Chosen topics of supporting persons with a disability. vol. 3

Abstract

Submitted to the reader as the next, third volume of the series of studies “Chosen Topics of Supporting Persons with a Disability”, this book is provided with a subtitle: Towards Tradition and Innovation. It is because the intention of the editors was, in fact, to encourage the following reflections: first, on the possible updating of the tradition of the theory and practice of special pedagogy, and second, on the possibilities of addressing and promoting both imminent and more distant future challenges in supporting the development of persons with a disability or persons with a risk of development disorders arising from other causes. The given source is first and foremost a question of value and relevance for theory and practice in the area of special pedagogy in a perspective of the world’s ongoing processes. This volume consists of two parts. The first one, entitled “Functioning of Persons with a Disability in the Conditions and with the Multiple Challenges of the Present Reality”, contains 7 chapters and their authors take into consideration the potentials and capacity issues of people with various malfunctions, and also social reception and functioning of these persons. In the manner of presentation of the undertaken topics one can see that the authors both embed them in tradition and respond to the present in its many areas. Only selected issues are shown in these chapters but they contribute important information and also reveal how extensive the previously overlooked and undiscussed topics can be. The second part, grouping the next 7 chapters under the title “Challenges of the Future, Questions about the Future and to the Future”, introduces the reader to the practical and also theoretical issues related to designing and planning a support of the development of persons with a disability, including the use of new approaches, methods and technologies. The perceived and anticipated future requires today taking actions for the sake of persons whose functioning is at risk (including persons with a disability); such risks may arise from the mismatch of support for the needs of “a person of tomorrow and his/her world “. The importance of the mentioned problems that are shown in the chapters of this book illustrate the attempts to recognize issues and find solutions to them; that is significant evidence for the necessity of special pedagogy continuing as one of scientific and practical disciplines. This, in turn, should encourage us not to give up formulating appropriate questions about the duration of its theory, updating tasks, anticipating the challenges of the future, but also focusing on its practical grounding. The reader will not, however, find these issues exhausted in this volume, because it wouldn’t even be possible.