Vol. 2 No. 13 (2019)

The following issue of the journal is devoted to the notion of inclusion and problems related to it, as it is currently a subject of extensive debates undertaken in various environments. Inclusion, a prerequisite for social integration, is based on the belief that everyone has the right to co-create and participate in social life, and on actions aimed towards the implementation of this idea. What appears to be its most important goal is to allow a disabled individual into a social group, which should be dictated by the desire to initiate and shape contacts, and thus to facilitate the person’s “social existence,” granting them the opportunity to enter into social relations. It is imperative because “The ability to cope with life situations is a social competence a person ‘grows into’ and acquires in the process of gathering experience in various situations and social environments. The effects will depend on many conditions, including the competences of the people we meet” (Chrzanowska, 2015, p. 127). Therefore, for each and every person to function properly in a social group, it is necessary that the group get to know their qualities and possible limitations. However, this recognition cannot develop through the prism of such limitations, but through recognition of a whole variety of traits, with disability being simply one of them.
Such a view on an individual – disabled or not – is necessary in the process of shaping and improving their independence and self-determination, which, in turn, allows them to build their self-esteem and to be “themselves.” “In striving to make our society humane and just, we must always respect everyone. This means that we must look at everyone as the only, unique being with specific needs, and try to satisfy them as best we can […]” (Davis, 2000, p. 122).
The articles published in this issue focus on two different areas related to the subject of inclusion. The first one is the very process of inclusion, and the second is the pro-quality activities that aid inclusion within various educational and educational environments. There are four articles in this issue which fall into the first category, in their focus on inclusive education in the context of postulated assumptions and assumed effects as well as legal regulations.
Arguments for implementing inclusive education, and the analysis of factors that constitute a barrier to the practical implementation of the idea of inclusive education in Poland, have been presented in the first analysis (Marzenna Zaorska, Adam Zaorski). Two important issues are addressed in the second article: the first is associated with the need to rationalize support for people with intellectual disabilities in such a way as to enable them to live independently through flexibility and personalization of educational and rehabilitation activities, and the second concerns the perception and recognition of the intellectual potential of people with intellectual disabilities as more favorable to their development and social inclusion (Zdzisława Janiszewska-Nieścioruk, Julia Nieścioruk). The third text is a presentation of the results of research on the ability to answer questions and follow instructions directed at all students in a class in which students with mild intellectual disabilities learn. The presented results are part of a wider research project related to the educational situation of students with intellectual disabilities in public school (Zenon Gajdzica). The last article in this section presents the basic assumptions of the use of positive diagnosis in work with disabled people. It proposes that the most important factor conditioning the effectiveness of the process of supporting the development of people with disabilities is the diagnosis, which is an important element of integrating people with disabilities into the social world and overcoming development problems arising from disability (Ewa Wysocka).
The second part comprises articles presenting research on declared sources of teaching knowledge and skills in the field of diagnosis and therapy, as well as their self-assessment, by teachers of both inclusive (Joanna Skibska) and public schools (Agnieszka Twaróg-Kanus). These studies are part of a larger research project devoted to the diagnostic and therapeutic competences of teachers in public, inclusive, and special schools. The next article presents the results of research on the “leadership potential of an individual,” defined as a socio-psychological trait reflecting one’s ability to influence the environment using one’s own resources. The research shows that special educational needs of students do not constitute significant obstacles to the development of their leadership skills (Olga Soroka, Svitlana Kalaur). The subsequent text, in turn, shows the results of research on the effects of grit and implicit theories of intelligence and personality on academic performance (Cosette Fox, Maria Barrera, Lucy Campos, Felicia Reid-Metoyer).
The ninth article in this issue presents research conducted as part of the Mutual Learning Education Project – Constructivism in School Practice, devoted to changing the instructional educational methods of early school teachers to constructivist methods that strengthen students’ skills in the field of responsibility and commitment to the development of their own knowledge (Anna Witkowska-Tomaszewska). In the next article, a case study regarding the social support experienced by the family of a child with Asperger syndrome and activities that fall under the social support network is discussed (Anida Szafrańska). The following article presents research on the use of art therapy as a method supporting the prevention of social exclusion. The purpose of the study is to determine the place of art therapy in solving teenagers’ problems in the assessment of participants in art therapy classes and their teachers (Beata Ciupińska). The next article discusses the results of pilot studies on selected skills of participants in mediation proceedings in family matters. Opinions of both people undergoing mediations and mediators on the communication skills of the parties are presented (Patryk Kujan). The final article of this issue contains a review of research on preventive actions in the field of depression and suicidal behavior of children and adolescents (Małgorzata Przybysz-Zaremba).
The modern world provides many opportunities to support people with disabilities, but for their implementation to have a pro-quality dimension, certain conditions must be met, and “professional” actions must be taken. Only then will it be possible to bring about specific changes that would provide “tailor-made” or personalized development stimuli, and take into account long-term goals, among which the ability to cope with life situations and “social existence” mentioned earlier deserve particular attention.
Joanna Skibska