Perception of Stigma: Parents of Children with SEN in Mainstream Schools in Kazakhstan

Abstract

The ratification of the Child’s Rights (1989) and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Conventions (2006) in 1994 and 2015, respectively, reflects Kazakhstan’s commitment to establishing a national inclusive policy for inte grating children with special educational needs into general education. Despite the focus on policies and practices in national normative and strategic papers, social rejection and exclusion persist due to stigmatization and discrimi nation. This interview-based research with five parents of children with special needs in mainstream schools sheds light on the enduring stigma. Parents’ experiences reveal stigmatized attitudes from both school administration and parents of typically developing children. The study underscores the need for effective anti-stigma strategies in gen eral education to enhance inclusive practices. In particular, this is evidenced by how parents experience stigmatic attitudes from school administration and parents of typically developing children. The findings contribute signifi cantly to national scientific discourse and suggest that inclusive education requires the development and incorpora tion of effective anti-stigma strategies into general education.