The paper analyzes a confusion in the special education field caused by paradigm shifts towards social model of disability and inclusive model of education of children with special needs. Theoretical considerations concern the changes in the subject of the special education field’s interests, terminology, teaching methods and methodology employed by a special education discipline. In the paper special education’s and inclusive education’s assumptions were confronted. As it turned out, in many points they are contradictory. Especially, the notion and practice of categorization rooted in traditional special education and demonstrable in special needs definition, teachers’ training or teaching methods seem to be very difficult challenges for implementation of inclusive education.

This study investigates the perspectives of young women with disabilities in Jordan, focusing on their self-regulation. 16 young women, aged 18-22, with visual (VI), hearing (HI) impairments and physical disability (PD), were recruited using a snowballing technique. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, which were analysed thematically. Two main themes emerged where findings show that disability affects self-regulation where there was an overlap between local cultural perspectives in understanding disability of young women, disability and gender in understanding self-regulation of women with disabilities. Disability and gender also influence women with disabilities self-regulation with respect to self-learning, setting goals, self-evaluation, self-monitoring, making decisions and self-reinforcement. Findings will add to the current debate and efforts to understand disabilities in women and lay the groundwork for initiating a campaign in Jordan concentrating on the importance of self-regulation in young women with disabilities.

The object and aim of the undertaken surveys was to assess the modifying impact of a child’s language development (independent variable) on selected areas of their mother’s functioning-the appearance of symptoms of depression, and concentration on the child’s disability (dependent variable). Surveys in a group of the same 30 dyads (mother-child) connected with the Association of Family and Friends of Children with Hearing Impairment in Krosno were conducted in 2007 and repeated after 9 years. Analysis of the test data (n=60) confirmed the hypothesis that the appearance of symptoms of depression in mothers is less frequent and a mother’s perception of a child’s hearing impairment as burdensome decreases alongside the development of a child’s language competence. The article is critical of the results of surveys conducted by other researchers. The authors also analyse other factors, including the Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening Programme, place of residence, quality of specialist treatment and therapy, and the passage of time, which may influence change in the functioning of mothers of children with hearing impairment.

The article is an attempt to present one of the most known concepts of disability, which, since the 60s of the 20t century, has been a significant and frequent subject of theoretical analysis as well as has been the hint in constructing the social policy or the organization of the welfare system for the disabled both in Poland and all over the world. In the article the American model of normalization will be presented and its deconstruction. Disclosing the problems concerning the theoretical assumptions of the concepts of this model allows for perceiving the way in which society constructs the subject of a disabled person.

The purpose of the conducted research was to analyze the processual dimension of the transformations of a disabled person’s life which take place under the influence of experiences related to practicing sport. Therefore, the article attempts to discuss the issues related to the influence of sport institutions responsible for the organization of sport practiced by physically disabled individuals in their care. In the article, I try to prove the similarity of the sport structure with the educational system structure where, apart from the strictly educational functions, there are also socialization processes taking place, diverse in terms of measures and results. The basis for the realization of the purpose mentioned above was the personal experiences of the researched individuals. Hence, the research exploits qualitative data collected during participant observations and in-depth free interviews conducted among the disabled practicing sports. Analysis and interpretation of the research material was performed in accordance with the procedures of grounded theory. The article has been prepared as a consequence of research carried out between 2012 and 2015 among the society of the disabled who practice professional sports. The studies are related to the characteristics of a sports career of the disabled, which, regarding its specificity, is deeply rooted in institutionalized initiation practices regarding inclusion, continuance and the maintenance of the main action, i.e., practicing sport.

Jedną z ważnych kategorii pedagogicznych jest kategoria Innego. Może ona być rozpatrywana jako doświadczanie Inności oraz jako relacja z Innym. W artykule podejmuję refleksję nad doświadczeniem inności przez rodziców dzieci z niepełnosprawnością. Zastanawiam się nad źródłem tego doświadczenia. Przedstawiam także teoretyczne wzorce adaptacji inności przez rodziców – procesu przyjęcia niepełnosprawności.

