MODULE 1

Vision, Policy, Goals and Objectives of Special Education

Learning Activities
Activity 1. Discuss the advantages and benefits received by the children with
special needs from the special education programs offered by the
government. Use a matrix in the presentation of your answers.

Students learn and interact with peers

who also challenges. This may include They are treated fairly without being
learning, developmental, behavioural, judged.
and physical challenges.

Advantages and
Benefits

Students get the support they need to Special education help children to
get the most out of their education. develop the best possible understanding
This may include accomodations, of their learning dissabilities and needs.
modifications, or remediations.

Activity 2. Create a historical timeline of special education implementation in

the Philippines and add more trivia and images for each event.
1907 1926 1927
David Barrows (Director of Pedro Santos – the first Welfareville Children’s
Public Education) – he and only Filipino deaf Village was established
worked for the whose expenses were in Mandaluyong, a
establishment of Insular paid by the government school for Mental
School for the Deaf and to the United States and Retardation.
Blind in Manila. went back to the
Philippines he
established the
Philippine Association
for the Deaf (PAD).

1945 1949 1950

The NOH’S was QC SHS was PAD opened a school for
established for crippled inaugurated for gifted children with hearing
people or unable to move students. impairment.
or walk.
Philippine Foundation
for the Rehabilitation of
the Disabled was
organized and started to
help people with
disabilities.

1953 1954 1956

Electric gather village First week of August First Summer Institute
established in Alabang. declared as Sight Saving on Teaching the Deaf
Week. was held at School for
the Deaf and Blind in
Pasay City.
1957
Marked the beginning of
integration of Deaf pupils
in regular classes and the
Bureau of Public School
(BPS) of the Department
of Education and Culture
(DEC).
1962
The Manila Youth and
Rehabilitation
Center(MYRC) was
opened.
1969
Classes for socially
maladjusted children were
organized at the Manila
Youth Reception Center.
1974
The First National
Conference on the
Rehabilitation of the
disabled was held at the
social security building in
Quezon City.
1979
1958 1960
The American Some private colleges
Foundation for Overseas and universities started
Blind open as regional to offer special
office at Manila. education courses in
their graduate school
curriculum.
1964 1967
The Quezon City School BPS organized the
Division followed suit National Committee on
with the establishment Special Education
of the Quezon City
Science High School.
1971 1973
DEC issued a The Juvenile and
memorandum on Duties Domestic relations Court
of the special education of Manila established
teacher for the blind. the Tahanan Special
Schools.
1976 1977
Proclamation 1605 MEC issued department
declared 1977 to 1987 order no.10 that
as the decade of Filipino designated regional ang
child. division supervisor of
speciak Education
program.
1981 1983
The Bureau of Elementary The united nation Batas Pambansa bilang
Education Special assembly proclaimed the 344 inacted the
Education unit conducted a observance in the accessibility law.
two-year nationwide International year of
survey. disabled persons.

1884 1990 1992

Two special education
programs were
inaugurated. The
Labangon Special
Education center and
Northern Luzon
Association.
1997
DECS directed the
organization of a regional
special education unit and
the designation of a
Regional Supervisor for
Special Education.
The Philippines Institute The summer training for
for the Deaf (PID) an teachers of the visually
oral school for children impaired started at the
was established. Philippine Normal
University.
1998
DECS order the
reclassification of
Regular Teachers and
Principal items to Special
Education Teachers and
Special School Principal
Item.

Activity 3. Observe the programs, services, physical facilities and amenities

that concerns most to PWD in the locality, list them down and cite the legal
bases for each. List down as well the lacking programs, services, physical
facilities and amenities that needs to be addressed by the local government.
- Articles 356 and 259 of Commonwealth Act No. 3203 asserted “the
right of every child to live in an atmosphere conductive to physical,
moral and intellectual development” and the concomitant duty of the
 government “to promote the full growth of the education of the
facilities of every child”.
- R.A 3562 “An act to promote the education of the blind in the
Philippines”.

Application. Gain firsthand experience about special education programs in

the Philippines by doing the following activities: Touch base with children with
special needs by visiting virtually a special school or a special education class
in your community. 
Ask the special education teacher about the types of exceptionality or
disabilities of his pupils/students, their characteristics and how well they are
doing in school. Talk to the pupils/students/parents. Introduce yourself, then
ask them about their school activities. Write a brief narrative report on your
virtual visit. Include the information that you got as well as your personal
feelings about the activity.

