THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITY AS A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT: THE ATTITUDES OF PARENTS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN TOWARDS THE EDUCATION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITY

Abstract

The right to education is one of the fundamental human rights that must be protected for persons with disabilities, just like for everyone else. However, differences in the participation in education rates between persons with disabilities and without disabilities show that there are problems in the protection of this fundamental right for persons with disabilities. Negative attitudes towards persons with disabilities, which cause social exclusion and discrimination in the field of education, constitute a significant part of these problems. In this research, with the aim of reaching the attitudes of parents having secondary school age children towards the education of the persons with disability, the Attitude Scale Towards Education of Persons with Disabilities developed by Kösterelioğlu was used. As a result of the research, it was seen that more than half of the 120 participants have disabled kin living in the same or another house or know persons with disability without kinship relation. It was observed that the attitudes of the participants towards the education of persons with disabilities are generally positive, and also the attitudes of the participants who have contact with persons with disabilities are more positive. Based on the results of the research, it is possible to say that it is extremely important to make arrangements regarding physical accessibility that protect the education right of persons with disabilities. In addition, in order to protect the right to education of people with disabilities, it is necessary to make legal and institutional arrangements that will eliminate the negative attitudes that hinder the right to education and expand rights-based works that will ensure social integration.