Survey of Higher Education of students with special needs in Electrical and Information Engineering (EIE) study programs in Slovakia

The paper provides insight into the higher education of students with special needs in the field of Electrical and Information Engineering (EIE) in Slovakia. The paper provides information on current legislation in the Act on Higher Education in Slovakia relating to students with special needs. It further discusses the categorization of the disability types that are considered in the Slovak higher education system as well as existing minimum requirement for students with special needs to create reasonable conditions for studies of students with disabilities referred to their special study needs. Next are provided the statistical data on the types and number of disabled students for the last three years at secondary schools and at selected Slovak EIE faculties, their preferred EIE study programs, study support, possibilities of educational exchanges, internships as well as their application in their study fields after their studies. These data are further analysed. Based on research, it was found that the proportion of students with special needs at the EIE faculties in Slovakia is very low and almost all of them are students with physical disabilities. Generally we can summarize that in Slovakia there presently exists a well established system of legislative rules for educational integration. On the other hand, there is an implementation gap between legal possibilities and real practice. The authors conclude the article with views on the causes of the state from different perspectives.