Further training for people with disabilities in Tomsk: conditions and possibilities of implementation

Abstract

The article is based on the findings of the research in Tomsk region in 2006 and dedicated to the phenomenon of further / supplementary training of people with disabilities as a mechanism of social adaptation. Authors investigate the institutional conditions of further training of the people with disabilities, activities of key agents of supplementary education, the state of labor market, as well as institutional and psychological barriers to further education of the people with disabilities and their subsequent social integration. The limited access to both general and supplementary education which is still typical in case of people with special needs is conditioned not only by lack of material conditions and institutional barriers but by the absence of education of people with special needs as a goal from the list of priorities of both educators and the people themselves. The authors conclude with the remarks on the relevant state policy and possible measures that might stimulate the development of the system of further education of people with disabilities.