The Views of Parents Regarding the Impact of the Greek Economic Crisis (Memoranda) on the Field of Special Education

The social and economic developments (Memorandum) in Greece, during the course of this investigation, are intense and appear to have negatively affected the quality of the educational services provided. The absence of financial budgets and state subsidies have an impact on the work undertaken by educational staff and consequently upon the general functioning of the special education schools. This fact interferes with the quality of the educational services provided, which are included in the relevant legislation of Greece and relates to educational services for students with disabilities and special educational needs. This investigation focuses on studying the views by a sample comprised of eighteen (18) parents whose children are studying at two (2) special education primary schools in Greece, through individual semi-structured interviews on the link between the economic crisis and the quality of the education provided. The words of the parents in our sample highlight the inadequacies and shortcomings of these schools, which appear to weaken their overall smooth operation. It has been found that economic hardship and shortages in teachers, special teachers and support staff, are key factors that restrain the smooth operation of the school, by exacerbating working conditions and increasingly posing institutional obstacles on to the school and the social integration of children with disabilities.