Psychological and Pedagogical Support for Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Educational Environment of University

Abstract

The authors analyze the components of psychological and pedagogical support for students with disabilities in an inclusive educational environment of the University using as the example the Faculty of distance learning of MSUPE. It is shown that the active model of disability aimed at fostering students’ own activity may become a basis of psychological and pedagogical support for university students with disabilities. Psychological and pedagogical support of students with disabilities includes a variety of forms (pedagogical, social, psychological support, self-support) aimed at enriching the psychological and pedagogical conditions of the educational environment through: 1) support groups organization and functioning; 2) self-support groups functioning; 3) creating an optimally accessible educational environment using distant technologies. The system of psychological and pedagogical support of students with disabilities can be built on the basis of «understanding relationships», suggesting barrier-free understanding, overcoming the stereotypes of disability and erroneous interpretations of the multidimensional world of persons having disabilities; the full participation and involvement in the experience of disability. The article provides data of empirical studies conducted by students with disabilities themselves in the framework of their master theses which allowed to detect the most problematic and resource zones in: 1) support groups (parents of students with disabilities); 2) readiness of students with disabilities to self-help, their self-activation and hardiness resources; 3) the role of inclusive distance educational environment to develop motivation and psychological well-being in all students: with and without disabilities.