Autyzm jest zaburzeniem neurorozwojowym, które manifestuje się w obszarach związanych między innymi z relacjami społecznymi, komunikacją werbalną i niewerbalną. W ciągu ostatnich dziesięciu lat liczne kampanie społeczne na całym świecie, także w regionie Półwyspu Arabskiego, podniosły ogólny poziom świadomości na temat tego zaburzenia zarówno wśród rodziców, jak i ekspertów. Jednakże tradycyjne wierzenia i przekonania pozostają nadal istotnymi czynnikami, które kształtują zachowania związane z profilaktyką prozdrowotną i nastawieniem do kwestii związanych z szeroko pojętym zdrowiem psychicznym. Niniejsze opracowanie omawia znaczenie tych czynników, a także religii, na percepcję zaburzeń ze spektrum autyzmu w regionie państw GCC (Rady Współpracy Zatoki).

The article raises the issue of research in artistic expression and creativity used in therapy. Such research requires an interdisciplinary approach combining the humanities (art studies) and the social studies (pedagogy, psychology, sociology), which causes issues with implementing a consistent research perspective. The author points out a few issues, called “sensitive areas”, and analyses them in relation to the disabled people theatre. These are: the presentation status of such groups, the dangers of subjectivism or the necessity of implementing the qualitative research model, the methods of research documentation.

The article concerns the methodological and theoretical aspects of research carried out in the environment of intellectually disabled people. The issues of intellectual disability pose a challenge for researchers; individuals with an intellectual disability constitute a specific group, the research of which requires an interpretative approach, that is, open and flexible research methods. Therefore, the main stress in the article is on proving the usefulness of the interpretative perspective, along with the advantages of adopting the grounded theory methodology to research this category of people. These approaches make it possible to adjust the research strategy to the characteristics of the explored research area. They allow for in-depth analysis of empirical data and thus create conditions for an accurate depiction of the researched environment. Making reference to research on the environment of intellectually disabled people, the usefulness of grounded theory methodology procedures was assessed in a broader context of research conducted in the interpretative paradigm.

The article refers to the right to work of people with disabilities. The author explains the meaning of the terms “disabled person”, “disability” in the context of international regulations and national legislation. He also points to the foundations of the right to work in the context of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, as well as the Act on Vocational and Social Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities. The author draws attention to international regulations of the UN and ILO in this field. The article outlines the realization of this right in the context of employment of people with disabilities in protected labor market entities and on the so-called open labor market.

The article aims to draw attention to the linguistic rights of the Deaf in Poland and their legal source. Deaf people’s right to Polish sign language stems from their disability. This approach is incorrect. The title entitlement is the natural right of the deaf, derived from his dignity. In turn, the principle of human dignity is the gate leading to its “positivization”. On the other hand, recognizing the constitutional nature of the right to Polish sign language strengthens the legal basis of the deaf ’s claims against the state and justifies the legal protection of this language. The recognition of the right to Polish sign language allows the deaf to the full and equal exercise of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution of April 2, 1997.

The article discusses institutions providing support and aid to people with disabilities and their families. The theoretical determinants of the aid process were discussed in the context of the possible forecasting of strategies for these interactions within the functioning of public, non-governmental and private institutions (without budgetary subsidies). The important area highlighted in the paper was not only disability and the family’s needs but also the nature of a possible support which should depend on a forecast of actions resulting out of the nature and grade of person’s disability. In turn, the scope of proposed solutions should comprise of a package of offers dependent on the grade and nature of person’s disability and should lead to their life and economic independence. However, this requires a tripartite social dialogue, good will, and understanding of each person requiring a long-term support and aid. This article ends with a short conclusion highlighting the need for immediate actions for starting a social dialogue in order to establish a tri-sectoral aid, and within its scope, a reasonable forecast of the needs of the child with disabilities.

