More than 500 people from 33 regions of Russia, including the new territories, and 10 countries near and far abroad participated in the event: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Germany, the United States, Bangladesh, India, Ethiopia, and Namibia. More than 150 speakers presented papers on the challenges of inclusion as a social phenomenon in the professional sphere.

This large-scale event brought together researchers, practitioners, faculty members, and students to discuss key issues related to creating an accessible environment. The focus was on inclusion—not only as a means of supporting people with disabilities, but also as a tool for assisting orphans, students facing difficult life circumstances, migrants, and international students.

Vladimir Bogatyrev, Rector of Samara University, addressed the conference participants with a welcome speech: "Universities in Russia, including our university, strive to create equal learning conditions for all categories of students, whether they are people with disabilities, orphans, students facing difficult life circumstances, or international students. They should all feel confident in a unified academic environment. But our task is to go further—to promote inclusion not only in education but also in other areas.”

Opening the event, Mikhail Leonov, Vice Rector for Student Affairs and Youth Policy, emphasized that the “Inclusion for All” conference has become an important platform for dialogue among scholars, practitioners, faculty, and students, and noted: without the joint efforts of various organizations, it is impossible to build a truly accessible environment. After the official proceedings, the participants moved on to the plenary sessions.

"At our conference, inclusion is examined in a broad sense and from various perspectives. First and foremost, inclusion means integrating everyone who faces challenges—including those related to migration and adaptation—into a single environment. More than 150 speakers have prepared presentations on the challenges of inclusion as a social phenomenon in the professional sphere. Students had the opportunity to meet leading scholars and faculty members in this field and share their experiences with them. “The university is undertaking extensive work aimed at making life more comfortable for such people; in particular, a program in conversational sign language has been launched. And the Center for Inclusive Education was created precisely to promote the ideas of inclusion,” noted Natalia Klementyeva, a tutor at the Center for Inclusive Education.

During the conference held last weekend at Samara University, master classes and training sessions were conducted, during which participants were introduced to the latest inclusive practices. Specifically, they studied the method of canine therapy, which uses specially trained dogs to reduce stress in people and develop motor and communication skills—this method is used, among other things, when working with children with cerebral palsy and autism. The master class for participants was led by Natalya Naumova, chair of the Samara Regional Branch of the Russian Psychological Society. Participants also immersed themselves in the performance “Revival,” designed to develop emotional intelligence through an art-based environment, led by Konstantin Barannikov, deputy director of the Center for Inclusive Education at Ural Federal University. In addition, participants took part in a therapeutic workshop titled “Immersion,” aimed at stress relief, self-discovery, and the expression of emotions through artistic techniques. It was led by Natalya Klementyeva and Anastasia Orlova, staff members of the Center for Inclusive Education at Samara University.

For your information:

Samara University has created an accessible and comfortable environment for people with disabilities. The university operates a Center for Inclusive Education, which serves as the foundation for a system of psychological and pedagogical support for inclusive education that covers all academic disciplines. In addition to the “Psychology and Social Pedagogy” program, students with psychophysiological differences are enrolled in various fields of study, including technical, humanities, and basic sciences.

Photo: Olesya Orina

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