From Sept. 20th-22nd the department’s federal state referees met in Eisenach to discuss the following subjects.
Exchange
and discussion of the current situation of the federal states’ efforts on
inclusion
The reports
illustrate the aspects of the present situation in the respective federal
states. New school laws and concepts help implement inclusion. Some states are
in the process of launching competence and advice centres.
Enquiries on the configuration of the state remedial centre of vision in Schleswig - established in the 1980s on the premise of integration – led to an argument about the inclusive education framework particularly considering its succeeding conditions.
Revision of standards
The Kultusministerkonferenz’[1] resolution on “Inclusive education of children and adolescents with a disability at school” served as introduction to the discussion.
The
subsidiary principle of special needs education and SNE promotion, which is
obligated to each individual child, as well as the extension of inclusive
educational offers formed the guiding ideas in order to revise the standards.
The definition of standards for the SNE focus on vision led to the insight that
both preamble and results cannot be seen isolated for each SNE focus, but
instead must be phrased comprehensively for all foci. This proposal will be
forwarded to the National commission along with the final definition of
standards.
Debate on Prof. Dr. Sven Degenhardt’s published article
“Education, raising and rehabilitation of blind and visually impaired children and adolescents in an inclusive school in the federal states [(Länder)] of Germany”, (periodical “blind/sehbehindert”, VBS 3/2011). The present position paper, written by the working committee of leaders of member SNE institutions in the association for visual impairment education was discussed to some extent.
The specific curriculum called for in this paper should lead to a verbalisation of standards, which are nationally applicable.
Additionally, the specific curriculum’s contents shall be transferred to a model-performance calculation to subsequently gain comparable resources on a national scale.
Perspective: It was required to continue the discussion with regards to the contents at federal associations and councils respectively. Schleswig-Holstein representatives suggested an addendum to the paper in terms of concepts of advice. A framework of aid and advice at the inclusive school should be added to the standards to underline the KMK’s decision on looking at remedial centres for vision as a subsidiary system of inclusive education.
Further topics yielded by the state referees
- Remedial centres for vision
The centre of attention was the particular pre-emphasis on the subject of inclusion concerning pupils with multiple disabilities.
Another issue was the growing number of pupils with SNE focus on emotional and social development.
The issue of increased interdisciplinary cooperation as well as the demand for occupational training and promotion of educational professionals could only be touched on.
- Early Childhood Special Education
Enquiries on Early Childhood Special Education and existing agreements of cooperation with nurseries (Kindergarten) led to a lively exchange of experience. Variant regulations and responsibilities exist in all federal states.
- mobile services at vocational schools
In most federal states there is no regulation on mobile services at vocational schools.
A nationwide arrangement should be installed.
- CVI – Cerebral Visual Impairment
CVI is increasingly broadening the range of topics and the requirements of aid and advice at remedial centres for vision. CVI comprises damages of the visual system. This is due to changes in the transmitting and assimilation process.
National symposium [alt. expert conference] on hearing and sight 2014
On attendance of Susanne Römer, national referee on hearing, the framework of the National Conference was outlined.
Ideas concerning the National Conference Hearing/ Sight in 2014 were exchanged and subsequent cooperation was agreed on.
A joint conference of state referees on both hearing and sight will take place in March 2013.
Angela Schneider-Heinen
Translation: Ruth Stang