Evaluation
1. What is the status of special education program in the Philippines? How
does the Department of Education sustain its special education programs in
the country?
- At present, there are seven hundred ninety-four (794) special education
programs in all theregions, six hundred sixteen (616) of which are in public
schools. One hundred forty-four (144)programs utilize the Special Education
Center delivery mode for the full or partial mainstreaming of children with
special needs in regular classes. Likewise, there are thirty-four(34) state and
private special residential schools. The Department of Education (DepEd)
through the Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE) and the Bureau of
Secondary Education (BSE) issued DO 38, s.2015, the enclosed Guidelines on
the Utilization of Support Funds for the Special Education (SPED) Program.
Pursuant to DECS Order No. 26, s. 1997 entitled Institutionalization of SPED
Program in All Schools, the support funds aims to enhance the operation of
the Program and augment the regular Maintenance and Other Operating
Expenses (MOOE) of all recognized SPED Centers for elementary and
secondary schools with classes for learners with special needs. Specifically, it
aims to enhance access to and upgrade the quality of SPED programs and
services, as well as to raise the efficiency of their operations. The mechanisms
and procedures constituting the downloading of support funds shall guide
school recipients on proper utilization, which shall be used for eligible SPED
related activities and expenses as stated in the enclosure.

2. List the significant events that shaped the history of special education in
the last century:
a. in the early 1900’s until 1949
- Historically, the interest to educate Filipino children with disabilities was
expressed more than a century ago in 1902 during the American regime. The
General Superintendent of Education, Mr. Fred Atkinson, reported to the
Secretary of Public Instruction that deaf and blind children were found in a
census of school-aged children in Manila and nearby provinces. He proposed
that these children be enrolled in schools like the other children. However it
was not until 1907 when the special education program formally started in the
country. The Director of Public Education, Mr. David Barrows, worked for the
establishment of Insular School for the Deaf and the Blind in Manila. Ms.
Delight Rice, an American educator, was the first administrator and teacher of
the special school. At present, the school for the Deaf is located on Harrison
St., Pasay City while the Philippine National School for the Blind is adjacent to
it on Polo Raod.

1926 – 1949
The Philippine Association of the Deaf (PAD) composed mostly of hearing
impaired members and special education specialists was founded in 1926.
The following year in 1927, the government established the Welfareville
Children’s Village in Mandaluyong, Rizal. In 1936, Mrs. Maria Villa Francisco
was appointed as the first Filipino principal of the School for the Deaf and the
Blind (SDB). In 1945, the National Orthopedic Hospital opened its School for
Crippled Children (NOHSCC) for young patients who had to be hospitalized for
long periods of time. In1949, Quezon City Science High School for gifted
students was inagurated. In the same year, the Philippine Foundation for the
Rehabilitation of the Disabled (PFRD) was organized.

