For people with any type of disability
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Education

Educational Structure

“Children with special educational needs (SEN) are considered those with increased difficulty in learning and adaptation due to physical, mental, psychological, emotional and social reasons” .
Six official categories exist:

For the organisation of the educational system there are three Ministries which are involved in the education of children with disabilities in Greece .

Several laws were in effect during the last decades in Greece , mandating free and public education of all children with special needs. The Ministry of Education submitted a Landmark Law however, which was enacted by the Greek parliament on May 2000 Public Law 2817 "Education of children with special educational needs" mandated the free education of children with special needs in kindergarten, elementary, secondary school age children in different curriculum model. The structure of the education of individuals with disabilities in Greece as well as the legal definition of Adapted Physical Education is included in this Public Law. This law mandates the education of these individuals in public schools, in special schools and in vocational schools in elementary and secondary level.
Education in public schools can be offered in at least 4 settings:

1. in inclusive classes within the public school.
   In this environment the children with disabilities have to be evaluated, before their entrance, by a group of specialists(elementary school teacher, secondary school teacher, psychologist, medical doctor).
2. in special classes within the public school,
3. in special classes within the hospitals/institutions,
4. in house.

In Greece there are separate public schools for some categories of persons with disabilities. Those are elementary and secondary school for the deaf, elementary and secondary school for the blind, elementary and secondary school for the children with cerebral palsy.

By Law, every state in Greece (54 in total) has an evaluation team responsible for evaluation and assessment of SEN students.
* 1 elementary school teacher
* 1 secondary school teacher
* 1 psychologist
* 1 medical doctor
* secretary
* physiotherapist and school workers
In addition school administrator, parents, and PE teacher often decide upon the participation of SEN students in PE classes.

Special Education

Education for trainers/ teachers

Physical education teacher’s preparation is been considered a very important issue within the Greek educational system. The main responsibility of this education is undertaken by the Deparments of Physical Education and Sports Sciences. There are five such Departments in Greece:

All the above mentioned departments offer courses on APA (Adapted Physical Activity) (3 to 6 credit hours), as well as specialisation in this area (ranging between 6 to 12 credit hours). The degree is on physical education with an emphasis / specialisation on APA. Students are trained in the methodological aspects of working with different disabilities, both theoretical courses and practical sessions.
All Departments also offer a masters and a PhD degree on APA (40 to 50 credit hours) and a PhD Degree. During the last decade many students wish to specialise in this area and are interested in continuing their studies at a postgraduate level in Greece as well as abroad.
Physical Education teachers who already work in public schools, have the opportunity to be re-educated through seminars and conferences which are organized through the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Education.

P.E graduates have ongoing opportunities to become informed about the recent developments on APA. Several conferences and seminars are organised through the Ministry of Sports, Ministry of Education, and the five Departments of PE .
For example: the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of PE, organised the 3 rd European Conference on APA in 1998. During such conferences however PE teachers can obtain only certificate of attendance and not an official degree.

History

History of physical education and adapted physical acitivity (pdf file)

Other interesting links

Greek Society for Dyslexia
114 Xenofondos Str. - 17674 Kallithea, Athens

Greek Society of Disabled University Students
87 Georgiou Papandreou Str.- 15773 Athens
Phone: 0030 210 7750837, 210 7650168