TEACHERS AND PARENTS ATTITUDES TOWARD STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Abstract

Attitudes towards people with disability for centuries have been segregating, learned through prejudice and lack of information. The inclusion of students with disability in regular classes is a basic prerequisite for school and social integration, as well as changes in attitudes towards students with disabilities. Inclusiveness is a complex commitment that stems from the essence of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, each child has equal chances in development and the opportunity to be an equal member of the community.This paper presents the attitudes of elementary teachers and parents towards inclusive education, especially their views about the acceptance of students with disability.For the purpose of the research it was applied descriptive – analytical method and questionnaire as research technique. The sample of the research was consisted of 60 teachers and 250 parents (100 parents of children with disabilities and 150 parents of children with a typical development) from 10 primary schools in Republic of Macedonia. The result showed that most of the parents and teachers accept attitudes towards inclusion in accordance with the human principle, agree that inclusion develop empathy, altruism, respect for differences and acceptance of every child; socialization of children and development of humanity; overcoming the stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination. On the other hand, for the parents of children with typical development the most important thing is that the children with disability will not be aggressive towards the other children in the class, and will not decrease the quality of the teacher's work with their children.