This article aims to describe the cultural model of disability. In contrast to the social model of disability, which is strongly coherent, the cultural model of disability has not yet been specified, despite ongoing discussions on cultural determinants of understanding disability. In the first part of the article, the origins and essence of the cultural model are presented. Next, the four main assumptions underlying the model are characterised: 1) people perceive reality through the prism of their culture and experience acquired with it, 2) disability can have different meanings depending on what kind of discourse constitutes its meaning, 3) disability does not mean a feature of an individual, but a category of human differentiation, which can be embodied and thus materialised, 4) instead of just “looking” at people with disabilities and asking what problems they are struggling with, and what support from the society they need, the current perspective should be broadened and include the entire society and its culture. The final part of the article highlights the most important advantages of the cultural model of disability.

The article presents the results of a study of the peculiarities and difficulties of educational and social inclusion of Ukrainian children with special educational needs who found protection from the war in the Czech Republic. The sample was formed according to the criteria we defined. The results obtained using a semi-structured interview testify to the social significance of the outlined problem. They can be used to develop ways and resources to increase the effectiveness of including of Ukrainian children with special educational needs and their self-realisation in European society.

One of the main objectives focusing on the subject of disability is to create a situation which will enable people with disabilities to fully participate in all spheres of social activities. In Poland the issues of disability and disabled people have been present in the public debate for many years. However, the changes in the social as well as economic climate of life justify taking actions and their adjustment to reality, so as not to marginalise the issues of disability in terms of the state’s responsibilities for its citizens. One of such actions is the professional insertion and employment of people with disabilities. The paper will tackle the above-mentioned problems.

Over the last decades higher education became a crucial factor increasing the chances of employment. Additionally, the dynamics of changes on the labour market requires a variety of vocational skills from an employee. A contemporary employee ought to incorporate the necessity of work change and retraining into their vision of employment. Labour market analysts point out that people even with good, but narrow qualifications, have potentially the lowest chances of finding a job. If one takes the fact of disability into consideration, these chances are clearly minimising. The key question which should be answered is whether higher education takes an important place in the life plans of people with disability.

The paper presents a review of the most representative and frequently quoted in literature studies which were focused on the relationship between child abuse and disability. Although these studies have been undertaken intensively only since 1990, researchers are sure that the connection between these two phenomena is clear and indeed it is sofisticated. The author of the paper proposes a picture – a kind of systematization of the main directions of research into the subject. The research tendencies that were revealed in the overview done by the author on the basis of the content of the most representative in periodical child abuse literature Child “Abuse and Neglect. The International Journal”, are illustrated with examples of studies and theirs outcomes. This proposition of the systematization may be useful for researchers by inspiring them to undertake their own investigations. In turn, developing empirical and theoretical analyses of the problems concerning child maltreatment, in the context of children’s or parents’ disability, may prove beneficial for intervention practice. The paper is particularly addressed to researchers from countries where the subject has not been studied so far, has been neglected or the field of connections between disability and abuse has not been considered as an important one (eg.to Polish researchers).

The article is a short report compiled on the basis of the survey research focusing on disabled people’s conceptions of their own everyday life and of social attitudes towards impairment. The survey examined the ways of experiencing life, with regard to the following categories: self-perception; perceiving environmental attitudes towards visible disability; emotional and behavioural reactions to the patterns of behaviour displayed by the environment; assessing one’s own relations with other people; making an overall evaluation of the society’s approach to disability. The author also presents three main theoretical theses regarding shaping social attitudes towards the disabled, as well as outlines the leading strategies which people with disabilities employ in order to cope with critical situations. These are constructive and destructive strategies, related to young people’s approach to life – a positive attitude (encouraging development) and a negative one (hindering development).

The paper deals with some problems which may arise when a disabled child starts attending an ordinary school. The author focuses on the question of systems approach to the question of school readiness which assumes the preparation of a handicapped child for entering an ordinary kindergarten, the preparation of healthy children for accepting their handicapped classmate as well as the need for readiness of teachers and parents of both groups of children.