moreover, according to experts, these are two parallel disjoint worlds [20].
Meanwhile, without the ability to compete on labour market in context of emerging smart economy, people with disabilities have very scarce opportunities to find a good job within their professional specialty. Their chances to integrate into society are nil.
4. Conclusions
Comparison of education systems for persons with disabilities in Russia and Portugal has lead to the following conclusions:
1. Similarities in models of education lead to similarities of structures, forms and methods of education for persons with disabilities. It determines similar problems in education systems and subsequent employment of people with disabilities as well as methods of solving them.
2. Development of education services in both countries demonstrates that inclusive education is preferable for persons with disabilities.
3. Development of inclusive education in Portugal started thirty years ago, its quality is higher, while in Russia it is currently at the initial stage of development. The positive results of its implementation should be expected at the time of its mass introduction to educational institutions of Russia, which, according to government plans, will not happen before 2015.
4. Determining influence on effectiveness of education services and employment of persons with disabilities in both countries has regulatory and financial support from the governments.
5. There is a considerable decrease of accessibility of education services for persons with disabilities in both countries (accessibility of higher and secondary vocational education).
6. Difficulties with employment of disabled people in both countries need to address not through development of state regulation, but also through enhancement of education quality and performance, innovative learning technologies for persons with disabilities.
Figure 13. Employment of persons with disabilities via quotas in 2000-2007 Source: Russia: towards equal opportunities. M.: «The Whole World.» 2009. 56 - p.
References
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