Asst. Prof. Emine AYYILDIZ from Istanbul Medeniyet University Faculty of Educational Sciences Department of Basic Education participated as a speaker in a panel about Inclusion and Integration Practices in Special Education Practices organized by Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education as part of the 3 December International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
In the event held in Bahçelievler Nurettin Topçu Cultural Center, Gülşen Özer, Director of the Special Education Branch of the Directorate of National Education said in the opening speech: “The United Nations, acting with the aim of conveying the principle of equality to everyone, has brought a rights-based approach to equal opportunity in education by publishing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 with the signatory states, including Turkey.” and underlined that special education applications constitute a right for students.
As the first speaker in the panel, our faculty member Asst. Prof. Emine Ayyıldız delivered a speech titled “Inclusion or Integration? The Difference Between Inclusion and Integration Philosophies in Social and Educational Perspectives”, in which she emphasized that “individualized education program” for students is incorrect by definition; that it is important for students to be called by their names; and that each student is special. She also talked about the difference between inclusion and inclusive philosophy, which has been a hotly debated topic in special education for many years. Ayyıldız said that inclusion has been a higher-order philosophy since the mid-1990s and is not just about educating children with special needs, or even just about education. She also emphasized that inclusion is a legal and educational human right that concerns all individuals who do not have access to the necessary opportunities and who do not have fair conditions both socially and educationally.
The program ended with the presentation of gifts prepared by the students of Saadet Special Education Vocational School and Şöhret Kurşunoğlu Special Education Vocational School.
