Foundation of Special and Inclusive Education

Assistive devices are specialized instructional and learning materials and equipment that enable children
with special needs to function efficiently.

Examples: students who are blind-braille writers, braille stylus and slate, computer with voice
synthesizer; students with hearing impairment- hearing aid, sign language book.

At-risk refers to children who, although not currently identified as having a disability are considered to
have a greater–than–usual chance of developing one. Educators often apply the term to infants and
preschoolers who, because of biological conditions, events surrounding their births, or characteristics of
their home environments, may be expected to experience developmental problems at a later time.
Educators also use the term to refer to students who are experiencing significant learning or behavioral
problems in the general education classroom and are therefore at risk of being identified for special
education services.

Developmental disability refers to a severe, chronic disability of a child five years of age or older that
is:

Attributable to a mental or physical impairment or a combination of mental and physical impairments;

1. Manifested before the person attains age 22;

2. Likely to continue indefinitely;
3. Results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the areas of major life activities such as
self-care, language, learning, mobility, selfdirection, capacity for independent living, and economic self-
sufficiency; and
4. Reflects the person’s need for a combination and sequence of special care, treatment, or other services
that are lifelong or of extended duration and are individually planned and coordinated.

Disability exists when an impairment limits a person’s ability to perform certain tasks (e.g. walk, see, add
a row of numbers) in the same way that most people do. A person with a disability is not handicapped,
however, unless the disability leads to educational, personal, social, vocational, or other problems. For
example, if a child who has lost a leg learns to use a prosthetic limb and functions in and out of school
without problems, she is not handicapped, at least in terms of her functioning in the physical environment.

Disorder the broadest of the three terms (disability, handicap), refers to a general malfunction of mental,
physical, or psychological processes. It is defined as a disturbance in normal functioning.

Exceptional Children differ from the norm (either below or above) to such an extent that they require
an individualized program of special education and related services to fully benefit from education. The
term exceptional children include children who experience difficulties in learning as well as those whose
performance is so superior that modifications in curriculum and instruction are necessary to help them
fulfill their potential. The term exceptional children is an inclusive term that refers to children with learning
and/or behavior problems, children with physical disabilities or sensory impairments, and children who are
intellectually gifted or have a special talent. The term students with disabilities are more restrictive than
exceptional children because it does not include gifted and talented children.

Exceptional children are also referred to as children with special needs (CSN). The mental ability
of exceptional children or CSNs may be average, below, or above average.
Handicap refers to a problem or a disadvantage that a person with a disability or impairment encounters
when interacting with the environment. A disability may pose a handicap in one environment but not in
another. The child with a prosthetic limb may be handicapped when competing against non-disabled peers
on the basketball court but experience no handicap in the classroom. People with disabilities also
experience handicaps that have nothing to do with their disabilities but are the result of negative attitudes
and the inappropriate behavior of others who needlessly restrict their access and ability to participate fully
in school, work, or community activities.

Impairment refers to the loss or reduced function of a particular body part or organ (e.g. a missing limb)

Individualized Education Plan (IEP) written document required by IDEA for every child with a
disability; includes statements of present performance, annual goals, short-term instructional objectives,
specific educational services needed, the extent of participation in the general education program,
evaluation procedures and relevant dates and must be signed by parents.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

Special Education is individually planned, systematically implemented, and carefully evaluated

instruction to help exceptional children achieve the greatest possible personal self-sufficiency and success
in present and future environments.

Individually Planned Instruction. In the U.S., the law on Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) requires that an individualized education program (IEP) be developed and implemented for every
special education student between the ages of 3 and 21.

Systematically implemented and evaluated instruction . Each type of child with special education
needs requires particular educational services, curriculum goals, competencies, skills, educational
approaches, strategies, and procedures in the evaluation of learning and skills.

Personal self-sufficiency. An important goal of special education is to help children become

independent from the assistance of adults in personal maintenance and development, homemaking,
community life, vocational and leisure activities, and travel.

The present environment refers to the current conditions in the life of the child with a disability. The
present environment includes the family, the school, the community where s/he lives and the institution in
society that extends assistance and support to children and youth with special education needs such as the
government, nongovernment organizations, socio-civic organizations, and other groups.

