Inclusive Education in Today's Russia: Room for Manoeuvre

The development of regulatory frameworks has accelerated in Russia after the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2012. Using public opinion poll data and interviews with school administrators, teachers, assistants and parents, the authors show the challenges of moving towards inclusive education in contemporary Russia. The development of an inclusive school culture is analysed at the levels of artefacts, values and assumptions. Attempts to forge an inclusive culture do not always go smoothly; unexpected consequences occur, including open and hidden resistance and conflicts between children, parents and teachers. Meanwhile, the external context threatens the sustainability of inclusion.