Creating an image of people with disabilities in formal education. Analysis of the textbooks used in the chosen European countries

Creating an image of people with disabilities in formal education is an important element of educating young people into a full and unbiased understanding of the needs and reality of these people. Consequently, it is an element of creating a social climate around people with disabilities and influencing state policy in this area. Therefore, I find it extremely important to analyse and compare ideas worked out in different countries in order to correctly assess our own situation and find inspiring and applicable solutions. In the text, I focused on one component of the system of formal education, i.e. selected textbooks used in Poland and Sweden in which I highlighted their disability-related content. The starting point for the analysis was the definition of disability and explanation of the social identity theory which provided the framework for the research questions. The presented analysis and comparison of the chosen teaching material, fragmentary as it, might form the basis for further investigation in this area.