The future environment is a forecast of how the child with a disability can move on to the next level of
education, from elementary to secondary school and on to college or vocational program, and finally, to
the workplace where s/he can be gainfully employed. Special education helps the child in the transition
from a student to a wage earner so that s/he can lead a normal life even if s/he has a disability.

Special Education means specially designed instruction that meets the unusual needs of an exceptional
student. The single most important goal of special education is finding and capitalizing on exceptional
students’ abilities.

SPECIAL EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

 Vision for Children with Special Needs

The Department of Education clearly states its vision for children with special needs in consonance with
the philosophy of inclusive education, thus: "The State, community, and family hold a common vision for
the Filipino child with special needs. By the 21st century, it is envisioned that s/he could be adequately
provided with basic education. This education should fully realize his/her potential for development and
productivity as well as being capable of self-expression of his/her rights in society. More importantly, s/he
is God-loving and proud of being Filipino. It is also envisioned that the child with special needs will get full
parental and community support for his/her education without discrimination of any kind. The special
child should also be provided with a healthy environment along with leisure and recreation and social
security measures"

Policy, Goal, and Objectives of Special Education

The policy on Inclusive education for All is adopted in the Philippines to accelerate access to education
among children and youth with special needs. The goal of the special education programs of the Department
of Education all over the country is to provide children with special needs appropriate educational services
within the mainstream of basic education.

Special education aims to:

1. provide a flexible and individualized support system for children and youth with special needs in a
regular class environment in schools nearest the students' homes,

2. provide support services, vocational programs and work training, employment opportunities for
efficient community participation and independent living,

3. implement a life-long curriculum to include early intervention and parent education, basic education,
and transition programs on vocational training or preparation for college, and make available an array
of educational programs and services.

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

 Describes the process by which a school attempts to respond to all pupils as individuals by
reconsidering its curricular organization and provision.
 Through this process, the school builds the capacity to accept all pupils from the local community who
wish to attend and, in so doing, reduces the need to exclude pupils.
 Inclusion is a right, not a privilege for a select few.
 Inclusion also means providing all students within the mainstream appropriate educational programs
that are challenging yet geared to their capabilities and needs as well as any support and assistance
they and/ or their teachers may need to be successful in the mainstream.

FRAMEWORK OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Inclusive education is a flexible and individualized support system for children and young people with
special education needs. It forms an integral component of the overall education system and it is provided in
regular schools committed to appropriate education for all. Recognizes and responds to the diversity of
children’s needs and abilities, including differences in their ways and paces of learning.
SALIENT FEATURES OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
 1. Inclusion means implementing and maintaining warm and accepting classroom communities that
embrace diversity and honor differences.
2. Inclusion means implementing a multi-level, multi-modality curriculum.
3. Inclusion means preparing and supporting teachers to teach interactively.
4. Inclusion means providing ongoing support for teachers in the classroom and breaking down barriers of
professional isolation.
5. Inclusion means involving parents in the planning process in meaningful ways

Inclusive education in the Philippines includes learners who are gifted and talented, learners with
disabilities, learners who are Muslims, indigenous learners, and learners under difficult circumstances.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF INCLUSION

Simply put, both students with and without disabilities learn more. Many studies over the past three
decades have found that students with disabilities have higher achievement and improved skills through
inclusive education, and their peers without challenges benefit. For students with disabilities (SWD), this
includes academic gains in literacy (reading and writing), math, and social studies — both in grades and on
standardized tests — better communication skills, improved social skills, and more friendships. More
time in the general classroom for SWD is also associated with fewer absences and referrals for disruptive
behavior. This could be related to findings about attitude — they have a higher self -concept, they like school
and their teachers more, and are more motivated around working and learning. Their peers without disabilities
also show more positive attitudes in these same areas when in inclusive classrooms. They make greater
academic gains in reading and math. Research shows the presence of SWD gives non-SWD new kinds of
learning opportunities. One of these is when they serve as peer coaches.

By learning how to help another student, their performance improves. Another is that as teachers take
into greater consideration their diverse SWD learners, they provide instruction in a wider range of learning
modalities (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic), which benefits their regular students as well. Researchers often
explore concerns and potential pitfalls that might make instruction less effective in inclusion classrooms. But
findings show this is not the case. Neither instructional time nor how much time students are engaged differs
between inclusive and non-inclusive classrooms. In fact, in many instances, regular ed students report little to
no awareness that there even are students with disabilities in their classes. When they are aware, they
demonstrate more acceptance and tolerance for SWD when they all experience an inclusive education
together.

