As all over the world there are different thoughts and ideas about the development and improvement of special needs education in Latvian society and also about how to support those who need such support most of all. Latvia supports the basic concept of the world that all the people are equally valuable and that all of them have equal rights for meaningful development, life, studies and work under this sun.

The Law of Education of Latvia states that the children with special educational needs have the right to acquire their education in any educational institution. Thereby Latvia has made a step closer to the European concept "A school for All", which was stated in Salamanca Declaration in 1994 and other documents that followed it. It means: to implement in practice the concept about the availability of education to every student.

The basic approaches to special needs education in Latvia:

1. The  both ways of providing services in special need education should exist in Latvia - special schools and special support for children in mainstream schools.
2. Every child with special needs is provided with the opportunity to acquire education in the most suitable educational institution providing support of qualified experts and the opportunity to get ready for the life in the community.

The basic approaches in special needs education in Latvia are stated in the Law of Education, Law of General Education and the Strategy of the Development of Special Needs Education. In the Strategy of the Development of Special Needs Education it is stated that the both ways of acquiring special needs education should exist in Latvia: special schools and the provision of education for children with special needs in mainstream schools.

For the implementation of the strategy of special needs education the Action Program and the Recommendations of the Ministry of Education and Science for the integration of children with special needs into mainstream schools have been worked out and approved.

To improve the education of children with special needs and to promote their successful integration in mainstream schools the regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers about "The competence of the State Pedagogical and Medical Commission and the competence of the Municipality Pedagogical and Medical Commissions", "The Regulations about the Acceptance of Students into Boarding Schools, Special Schools and Special Groups in Pre-school Educational Institutions and their Discharge from These Institutions" and "The Order of Funding of Special Educational Institutions, special Classes (groups) in Mainstream Schools and Boarding Schools" have been worked out.

The goal of special needs education in Latvia is to give the opportunity to persons with special needs to acquire knowledge in general school subjects, working and social skills emphasizing practical aspect of education.

The main objective of the special educational institutions is to provide the opportunities and conditions for children with disabilities to obtain the education according to his/her health condition, ability and level of development, to prepare him/her for the life and integration into the society.

Main reasons why these approaches at present in Latvia are considered problematic:

1. Special educational institutions only partly solve this problem:

2. The mainstream and vocational schools at present do not provide education according to each child's special education needs:

3. There is no provision of economically based state funding for each child with special educational needs disregarding what type of school he/she attends.

4. There is no unitary state policy, succession and co-operation between state institutions to provide the work with persons with special needs from their birth till old age.

     
The network of special schools basically cover the demand.
In the school year 2001/2002 in 63 special educational institutions and special classes (units) in mainstream schools were 10169 children with special educational needs. The formation of special classes in mainstream schools at the palaces of residence of children with special needs and the network of integrative schools are promoted. 70% of children in special educational institutions are with several disabilities.

 All the special schools in Latvia work on the widening of their functions and promotion of co-operation with mainstream and vocational schools where students with corresponding disability of the special school are educated. The status of the Development center of special needs education is given to 5 special schools. A number of special schools for mentally retarded children are developing into integrative schools.

 Special educational institutions are funded from the budget of the state according to the regulation of the Cabinet of Ministers. The education of all children with special needs are funded from the state budget. Earmarked subsidy from the state budget is allotted to the municipalities for the maintenance of sanatorium boarding schools and special schools for mentally retarded and physically disabled children, for the salaries and social security taxes of teachers and for the expenses of  transportation services for the students of these schools. The existing funding system does not promote the integration of children with special needs into mainstream and vocational schools.

 There are several advantages of special schools at present: the concrete pedagogical experience working with children with special needs, suitable curricula, plans, adequate buildings, technical materials, the possibilities to acquire working skills and vocational training, links between different companies to ensure working places, the possibility in co-operation between teachers and medical personnel. At present those students with special needs who are educated in special schools are better prepared for life in the community than those who are educated in mainstream schools and they get better opportunities to acquire working skills, to get medical help and correction of their developmental disabilities.

 Summarizing the information about children with special needs the conclusion is that at least one of 10 children has got a disability that is inborn or has originated in the course of his/her life due to disadvantaged natural or/and social environment. Every year the number of children increase who has got scoliosis, visual, hearing or speech disabilities as well as psychiatric problems. The problem of special needs education is made more difficult by the fact that there is a rapid growth not only in the number of children with single disability but also those with multiple disabilities. In recent years there are almost none children in special schools with only one disability.
 From all the children in special schools and special classes 1277 are orphans.
 1899 children from all the children with special needs of school age have  medically approved disability which allows them to receive state pension.

 At present 856 previously "uneducable" children with multiple severe disabilities or with severe mental retardation are educated in special educational institutions.
 602 students with mental disability attend 71 vocational classes in special educational institutions.
 During the school year approximately 70 - 90 students from special educational institutions are rehabilitated and they continue their education in mainstream schools.
 Every district and city of Latvia has municipality pedagogical medical commission. The Ministry of Education and Science organize and manage the work of State Pedagogical Medical commission and it co-ordinate the work of pedagogical medical commissions of municipalities.
 The goal of pedagogical medical commissions is to achieve the situation that only those children attend special schools according to whose health conditions, abilities and level of development only special schools can provide appropriate education and medical care and correction. And because of this goal should be the improvement in diagnostics and assessment of children.
 

The unit of organization of the content of special needs education is curricula of special needs education which consists of plans of school subjects, courses and lessons worked out according to every specific classification group.

The classification groups in special needs education:
. Children with visual disabilities
. Children with hearing disabilities
. Children with speech disabilities
. Children with delay in mental development and learning difficulties
. Children mental disabilities
. Children with social emotional problems
. Children with physical disabilities
. Children with somatic illnesses

 

The curricula of special needs education are carried out according to the disability of the student, his/her abilities and health conditions based on the assessment of the pedagogical medical commissions. The content of special needs education is organized in such a way that a person according to his/her abilities and health condition
- can master such content of general education where special emphasis is put on practical side of education;
- can master such content of vocational education where emphasis is put on social and working skills;
- is ready for the life in the community and can have a job suitable to his/her health conditions to ensure fully or partially his/her existence.

 

Not to have an overload for those persons who are educated in special schools according to the curriculum of mainstream schools the training is organized according to the demands of standards of primary education curriculum as well as using special education curriculum in specific school subjects.
 

The integration of children with special needs into mainstream and vocational schools is promoted by co-operation projects financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers "the Teacher Training in Latvia 2000-2003", "The Service of Children With Special Needs in the Limits of Rezekne Region", "Preparation of Children With Special Needs for Working Life and Integration into Vocational School System". The representatives of mainstream, special schools and teacher training universities and colleges participate in these projects. The goal of the projects is to improve co-operation between special, mainstream schools and teacher training colleges, to promote co-operation between universities of Latvia and Oslo and Reikyavik in development of unified curriculum for teacher training for the work with children with different special educational needs and to create a model of the network of support system for special needs education and to promote the integration of persons with special needs into vocational training.
 

There is a plan to start a new project with Norway "The Formation of  Support System of Special Education In Latvia and the Improvement of Competence of Pedagogical Medical Commissions in Diagnostics and Assessment of Children With Special Needs".
 

It is very important to develop the concept of 'A School for All" in Latvia by participating in the projects of Baltic States and Scandinavia which are financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers. These projects will facilitate the formation of support system for special needs education and the development of integrative schools in Latvia as they will train teachers of mainstream, special and vocational schools for work with children with special needs ensuring their co-operation.