25 years of functioning of the Education Act. Tendencies in educating students with special educational needs

The paper presents the changes that have taken place in the education of students with special educational needs in the last 25 years after the introduction of the “new” Education Act in 1991. In the article the authors analyze the changes that have taken place in the terminology used to describe these students and the educational offer that has been created for them. The paper shows that this was the time working out a wider range of support for students manifesting a variety of special needs. The opportunities to use a varied education, including the integration / inclusion have been expanded. Quantitative effect of these changes can be seen when one takes into account the number of students with disabilities in different types of schools, with a tendency to increase in mainstream and integrative schools and decrease in special schools (especially at the primary level).

The paper presents the changes that have taken place in the education of students with special educational needs in the last 25 years after the introduction of the “new” Education Act in 1991. In the article the authors analyze the changes that have taken place in the terminology used to describe these students and the educational offer that has been created for them. The paper shows that this was the time working out a wider range of support for students manifesting a variety of special needs. The opportunities to use a varied education, including the integration / inclusion have been expanded. Quantitative effect of these changes can be seen when one takes into account the number of students with disabilities in different types of schools, with a tendency to increase in mainstream and integrative schools and decrease in special schools (especially at the primary level).