Attitudes of Buryatia students towards inclusive education

Inclusion issues are becoming increasingly relevant due to the growing number of people with disabilities in Russia. Of particular concern are the processes related to the adaptation of the child population to living and learning conditions in the presence of disability. Inclusive education programs have been implemented in Russia for more than 15 years, but their effectiveness is directly related to the reaction of the social environment to co-study or work with people with disabilities. The article presents some results of a mass survey of students of universities and colleges of Buryatia (2022) to identify their attitudes towards people with disabilities and to assess the effectiveness of the introduction of inclusive education in the republic. Based on the analysis of the respondents’ answers, the values of students were identified, as well as the regional issues that cause them the greatest concern. In matters of inclusion, it was revealed that, despite the rather high level of acceptance of this process by young people, there is a problem of low awareness of students of universities and colleges about its goals and objectives, as well as about the barriers and difficulties faced by people with disabilities.