Cultivation of Special Needs Students’ Citizenship as the Basis in the aspiration of Ukraine to European Integration

Abstract

Abstract The prospects for the cultivation of special needs students’ citizenship as a prerequisite for the entry of Ukraine into the European Community have been described. The priority of compliance of European democratic sociocultural standards and humanistic values, among which the most important are the changes of attitude towards the disabled people, providing the establishment of equal rights for all Ukrainian citizens, has been specified. It has been confirmed that equal rights for all citizens are a guarantee of the disabled person’s civil self-affirmation and preservation of his honor and dignity. An analysis of domestic and foreign scholars’ works on the issue of citizenship education of young people with special needs has been represented. The pecularities of the special needs students’ citizenship education in the integrated environment of higher educational institutions have been characterised. On the basis of the analyzed literature it has been determined that a special needs’ student has got an opportunity to gain greater understanding of himself and his role in the society, improve his adaptive skills, expand the range of interests and social circle, ensure his own potentialities as a social unit and assert himself in his own value to the society under the conditions of higher educational institution of integrated type. The factors underlying the formation of special needs students’ citizenship in the integrated environment of higher educational institution and characterizing the individual’s citizenship in the democratic society have been thoroughly described.