Teaching Assistants' professional support for Students with disabilities and their role in inclusive Education

Abstract

eaching assistants and professional communication mediators are a relatively new form of professional support for students with special educational needs (SEN) in the Croatian school system. In the context of Croatian primary and secondary schools, they represent valuable support for students with learning difficulties and disabilities as a subgroup of SEN students. Ministry of science and education, with numerous documents and projects, ensures opportunities for inclusive education. Providing this kind of support with teaching assistants and professional communication mediators is one way of good adaptation to the student's individual needs. With this, students can take their chances for participation in the educational process on an equal basis with other students and without discrimination based on disability. Current publications in the field of assistants and teacher collaboration reveal some aspects of inclusive education challenges and suggestions for improvement. This paper considers the involvement of teaching assistants in Varaždin County and the city of Varaždin, their and teachers' perception of assistants' role in supporting students with disabilities. The sample of this research comprises 160 participants.