INCLUSION PRACTICES

1. Appropriate Accommodative Practice

2. Instructional flexibility
3. Professional Collaboration
4. Teacher Assistance teams
5. Peer support systems

APPROPRIATE ACCOMMODATIVE PRACTICES

Some students require special adaptations to the physical environment, the curriculum, the way
instruction is provided or the assignments are given to them.

INSTRUCTIONAL FLEXIBILITY
The ability to respond to unexpected and changing situations to support students with special needs is
a key characteristic of responsible inclusive settings.
  DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
Differentiated instruction can be described as planning and implementing curricula and instruction to
address the diverse learning needs of students.

 ADJUSTMENTS
o Are special measures put in place to ensure learners can access and participate in learning
activities?
o Particular adjustments may need to be available to the learner every time they undertake some
tasks.
o Dark-lineded paper for a learner with vision impairment each time they write.
o A learner with hearing impairment in the left ear, seated at the front with the right ear closest
to the teacher.

DIVERSITY APPLIES TO EVERYONE

Why is this important?

o Learn more about your origins. Be proud of where you come from.
o Mentor another person or join your school’s mentoring program.
o Invite guests of all different backgrounds to speak to your class.
o You see another person being bullied, report it, intervene (if you don’t feel threatened), or talk to the
victim alone. Learn about dealing with bullies.
o Find ways to celebrate diverse cultures in your school.
o People in every culture love to share two things: good food and their music. Find ways to enjoy these
together.
o Research and report on the history of immigration of other cultures.
o Interview a class member about his/her background and history.
o Say one nice thing each day to someone and mean it.

Four layers of Loden’s Diversity Wheel

1. Personality:
This includes an individual's likes and dislikes, values, and beliefs. Personality is shaped early in
life and is influenced by, and influences, the other three layers throughout one's lifetime and career
choices.

2. Internal dimensions:
These include aspects of diversity over which we have no control (though "physical ability" can
change over time due to choices we make to be active or not, or in cases of illness or accidents). This
dimension is the layer in which many divisions between and among people exist and which forms the
core of many diversity efforts. These dimensions include the first things we see in other people, such
as race or gender, and on which we make many assumptions and base judgments.

3. External dimensions:
These include aspects of our lives that we have some control over, which might change over
time, and which usually form the basis for decisions on careers and work styles. This layer often
 determines, in part, with whom we develop friendships and what we do for work. This layer also tells
us much about whom we like to be with.
4. Organizational dimensions:
This layer concerns the aspects of culture found in a work setting. While much attention to
diversity efforts is focused on the internal dimensions, issues of preferential treatment and
opportunities for development or promotion are impacted by the aspects of this layer.

LEGAL FOUNDATIONS
PHILIPPINES MANDATES

 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines 1987 and Magna Carta for Disabled
Persons 1992
Section1. The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and
shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.”

 Magna Carta for Disabled Persons (RA 7277) – makes more explicit what provision is required
specifically in the area of education for learners with disabilities.

Section 14. Special Education. The State shall establish, maintain and support a complete, adequate and
An integrated system of special education for the visually impaired, hearing impaired, mentally retarded
persons, and other types of exceptional children in all regions of the country. Towards this end, the
Department of Education, Culture, and Sports shall establish special education classes in public schools in
cities or municipalities. It shall also establish, where viable, Braille and Record Libraries in provinces, cities, or
municipalities. The National Government shall allocate funds necessary for the effective implementation of the
special education program nationwide. Local government units may likewise appropriate counterpart funds to
supplement national funds.

 RA 9442 – An Act Amending Republic Act No. 7277, Otherwise Known As The “Magna
Carta For Disabled Persons, And For Other Purposes ”

Educational assistance to persons with disability, for them to pursue primary, secondary, tertiary, post-
tertiary, as well as vocational or technical education, in both public and private schools, through the provision
of scholarships, grants, financial aids, subsidies and other incentives to qualified persons with disability,
including support for books, learning material, and uniform allowance to the extent feasible: Provided, that
persons with disability shall meet minimum admission requirements;

SEC. 40. “No individual, group or community shall execute any of these acts of ridicule against persons
with disability in any time and place which could intimidate or result in loss of self-esteem of the latter.”

