Inclusive education
Learning conditions for persons with disabilities at AltSU
Altai State University, within the framework of inclusive education, provides the following learning conditions for people with disabilities.
1. Local regulations
In 2015, AltSU adopted the decision of the Academic Council (Minutes No. 10 dated 02.07.2015) and Order of rector (No. 996/п dated 09.07.2015) "Regulations on the procedure for organizing and implementing educational activities for educational programs for disabled persons at Altai State University", Regulation by decision of the Academic Council (Minutes No. 10 dated July 2, 2015) and Order of rector (No. 995/p dated July 9, 2015) "Regulations on the center for inclusive education in Altai State University".
In 2016, by order of rector (No. 195/p dated February 19, 2016), a commission was established to conduct a survey and certification of facilities and services provided on it, based on the results of the audit, passports of accessibility for disabled people of the university's academic buildings were compiled. By order of rector (No. 589/p dated April 25, 2016), a Comprehensive program (“road map”) was adopted to increase accessibility indicators for people with disabilities at AltSU for 2016–2020.”
2. Organizational and methodological work
In order to coordinate the creation of special conditions for ensuring inclusive education of students with disabilities in the structure of the educational and methodological department, the Center for Inclusive Education was created: building "M", Lenina pr., 61 / st. Youth, 13, room. 206b, tel.; (3852) 296-578.
In order to exercise the right to receive education, persons with disabilities must submit to the educational institution the conclusion of the federal institution of medical and social expertise that they are not contraindicated in studying in the relevant educational organizations. AltSU creates opportunities and provides training for people with:
• hearing impairments – deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened;
• visual impairments – blind, visually impaired and late-blinded, with strabismus and amblyopia;
• speech disorders - general underdevelopment of speech of various etiologies, underdevelopment of the phonetic and phonemic side of speech, stuttering and other speech disorders;
• violations of the musculoskeletal system;
• complex defects, including deaf-blindness;
• disorders of the emotional-volitional sphere and behavior;
• somatic diseases;
• other developmental disabilities.
AltSU provides for the following organizational forms of implementation of education:
• Education on a common basis with students without pathological findings, full inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education environment without changes in the organization of the education system, that is, in programs, methods, and training plans.
• Training in special educational programs exclusively for persons with disabilities is associated with the development and implementation of individual curricula and adapted educational programs.
• Distance education involves educational technologies implemented mainly with the use of information and telecommunication networks with indirect (at a distance) interaction between students with disabilities and teachers.
An alternative version for the visually impaired has been created on the university website and the information on the conditions for teaching disabled people at AltSU have been posted. Access address: http://www.asu.ru/education/inclusive/.
In 2016, a cooperation agreement was signed between the university and All-Russian Society of the Deaf (providing hearing-impaired people, if necessary, services using Russian sign language, including providing access to the object of a sign language interpreter, a typhl interpreter in the regional office in Barnaul and in branches in the cities of Rubtsovsk, Slavgorod, Biysk, and Kamen-on-Ob).
In 2015–2016 the Center for Inclusive Education and the Regional Center for Retraining and Advanced Training of Teachers of Higher and Secondary Specialized Educational Institutions have developed and are implementing a professional development program for the teaching staff “Inclusion in Higher Education”.
In the Informatization Department, there is a sector for ensuring the development of information and distance technologies in education. The Distance Education Laboratory deals with the creation of distance learning courses for the development of distance education at AltSU. Laboratory staff helps course authors record video lectures using professional equipment, create flash videos, professional presentations, and place educational materials in electronic form on the Moodle educational platform.
For students with disabilities, AltSU has established a special procedure for mastering the discipline "physical culture" based on the principles of health saving and active physical culture - adaptive physical education classes in specially equipped sports, gyms or outdoors, which are conducted by teachers who have the appropriate training.
Psychological, pedagogical and social support includes monitoring the schedule of the educational process and the implementation of certification activities, organizing individual consultations, developing individual curricula and individual training schedules, providing educational and methodological materials, and providing psychological support. Social support is provided through the allocation of material assistance to the disabled, scholarships, as well as their involvement in student self-government.
3. Accessible environment
For the safety of students and employees of the university, sound and light warning and alarm systems have been created.
All university staff were instructed on the basic forms and methods of working with people with disabilities.
AltSU has a tutor service, if necessary, providing support for all categories of persons with disabilities.
At all faculties, if possible, classrooms are designated, located and adapted as comfortably as possible for different categories of disabled people (first or second floor, wide doorways, low thresholds, multimedia equipment, room numbers dubbed in Braille). In classrooms where a disabled student studies (in lecture halls, classrooms for practical classes, training workshops, a library, etc.), if necessary, 1–2 places are allocated for students with disabilities for a specific type of health disorder - vision, hearing, and musculoskeletal system. In a standard classroom, it is necessary to provide the first desks in a row by the window and in the middle row provide for students with hearing and visual impairments.
For people with musculoskeletal disorders:
• the adjacent territory of AltSU has been adapted, parking spaces have been allocated; entrance ways to the main building "M" are available. In other educational buildings there are buttons for calling help to enter the building.
• a service of tutors operates in the buildings, carrying out accompaniment to the necessary premises along the entire route of the disabled person; in the main building "M" non-threshold elevators are installed; an accessible toilet is available.
• a training place for such a nosology implies an increase in the size of the zone by one place, taking into account the entrance and turning of the wheelchair, increasing the width of the passage between the desks, for students in a wheelchair, 1–2 tables are allocated in a row at the doorway.
For persons with visual impairment:
• Tactile mnemonic diagrams are installed in the educational buildings on the ground floors for possible independent orientation in space. In the main building "M" elevators have audio voice acting for floor numbers.
• Key offices, dean's offices of educational subdivisions are duplicated by number tables in Braille.
• in the Scientific Library of Altai State University there is a service point for visually impaired and blind students, cooperating with the Altai Regional Special Library, where you can order specialized literature: audio books on cassettes, disks, flash cards, flat-printed books with enlarged type. The reading room has equipment for listening to audio books. Books for ordering can be found in the electronic catalog on the AKSB website for the blind and visually impaired (http://bibl22.ru/): building "L", pr. Lenina, 61, room. 323. Tel.: 667-531; e-mail: mba@lib.asu.
• in classrooms, if necessary, places are allocated for visually impaired students, and the distance between the rows of tables is at least 0.6 m; between tables in a row - at least 0.5 m; between rows of tables and walls without window openings - at least 0.7 m; between a row of tables and a wall with window openings - at least 0.5 m.
• if necessary, during the educational process, the student can be provided with a personal computer with Internet access to training courses in the Moodle system using special programs for the visually impaired (enlarged font, electronic magnifier, etc.)
For people with hearing impairments:
• on the first floors of the educational buildings, electronic / light displays (scrolling text) are installed. In the main building "M" there is a floor standing information terminal that provides access to the university website, giving access to all main information resources (schedule, news, etc.).
• in the classrooms, if necessary, places are allocated for students with hearing impairments, the distance between the rows of tables is at least 0.6 m; between tables in a row - at least 0.5 m; between rows of tables and walls without window openings - at least 0.7 m; between a row of tables and a wall with window openings - at least 0.5 m.
• if necessary, during the educational process, the student can be provided with a personal computer with Internet access to training courses in the Moodle system using sound amplifying equipment (speakers, headphones, etc.).