b. the third quarter of the century

- In 1950, PAD opened a school for children with hearing impairment. The
Elsie Gaches Village (EGV) was established in 1953 in Alabang, Muntinlupa,
Rizal to take care of abandoned and orphaned children and youth with
physical and mental handicaps. The following year in 1954, the first week of
August was declared as Sight Saving Week.
In 1955, members of Lodge No. 761 of the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks organized the Elks Cerebral Palsy Project Incorporated. In the same
year, the First Parent Teacher Work Conference in Special Education was held
at the SDB.
In 1956, the First Summer Institute on Teaching the Deaf was held at the
School for the Deaf and Blind in Pasay City. The following school year marked
the beginning of the integration of deaf pupils in regular classes.
In 1957, the Bureau of Public Schools (BPS) of the Department of Education
and Culture (DEC) created the Special Education Section of the Special
Subjects and Services Division. The Baguio City Special Education Center was
organized in the same year.
In 1958, the American Foundation for Overseas Blind (AFOB) opened its
regional office in Manila.
In 1960, some private colleges and universities started to offer special
education courses in their graduate school curriculum. In 1962, the Manila
Youth and Rehabilitation Center (MYRC) was opened. Also, in 1962, PFRD
sponsored the Second Pan Pacific Rehabilitation Conference in Manila that
convened international experts in there habilitation of handicapped persons.
Another milestone in 1962 was the experimental integration of blind children
at the Jose Rizal Elementary School in Pasay City in 1962. It was also in 1962
when the St. Joseph of Cupertino School for the Mentally Retarded, a private
day school, was founded. In the same year, the Philippine General Hospital
opened classes for its school-age chronically ill patients.
With the approval of R.A. No. 3562 in 1963, the training of DEC teacher
scholars for the blind children started at the Philippine Normal College. In the
same year, the Manila Science High School for gifted students was
established. In 1964, the Quezon City Schools Division followed suit with the
establishment of the Quezon City Science High School for gifted students.
The year 1965 marked the start of the training program for school
administrators on the organization, administration, and supervision of special
education classes. In 1967, BPS organized the National Committee on Special
Education. General Letter No. 213 regulating the size of special classes for
maximum effectiveness was issued in the same year.
With the approval of R.A. No. 5250 in 1968 the teacher training program for
teachers of exceptional children was held at the Philippine Normal College for
the next ten years. In the same year, the same year, the First Asian
Conference on Work for the Blind was held in Manila.
In 1969, classes for socially maladjusted children were organized at the
Manila Youth Reception Center. The Jose Fabella Memorial School was divided
into five units and assigned to different parts of Metro Manila. The training of
teachers for children with behavior problems started at the University of the
Philippines in 1970. In the same year, the School for the Deaf and the Blind
established in 1970.
DEC issued a memorandum of Duties of the Special Education Teacher for the
Blind in 1971. In 1973, the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court of manila
established the Tahanan Special School for socially maladjusted children and
youth. Meanwhile, in the same year, the first Asian Conference on Mental
Retardation was held in Manila under the auspices of the UNESCO National
Commission of the Philippines Association for the Retarded (PAR).
In 1974, the First national Conference on the Rehabilitation of the Disabled
was held at the Social Security Building in Quezon City.
When the DEC was reorganized into the Ministry of Education Culture (MEC)
in 1975, the Special Subjects and Services Division was abolished.
c. the last thirty years
- In 1976, Proclamation 1605 declared 1977 to 1987 as the decade of the
Filipino Child.
In 1977, MEC issued Department Order No. 10 that designated regional and
division supervisors of special education programs.
The year 1978 marked the creation of the National Commission Concerning
Disabled Persons (NCCDP), later renamed National Council for the Welfare of
Disabled Persons or NCWDP through Presidential Decree 1509. MEC
Memorandum No. 285 directed school divisions to organize special classes
with a set of guidelines on the designation of teachers who have no formal
training in special education.
In 1979, the Bureau of Elementary Education Special Education Unit
conducted a two-year nationwide survey of unidentified exceptional children
who were in school.
The school for Crippled Children at the Southern Island Hospital in Cebu City
was organized in 1980. In 1981, the United Nations Assembly proclaimed the
observance of the International Year of Disabled Persons.
In 1982, three special schools were opened: the Cebu State College Special
High School for the Deaf, the Siaton Special Education Center in the Division
of Negros Oriental and the St. John Maria de Vianney Special Education
Learning Center in Quezon City. In 1983, Batas pambansa Bilang 344 enacted
the Accessibility Law, “An Act to Enhance the Mobility of Disabled Persons by
Requiring Cras, Buildings, Institutions, Establishments, and Public Utilities to
Install Facilities and Other Devices.” In the same year, the Batac Special
Education Center in the Division of Ilocos Norte was organized. In 1984, two
special education programs were inaugurated. In 1990, the Philippine
Institute for the Deaf (PID) an oral school for children with hearing
impairment was established. The following year, the First National Congress
on Street Children was held at La Salle Green hills in San Juan Metro Manila.
In 1992, the Summer Training for Teachers of the Visually Impaired started at
the Philippine Normal University.
In 1993, DECS issued Order No. 14 that directed regional offices to organize
the Regional Special Education Council (RSEC). Three conventions were held
in 1995.
In 1996, the third week of January was declared as Autism Consciousness
Week.
A number of events took place in 1997. DECS Order No.1 was issued which
directed the organization of a Regional Special Education Unit and the
Designation of a Regional Supervisor for Special Education. Similarly, DECS
Order No.26 on the Institutionalization of Special Education Programs in All
Schools was promulgated. The First Wheelathon-a-race for Wheelchair Users
was the main event of the 19th National Disability Prevention and
Rehabilitation week.
In 1998, DECS Order No.5 “Reclassification of Regular Teacher and Principal
Item” was issued.
The following events took place in 1999: the Philspada National Sports
Competition for the Disabled in Cebu City; the Second National Congress on
Special Needs Education in Baguio City; issuance of the following DECS Order
No. 104 “Exemption of the Physically Handicapped from Taking the National
Elementary Achievement Test (NEAT) and the National Secondary Aptitude
Test (NSAT); No.108 “Strengthening of Special Education Programs for the
Gifted in the Public Scholl System”; No. 448 “Search for the 1999 Most
Outstanding Special Education Teacher for the Gifted”; and Memorandum No.
457 “National Photo Contest on Disability.”
The following DECS Orders were issued: No. 11 “Recognized Special
Education Centers in the Philippines”; No. 33 “Implementation of
Administrative Order No. 101 directing the Department of Public Works and
Highways, the DECS and the Commission on Higher Education to provide
architectural facilities or structural features for disabled persons in all state
colleges, universities and other public buildings”; Memorandum No. 24:
Fourth International Noise Awareness Day”; and No. 477 “National Week for
the Gifted and the Talented.”
3. What is the importance of legislation in the development and sustenance of
special education programs?
- Legislation contributes to the continuous growth development and
sustenance of special education programs. The law or laws pertaining to
special education strengthens the implementation of its programs for the
special and gifted children. The financial and man power support given by the
government for special education indicates that their program plays a
significant or vital role in folding the special and gifted children’s mind.