 The Education Act 1982

Recognizes the right of all people to quality education, “regardless of sex, age, breed, socio-economic
status, physical and mental condition, social and ethnic origin, political and other affiliations.”

The Governance of Basic Education Act 2001 otherwise known as RA 9155 affirms that all citizens have the
right to access quality basic education.

 Policies and Guidelines for Special Education (Revised Edition) 1997

The ultimate policy goal of DepEd for special education is: “the integration or mainstreaming of learners
with special needs into the regular school system and eventually in the community.”
 DECS (DepEd) Order No. 26 (1997) called for the institutionalization of Special Education (SPED) programs
in all schools.
 ENHANCED BASIC EDUCATION ACT OF 2013 (REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10533)
Section 8. Inclusiveness of Enhanced Basic Education. In furtherance of Section 3 of the Act,
inclusiveness of enhanced basic education shall mean the implementation of programs designed to address
the physical, intellectual, psychosocial, and cultural needs of learners, which shall include, but shall not be
limited to, the following:
8.1. Programs for the Gifted and Talented. These shall refer to comprehensive programs for gifted
and talented learners in all levels of basic education.
8.2. Programs for Learners with Disabilities. These shall refer to the comprehensive programs
designed for learners with disabilities which may be home-, school-, center- or community-based
8.3. Madrasah Program. This shall refer to the comprehensive program using the Madrasah curriculum
prescribed by the DepEd, in coordination with the Commission on Muslim Filipinos, for Muslim learners in
public and private schools.
8.4. Indigenous Peoples (IP) Education Program. This shall refer to the program that supports
education initiatives undertaken through formal, non-formal, and informal modalities with emphasis on any of,
but not limited to, the key areas of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices and community history;
indigenous languages; Indigenous Learning System (ILS) and community lifecycle-based curriculum and
assessment; educational goals, aspirations, and competencies specific to the Indigenous Cultural Community
(ICC); engagement of elders and other community members in the teaching-learning process, assessment,
and management of the initiative, recognition and continuing practice of the community’s ILS; and the rights
and responsibilities of ICCs.
8.5. Programs for Learners under Difficult Circumstances. This shall refer to the timely and
responsive programs for learners under difficult circumstances, such as but not limited to geographic isolation;
chronic illness; displacement due to armed conflict, urban resettlement, or disasters; child abuse
and child labor practices.

PHILOSOPHICAL ROOTS

 NORMALIZATION. A philosophical belief in special education is that every individual even the most
disabled should have an educational and living environment as close to normal as possible.

HISTORICAL ROOTS OF INTEGRATION

 DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION. A social movement of the 1900s and 1970s whereby a large number
of persons with mental retardation and/or mental illness were moved from large mental institutions
into smaller community homes or the homes of their families; recognized as a major catalyst for
integrating persons with disabilities into society.

 REGULAR EDUCATION INITIATIVE A philosophy that maintains that general education, rather than
special education, should be primarily responsible for educating students with disabilities.

 LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT (LRE). Students with disabilities are to be educated with
their nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate. Deinstitutionalization, normalization, equal
rights, access, least restrictive environment, and community-based services.

The fundamental principle of inclusive school is that all children should learn together, wherever
possible, regardless of any difficulties or differences they may have. Inclusive schools must recognize and
respond to the diverse needs of their students, accommodating both different styles and rates of learning
and ensuring quality education to all through appropriate curricula, organizational arrangements, teaching
strategies, resource use, and partnerships with their communities. There should be a continuum of support
and services to match the continuum of special needs encountered in every school.
 MODELS OF DISABILITY

