A critical consideration of the changing conditions of schooling for students with disabilities in Greece and the fragility of international in local contexts

ABSTRACT

The Salamanca Statement is held as a high-water mark in the history of the global development of inclusive education. It represented agreements bringing together representatives from 92 governments and 25 international organisations to advocate for a more inclusive education for students with disabilities. Since 1994 the Salamanca Statement has been referred to by international education organisations, national education jurisdictions, and disability advocacy organisations as a foundation for progressing inclusive education. In this respect the Salamanca Statement has been important for the inclusive education and Education for All [UNESCO 1998. From Special Needs Education to Education for All: Discussion Paper for the International Consultative Forum on Education for All. Paris: UNESCO] movements. However, international agreements and conventions are fragile in the face of local contingencies and become difficult to apply. We examine the case of inclusive education in Greece to reflect on this complex relationship between international aspirations and the real politic of individual nation states. Greece, like other nations, has embraced the discourse of inclusive education and its successive governments can demonstrate policy activity and public expenditure on the education of disabled students. This is remarkable in a climate of ‘crisis’ and ‘austerity’ where the only investment in the teaching workforce is in the area of inclusive education. However, is Greek education more inclusive in practice as well as rhetoric?

KEYWORDS:

• Inclusive education
• Salamanca Statement
• Greek education policy
• austerity
• disability studies

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Evdoxia Nteropoulou-Nterou is an Assistant Professor of Special and Inclusive Education in the Department of Early Childhood Education at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. Her research focuses on inclusive education, special education, education policy and disability studies.

Roger Slee is a Professor of Education in the School of Education at University of South Australia. His research focuses on inclusive education, inclusive education policy and practice, curriculum and pedagogy, education systems and disability studies.

ORCID

Evdoxia Nteropoulou-Nterou http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6908-5976