Number of students with disabilities in Russia 2020, by education level
Over 250 thousand children with special needs were enrolled in Russia's primary education institutions at the beginning of the school year 2020/2021. Those included children with and without a disability status. Furthermore, more than 28 thousand students with a disability status, including those with and without special needs, pursued higher education in the country.
It is relevant to highlight that terms 'special needs' and 'a disability status" are not identical in Russian. As clarified in the report "Indicators of Education 2022" published by the Higher School of Economics, the first term refers to the group of people whose physical and/or mental development disabilities impede their education attainment without creating special conditions. A disability status is assigned after a medical examination to people whose health disorders, caused by diseases, injuries, or disabilities, limit their daily life activities and cause the need of their social protection. Using that classification, people with special needs may or may not have a disability status, while people with a disability status may or may not have special needs.
It is relevant to highlight that terms 'special needs' and 'a disability status" are not identical in Russian. As clarified in the report "Indicators of Education 2022" published by the Higher School of Economics, the first term refers to the group of people whose physical and/or mental development disabilities impede their education attainment without creating special conditions. A disability status is assigned after a medical examination to people whose health disorders, caused by diseases, injuries, or disabilities, limit their daily life activities and cause the need of their social protection. Using that classification, people with special needs may or may not have a disability status, while people with a disability status may or may not have special needs.