MODELS OF DISABILITY

Models of Disability are tools for defining impairment and, ultimately, for providing a basis upon which
government and society can devise strategies for meeting the needs of disabled people. They are a useful
framework in which to gain an understanding of disability issues, and also of the perspective held by those
creating and applying the models.
Models of Disability are essentially devised by people about other people. They provide an insight into
the attitudes, conceptions, and prejudices of the former and how they impact on the latter. From this, Models
reveal how our society provides or limits access to work, goods, services, economic influence, and political
power for people with disabilities.
Models are influenced by two fundamental philosophies. The first sees disabled people as dependent
upon society. This can result in paternalism, segregation, and discrimination. The second perceive disabled
people as customers of what society has to offer. This leads to choice, empowerment, equality of human
rights, and integration. As we examine the different Models in this and subsequent articles, we will see the
degree to which each philosophy has been applied. We should not see the Models as a series of exclusive
options with one superior to or replacing previous sets. Their development and popularity provide us with a
continuum of changing social attitudes to disability and where they are at a given time. Models change as
society changes. Given this degree of understanding, our future objective should be to develop and operate a
cluster of models, which will empower people with disabilities, giving them full and equal rights alongside their
fellow citizens.

1. BIOMEDICAL MODEL OF HEALTH

The biomedical model of health is the most dominant in the western world and focuses on
health purely in terms of biological factors. Contained within the biomedical model of health is a
medical model of disability. In a similar vein, this focuses on disability purely in terms of the
impairment that it gives the individual. The biomedical model is often contrasted with the
biopsychosocial model.

2. MEDICAL MODEL OF DISABILITY

The medical model of disability is presented as viewing disability as a problem of the person,
directly caused by disease, trauma, or other health condition which therefore requires sustained
medical care provided in the form of individual treatment by professionals.
In the medical model, management of the disability is aimed at a "cure," or the individual's
adjustment and behavioral change that would lead to an "almost cure" or effective cure.
In the medical model, medical care is viewed as the main issue, and at the political level, the
principal response is that of modifying or reforming healthcare policy.

3. IDENTITY MODEL
Disability as an identity model is closely related to the social model of disability - yet with a
fundamental difference in emphasis - is the identity model (or affirmation model) of disability. This
model shares the social model's understanding that the experience of disability is socially constructed,
but differs to the extent that it 'claims disability as a positive identity' and offers the following
illuminating definition, which also explains how the identity model departs from the social model's
approach.

4. SOCIAL MODEL OF DISABILITY

The social model of disability sees the issue of "disability" as a socially created problem and a
matter of the full integration of individuals into society. In this model, disability is not an attribute of an
 individual, but rather a complex collection of conditions, many of which are created by the social
environment. Hence, the management of the problem requires social action, and is the collective
responsibility of society at large to make the environmental modifications necessary for the full
participation of people with disabilities in all areas of social life.
5. MINORITY MODEL OF DISABILITY
The minority model of disability, also known as the sociopolitical model of disability, adds to the
social model, the idea that disability is imposed on top of impairment via negative attitudes and social
barriers, in suggesting that people with disabilities constitute an entitative, (relating to or possessing
material existence), a social category that shares in common the experience of disability. The minority
model normalizes the experience of disability as a minority experience no more or less aberrant or
deviant than other minority groups' experiences (sex, race, sexual orientation, etc.).

6. EXPERT OR PROFESSIONAL MODEL OF DISABILITY

The expert or professional model of disability has provided a traditional response to disability
issues and can be seen as an offshoot of the medical model. Within its framework, professionals follow
a process of identifying the impairment and its limitations (using the medical model) and taking the
necessary action to improve the position of the disabled person. This has tended to produce a system
in which an authoritarian, over-active service provider prescribes and acts for a passive client.

7. TRAGEDY AND/OR CHARITY MODEL OF DISABILITY

The tragedy and/or charity model of disability depicts disabled people as victims of
circumstance who are deserving of pity. These, along with the medical model, are the models most
used by non-disabled people to define and explain disability.

8. MORAL MODEL OF DISABILITY

The moral model of disability refers to the attitude that people are morally responsible for their
disability. For example, the disability may be seen as a result of bad actions of parents if congenital, or
as a result of practicing witchcraft if not. This attitude may also be viewed as a religious fundamentalist
offshoot of the original animal roots of human beings when humans killed any baby that could not
survive on its own in the wild. Echoes of this can be seen in the doctrine of karma in Indian religions.

9. LEGITIMACY MODEL OF DISABILITY

The legitimacy model of disability views disability as a value-based determination about which
explanations for the atypical are legitimate for membership in the disability category. This viewpoint allows
for multiple explanations and models to be considered purposive and viable.

