One of the most urgent problems today is the prevalence of disabilities and the loss of health. According to World Health Organization data, there are more than 600 million handicapped people in the world. Despite measures in effect for the normative legal regulation of the life and activity of people with disabilities in Russia, the present organization of education fails to meet the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Handicapped People. Reasons for this include ineffective methods and forms of schooling, lack of support from society, negative public attitudes toward handicapped people, and inadequate incentives and motivation to acquire a higher education. At the present time, the author stresses that the most effective method of solving the educational problems of handicapped people is inclusive education. The result of inclusive education is the kind of graduate (without regard to his health) who possesses a set of professional competencies that will enable him to be competitive and in demand in the labor market. This is in keeping with the tasks of Russia's system of higher education and gives inclusive education first place ranking in the matter of the education of people with disabilities. (Contains 1 figure and 28 notes.)