4. Enumerate the laws that pertain to:

a. the inclusion of children with special needs in all programs and concerns of
the government.
The 1973 Constitution of the Philippines, the fundamental law of the land,
explicitly stated in Section 8, Article XV the provision of “a complete,
adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the goals of
national development.” The constitutional provision for the universality of
educational opportunities and the education of every citizen as a primary
concern of the government clearly implies the inclusion of exceptional children
and youth.
Republic Act No. 8980
“An Act Promulgating A Comprehensive Policy and A National System for Early
Childhood Care and Development (ECCD), Providing Funds Therefor and for
Other Purposes”
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "ECCD Act".
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to
promote the rights of children to survival, development and special protection
with full recognition of the nature of childhood and its special needs; and to
support parents in their roles as primary caregivers and as their children's first
teachers. The State shall institutionalize a National System for Early Childhood
Care and Development (ECCD) that is comprehensive, integrative and
sustainable, that involves multi-sectoral and inter-agency collaboration at the
national and local levels among government; among service providers,
families and communities; and among the public and private sectors, non-
government organizations, professional associations, and academic
institutions, This System shall promote the inclusion of children with special
needs and advocate respect for cultural diversity. It shall be anchored on
complementary strategies for ECCD that include service delivery for children
from conception to age six (6), educating parents and caregivers,
encouraging the active involvement of parents and communities in ECCD
programs, raising awareness about the importance of ECCD, and promoting
community development efforts that improve the quality of life for young
children and families,

Republic Act 7277 – “Magna Carta for Disabled Persons”

“An Act Providing for the Rehabilitation, Self-Development and Self-Reliance
of Disabled Persons and their Integration Into The Mainstream of Society and
for Other Purposes”
Section 17. (d) inclusion of the Special Education for Disabled (SPED) course
in the curriculum.

b. the education of children with special needs.

DepEd Order No. 72 s. 20091.
1. The Special Education in the Philippines has only served 2% of the
targeted 2.2 million children with disabilities in the country who live without
the access to a basic human right: the right to education. Most of these
children live in rural and far flung areas whose parents need to be aware of
educational opportunities that these children could avail of.
2. The Department of Education (DepEd) has organized the urgency to
address this problem and therefore, guarantees the right for these children to
receive appropriate education within the regular or inclusive classroom
setting. Inclusive education embraces the philosophy of accepting all children
regardless of race, size, shape, color, ability, or disability with support from
school staff, students, parents, and the community.
c. the participation of the home, parents and the community in special
education activities.
Republic Act No. 5447
"An Act Creating A Special Education Fund to be Constituted from the
Proceeds of an Additional Real Property Tax and a Certain Portion of the
Taxes on Virginia-Type Cigarettes and Duties on Imported Leaf Tobacco,
Defining the Activities to be Financed, Creating School Boards for the
Purpose, and Appropriating Funds Therefrom" Section 1. Declaration of
policy; creation of Special Education Fund. It is hereby declared to be the
policy of the government to contribute to the financial support of the goals of
education as provided by the Constitution. For this purpose, there is hereby
created a Special Education Fund, hereinafter referred to as the Fund, to be
derived from the additional tax on real property and from a certain portion of
the taxes on Virginia-type cigarettes and duties on imported leaf tobacco,
hereinafter provided for.

d. commemoration of significant events.

House Bill 6547, to be known as the Special Education (SPED) Act of 2012,
seeks to institutionalize an adequate and relevant educational program for
every Center for Special Needs (CSN) through the establishment of SPED
Centers and provide vital support mechanisms.
 Narrative Report

Last September 10, I visited in Putyukan san Abuyog where the Gabaldon
Central School teachers located and there I conducted an interview about
their Special Education Class. And thankfully I was entertained by the
Teachers and it followed by sharing the types of exceptionality or disabilities
of the students, their characteristics and how well they are doing in school.
The interview was started from the condition or disabilities did the students
possess, in here it says that a special education teacher is well-versed in the
signs and symptoms of children’s conditions and disabilities. They should
know the indicators of serious challenges or risks to the children or others in
the classroom.
Aside from the disabilities of their students I ask about, How they change
their approach to help a student learn? How did they maximize their learning
experience? It says that Special education teachers work with students with a
range of conditions, including dyslexia, attention deficit disorder (ADD),
autism or Down syndrome. Because of this, they must know how to change
their teaching style to fit each student.
After that I meet one of their students with a condition of hearing
impairment, and ask him about their school activities. He responded through
writing it on a piece of paper, he simply says that he only sit and watch the
teacher discussing. And after that I left and thank him.
With this experience I feel so great and happy to meet and interview them.
And I can say that having this Special Education Program is such a big help
for the PWD’s. This would be a big help for them to have a brighter future
waiting.