Shaping Retirement - Special Needs Education in Transition

Shaping Retirement - Special Needs Education in Transition

The research project examines the consequences of demographic change for vocational training and degree programmes in special needs education, as for the first time in the history of disability support in Germany, a growing group of people with disabilities is reaching retirement age.

At the Institute of Special Needs Education and Social Therapy, Bernhard Schmalenbach and Sören Roters-Möller have been conducting a research project since 1 June 2011 that addresses the consequences of demographic change for vocational training and degree programmes in special needs education, because for the first time in the history of disability support in Germany, a growing group of people with disabilities is reaching retirement age.
In comprehensive model and research projects, the topic of ageing among people with disabilities has already been and continues to be addressed, and various solution strategies have been tested and initiated. However, one major challenge has so far hardly been pursued systematically: special needs educators must be qualified for their new tasks in supporting older people, and training content must be expanded (or modified) so that it actually prepares them for working with the target group of older people with disabilities. The project aims to make a contribution in this regard by, on the one hand, compiling positive international experiences and evaluating their relevance for the situation in Germany and, on the other hand, analysing existing findings from model and research projects with a focus on future qualification content, as well as conducting qualitative interviews with relevant stakeholders, namely practitioners, experts and people with disabilities.

With the support of the Leopold-Klinge Foundation and the Anthroposophic Medicine Support Foundation, training content is to be developed in dialogue with experts to prepare professionals for working with older people with disabilities. The findings of the project and the results of the expert workshop will be presented and made accessible to the professional public in the form of recommendations for action and concrete proposals for a curriculum in a final report and a closing event.

Students have the opportunity to participate in different phases of the project.

Contact:

Project “Shaping Retirement”

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Schmalenbach

Institute of Special Needs Education and Social Therapy