On 1 September, 2016 in accordance with the order of the rector of the Belarusian State Pedagogical University dated 4 July, 2016 № 67 the Institute of Inclusive Education was opened on the basis of the faculty of special education.

The actuality of creation of the Institute of Inclusive education is caused, first of all, by accession of the Republic of Belarus to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopted by the United Nations in 2006. The Convention ratified by our country in 2016 proclaims the duty of the States Parties to ensure an inclusive education system at all levels and lifelong learning.

Inclusive education, the international trend in the development of general education, assumes involving of all children irrespective of the distinctions existing between them (including children with psychophysical peculiarities) into unified educational process.

The idea of inclusive was born within large-scale changes in understanding of human rights, human dignity and human identity.Itprovides for the flexible transformation of the educational system in accordance with individual needs, cognitive opportunities and abilities of every child.

The Concept of the development of inclusive education of people with special needs was adopted in the Republic of Belarus. The plan for realizing the concept in 2016-2020 is functioning. However in international practice inclusive education is being considered more broadly and it is being organized for providing equal opportunities in getting education among children with different educational needs: gifted and talented children, children with deviant behavior, children who represent national minorities and families of migrants, refugees, forced immigrants; children who are in a socially dangerous situation; children with special needs and so on. Such an approach stipulates the necessity of widening a spectrum of problems that need to be solved.

The Institute of Inclusive Education provides the training of specialists in full-time and part-time forms of obtaining higher education in the first stage of higher education in the specialties” “Oligophrenopedagogics”, “Typhlopedagogics”, “Surdopedagogics”, “Speech Therapy”, in the second stage of higher education in the specialty "Correctional Pedagogy"; organizes and carries out scientific research in the field of special and inclusive education.

The structure of the Institute of Inclusive Education includes the following divisions:

• Department of Correction and Development Technologies;
• Department of Speech Therapy;
• Department of Pedagogy and Psychology of Inclusive Education;
• Department of Special Pedagogy;
• Educational and organizational department;
• Educational laboratory for the development of information technologies in special education "Education without borders";
• Republican resource center of inclusive education, created on the initiative and with the support of UNICEF;
• Scientific and educational laboratory of theory and methodology of special and inclusive education;

The priority activities of the Institute of inclusive education are:

• development of the system of training of pedagogues able to implement various forms of education of people with special educational needs at different levels (organization of educational process at the first stage of higher professional education, development and implementation of master's programs, training of highly qualified personnel);
• organization of scientific research in the field of inclusive and special education, approbation and implementation of results in the process of experimental and innovative activities;
• development and implementation of scientific and methodological support of inclusive and special education, modern educational technologies;
• creation and support of a professional consultative website for specialists and parents on applied issues of modernization of the systemof education ;
• increased interaction with parents of individuals with special educational needs;
• extension of relations with public organizations representing the interests of people with special educational needs;
• development of the international cooperation;
• organization and holding national and international scientific and practical conferences, competitions, exhibitions devoted to the current problems of inclusive and special education.

Thus, the Institute of Inclusive Education will be an academic-research-production center that provides the elaboration of conceptual foundations and undertaking educational, research, academic-methodological and practical activities in the sphere of inclusive and special education in the Republic of Belarus.

The Administration of the Institute of Inclusive Education has been appointed by the Order of the Rector of BSPU:

Vera Khitryuk – Director of the Institute of Inclusive Education, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor;

Vladimir Volchenkov – Deputy Director for Academic Affairs, Candidate of Psychological Sciences;

Svetlana Feklistova – Deputy Director for Research, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor;

Lyubov Volkova – Deputy Director for Educational Work;

Boleslav Turskiy – Head of the Educational and Organizational Department.