10.EMPOWERING MODEL OF DISABILITY

The empowering model of disability allows for the person with a disability and his/her family to
decide the course of their treatment and what services they wish to benefit from. This, in turn, turns
the professional into a service provider whose role is to offer guidance and carry out the client's
decisions. In other words, this model "empowers" the individual to pursue his/her own goals.

11.SOCIAL ADAPTED MODEL OF DISABILITY

The socially adapted model of disability states although a person's disability poses some
limitations in an able-bodied society, oftentimes the surrounding society and environment are more
limiting than the disability itself.

12.ECONOMIC MODEL OF DISABILITY

The economic model of disability defines disability as a person's inability to participate in work.
It also assesses the degree to which impairment affects an individual's productivity and the economic
consequences for the individual, employer, and state. Such consequences include loss of earnings for
and payment for assistance by the individual; lower profit margins for the employer; and state welfare
payments. This model is directly related to the charity/tragedy model.
13.DIVERSITY MODEL OF DISABILITY
Disability as Human Variation is an alternative model intended to focus attention on how
society's systems respond to variation introduced by disability. Under this model, accessibility in the
built environment, for example, is not solely achieved by anti-discrimination regulation requiring a
'universal solution; the diversity of disability must be acknowledged.

14.RELIGIOUS MODEL OF DISABILITY

The moral/religious model of disability is the oldest model of disability and is found in several
religious traditions, including the Judeo-Christian tradition. The religious model of disability is a pre-
modern paradigm that views disability as an act of a god, usually a punishment for some sin
committed by the disabled individual or their family. In that sense, disability is punitive and tragic in
nature. This model frames disability as something to be ashamed of and insinuates that disabled
people or their families are guilty of some unknown action that caused their impairment. But that
mentality only serves to stigmatize disability, and the claim that praying heals disability is based on
purely anecdotal evidence.

15.MARKET MODEL OF DISABILITY

The market model of disability is a minority rights and consumerist model of disability that
recognizes people with disabilities and their Stakeholders as representing a large group of consumers,
employees, and voters. This model looks to personal identity to define disability and empowers people
to chart their destinies in everyday life, with a particular focus on economic empowerment.

16.HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED MODEL OF DISABILITY

From the mid-1980 countries such as Australia enacted legislation that embraced rights-based
discourse rather than custodial discourse and seek to address the issues of social justice and
discrimination. The legislation embraced the shift from disability being seen as an individual medical
problem to it instead being about community membership and fair access to social activities such as
employment, education, and recreation.

17.RELATIONAL MODEL OF DISABILITY

In the late 1960s Nirje, a Swedish social theorist formulated the principles of normalization
emphasizing strong support of de-institutionalization, recognition of the diversity of the human
condition, and belief that people with disability and 'normal' (ordinary) life, including access to the built
environment, are not mutually exclusive.

18.AFFIRMATION MODEL OF DISABILITY

The affirmation model of disability is essentially a non-tragic view of disability and impairment
which encompasses positive social identities, both individual and collective, for disabled people
grounded in the benefits of lifestyle and life experience of being impaired and disabled. This view has
arisen in direct opposition to the dominant personal tragedy model of disability and impairment and
builds on the liberatory imperative of the social model.

19.SPECTRUM MODEL OF DISABILITY

The spectrum model of disability refers to the range of visibility, audibility, and sensibility under
which mankind functions. The model asserts that disability does not necessarily mean a reduced
spectrum of operations.

20.THE INDIVIDUAL-ENVIRONMENT MODEL OF DISABILITY

As it became clear that disability was not a strictly medical concept nor a strictly social concept,
there was a movement toward biopsychosocial models. In 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO)
released the first internationally shared conceptual model of disability, known as the International
 Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps (ICIDH). As its title suggests, the ICIDH
focused on classification within three domains: impairment, disability, and handicap. Impairments are
defined as abnormalities of body structure, appearance, and/or organ system and function. Disabilities
are defined as the consequences of impairments in terms of functional performance and activity of the
individual. Handicaps are the disadvantages experienced by the individual as a result of impairments
and disabilities.

