The integration of children and adolescents with special educational needs into mainstream school is gaining importance in Switzerland. Most cantons, frequently also communities, have developed concepts, regulations and guidelines and now offer corresponding provisions. On the Federal level, the Law on Equal Rights for People with Disabilities recommends that the cantons promote integration (see the Legal System section, 1b).

The Federal Invalidity Insurance Law and funding via the Invalidity Insurance, established in 1960, supported segregated provisions that were stronger than integrative ones, e.g. by offering more financial support to pupils attending specialised institutions (see the sections Legal System, 1 c and Financing). By now, this system has been modified in order to make integration possible. Nevertheless, it basically remains an obstacle on the way to inclusion. The change from federal to cantonal authority expected by 2007 may threaten the level of provision for SNE, but is also a chance to promote integration. Cantons will have more flexibility to establish models of schooling matching their demographic and geographic structure and therefore develop more integrative forms of SNE.

Today, children with less severe special educational needs – pupils of the so called “special classes” are more frequently integrated than children with more severe educational needs. Pupils with learning problems are more frequently integrated than pupils with behavioural problems. Integration of pupils from special schools is still rare, but constantly increasing. In line with other countries with a more segregated school system, parental pressure towards integration and inclusion is growing.

Generally, less densely populated areas (e.g. the canton of Valais) have more integrative and inclusive offers than the larger cities. Another distinctive situation is the canton of Ticino (Italian-speaking Switzerland). Ticino followed the Italian model of integration to some extent with “Sostegno pedagogico”, a model of teacher and pupil support in mainstream school, with the result that there is no segregation for the less severe forms of special need.