Study points to lack of resources for the education of children with disabilities – publico

                 

                         
                     

                         

                 

 
                         

Portugal has made progress in protecting the rights of children with disabilities, but implementation of the legislation remains problematic, especially in the area of ​​Education, where they continue to lack adequate resources, a study commissioned by the European Parliament.

                     

                          Speaking to the Lusa agency, the coordinator of the study, Paula Campos Pinto, the Centre for Disability and Human Rights (ODDH), said that lack adequate resources for the implementation of legislative measures. “It is urgent that resources and support arrive on time,” he said, referring to the beginning of the school year.

Paula Pinto recalled that last year “there were huge delays” and “Some families were invited to hold their children at home until they were the conditions in the schools to be able to receive.” Are cited as causes of this delay budget constraints and problems in linking structures.

Contacted by Lusa, Luisa Beltran, the president of the Parents-in-Network Association (which promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities ), said that the new school year is starting up normally and smoothly. According to him, the aid applications that have come to the association does not relate to the granting of support, but with problems such as the lack of vacancies when children have to change cycle or go to school for the first time.

The president of Special Education Teachers National Association, David Rodrigues agreed that the new school year start is proceeding smoothly in the field of Special Educational Needs (SEN). He stressed, however, that the number of pupils with SEN has increased and has never been as high as now – 78,763 children -. but the number of teachers stabilized at 5,760 faculty

The study commissioned to ODDH also indicates that although schools are not able to refuse to receive a child with special needs, such situations continue to occur, with students being sent to schools that were not the first choice the family, but who supposedly have better conditions. Paula Pinto believes that children with disabilities end up staying at a disadvantage compared to other students, which has an impact on their progress throughout schooling and access to the labor market.

According to the researcher, failures in education start immediately at the level of early intervention programs, which lack technical and human resources, and continue throughout the school career.

The study authors consider, in particular, that the existing legislation “is often inadequate or is incomplete” and criticize how the inclusion of disabled children in mainstream schools was made. They argue further that the laws imposed a “rigid definition of school subjects that should be taught or the number of hours dedicated to each discipline.” “As a result, these students were left without a viable alternative for further studies,” reads the document.