17 Sustainable Development Goals

1. No poverty 10. Reduced inequalities
2. Zero hunger 11. Sustainable cities and communities
3. Good health and well-being 12. Responsible consumption and production
4. Quality EDUCATION 13. Climate action
5. Gender equality 14. Life below water
6. Clean water and sanitation 15. Life on land
7. Affordable and clean energy 16. Peace, justice, and strong institutions
8. Decent work and economic growth 17. Partnerships for the goals
9. Industry, innovation, and infrastructure

UNIT 3: Creating Inclusive Cultures

 Foror a student with a disability to participate and thrive in their learning environment,

 It is important that they feel comfortable and that their education setting is inclusive.

 A student with a disability may require an adjustment to be made for them to participate in lessons. By
engaging with them and their parents/career before the school year starts to understand their needs,
and by putting in place reasonable adjustments to assist learning, a teacher shows that they value and
respect the student.

 In 2002, Booth and Ainscow came up with an Index for Inclusion, which aims to direct educational
institutions toward developing their next steps and action plans if they want to restructure into
becoming more inclusive.

Booth and Ainscow (2002) explained that these three dimensions creating an inclusive culture, evolving
inclusive practices, and producing inclusive policies are interconnected and - "chosen to direct thinking about
school change" (2002:7).

Dimensions A - Creating Inclusive cultures

o This dimension creates a secure, accepting, collaborating, and stimulating community, in which
everyone is valued as the foundation for the highest achievements for all.

DIMENSION B - Producing inclusive policies

o This dimension makes sure that inclusion permeates all school plans. Policies encourage the
participation of students and staff from the moment they join the school, reach out to all students
in the locality, and minimize exclusionary pressures. All policies involve clear strategies for change.

DIMENSION C - Evolving inclusive practices

o This dimension develops school practices that reflect the inclusive cultures and policies of the
school, Lessons are made responsive to student diversity. Students are encouraged to be actively
involved in all aspects of their education, which draws on their knowledge and experience outside
 school. Staff identifies material resources and resources within each other students,
parents/careers, and local communities which can be mobilized to support learning and
participation.

Components of Inclusive Classrooms and Schools

School Climate and Structure

 Educators must ensure that all students are welcome and seen as contributing and valued members of
the school community.

 Collaborative relationships among staff, families, and students are nurtured.

Student Placement

 Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams first consider the general education classroom with a full
range of supplementary aids and services.

 General educators expect to teach students with a full range of disabilities in their classrooms for
meaningful parts of the day

Collaborative Practices

 Educators collaborate for instructional planning, to minimize curricular barriers, to provide access to the
general curriculum, and to proactively problem solve.

Instructional Practices
 Educators implement evidenced-based inclusive practices through multi-level instruction, multiple

methods of assessment, and modified outcomes in general education classrooms, when appropriate.

COMMON BARRIERS TO INCLUSION

o Attitudes, values systems, misconceptions, and societal norms

o Physical barriers
o Curriculum
o Lack of teacher training and low teacher efficacy
o Poor language and communication
o Lack of funding
o Lack of policies
o Organization of educational systems
o Too much focus on performance-based standards
o Evolving Inclusive Practices

Features of High-Quality Inclusion

 Access - Young children with disabilities have access to a full range of activities and learning
opportunities in diverse early care and education programs and other natural environments.

 Participation - Adults find ways to help young children with disabilities participate and engage fully in
a variety of activities. They promote children’s meaningful ‘belonging’ in intentional ways.
  Supports - Adults who promote early childhood inclusion have the supports they need to help young
children with disabilities. These supports include ongoing training and professional development.

1. Universal Design for Learning

Such is the mechanics of a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach to instruction. UDL refers to
the design of instructional materials and activities to make the content information accessible to all children.

There are three elements to UDL:

 Multiple means of representation

 Multiple means of action and expression

 Multiple means of engagement

In UDL, teachers are supposed to present information and materials in many different ways, taking into
consideration that some students may have not fully absorbed the lesson the first time it was presented.

Differentiated Instruction

According to Tomlinson (2010) as cited by Halal et al. (2020), differentiated (or differentiating)
instruction is a teacher’s response to students’ varying needs, interests, and learning styles. It refers to a
systematic approach to planning curriculum and instruction for academically diverse learners.

Why Differentiate Instruction

All learners are unique and have varying interests, talents, strengths, as well as needs. Hence, it is
essential that teaching and learning experiences reflect this diversity. Differentiating instruction (DI) helps
ensure that learners are engaged in respectful tasks and provide diverse means of learning that reflect their
strengths and address their needs simultaneously.