Parts of the pupils with speech disorders, children with hearing or visual impairments, physical and multiple handicaps, with severe behaviour disorders and with mental retardation are taught in residential schools. These institutions are not directly subordinate to the cantonal Ministries of Education and they are largely subsidised by the Federal Disability Insurance. Despite various efforts to reach a minimal co-ordination between the cantons, on the national level there are no legal regulations concerning the integration in ordinary schools. Therefore there are no official directions nor national concepts for the integration of the disabled, except for one recommendation, dating from 1985, which is hardly ever taken into account. In Switzerland, the cantonal Ministries of Education are decidedly responsible for the integration of the disabled and on a cantonal level, an increasing tendency towards integration could be observed over the past few years.
Several cantons strive to integrate special education into the ordinary system of education.
On the other hand, the Federal Disability Insurance is of high importance for the development of integration in Switzerland. It has a mostly impeding influence on all integrative efforts, as they only subsidise the education of disabled pupils in special schools and classes. Thus the cantons, which for instance are responsible for the schooling and education of mentally handicapped children, are not interested in integrating these pupils, because their schooling in special institutions is largely subsidised by the Federal Disability Insurance. However, a few enactment's of the Federal Disability Insurance allow an integrative pedagogic and therapeutic care for pupils who need speech therapy, psychomotor therapy or training in hearing and lip-reading. Before I can answer this question, I need to explain my interpretation of integration in the school.