Timeline--History of Special Education in the Philippines

Foundations of Special and Inclusive Education (Western Mindanao State University)

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 Timeline of Special Education in the Philippines
❖ 1902---America Regime
• Gen. Superintendent of Education Mr. Fred Atkinson found a census of deaf
and blind school-aged children in Manila and reported it to the Secretary of
Public Instructions.

❖ 1907- special education program formally started

• Mr. David Barrows, Director of Public Education, worked for the
establishment of Insular School for the Deaf and the Blind in Manila
• Miss Delight Rice, an American educator, was the first administrator and teacher
of the special school.
• The School for the Deaf at present is located at Harrison Street, Pasay City
• The Philippine National School for the Blind is at Polo Road

❖ 1926—The Philippine Association for the Deaf (PAD) composed mostly of

hearing impaired members and special education was founded.

❖ 1927—The Welfareville Children’s Village in Mandaluyong, Rizal was established

by the government

❖ 1936-- Mrs. Maria Villa Francisco was appointed as the first Filipino Principal of the
school for the deaf and the blind (SDB).

❖ 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

❖ 1949—Inauguration of the Quezon City Science High School for gifted students
The Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (PFRD)
was organized.

❖ 1950—Philippine Association for the Deaf opened a school for children with
hearing impairment

❖ 1953—Elsie Gaches Village (EGV) was established in Alabang, Muntinlupa, Rizal to

take care of abandoned and orphaned children and youth with physical and mental
handicaps

❖ 1954, the first week of August was declared as Sight Saving Week.

❖ 1955—the private sector supported the government’s program for disabled Filipinos
Elks Cerebral palsy Project Incorporated was organized by the members of Lodge
No. 761 of the Benevolent and Protective Order.

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 At the School for the Deaf and Blind (SDB), the first parent teacher Work
Conference in Special Education was held.

❖ 1956- the First Summer Institute on teaching the Deaf was held at the School for the Deaf
and the Blind in Pasay City

❖ 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 components of the special education programs included
• Legislation
• Teacher training
• Census of exceptional children and youth in schools and
community
• The integration of children with disabilities in regular classes
• Rehabilitation or residential and special schools and
materials production
• Baguio Vacation Normal School ran courses on teaching children
with handicaps.
• Baguio City Special Education Center was organized

❖ 1958—the American Foundation for Overseas Blind (AFOB) opened its regional
office in Manila

❖ 1960—some private colleges and universities started the offer special education
courses in their graduate school curriculum.

❖ 1962, the manila Youth and Rehabilitation Center (MYRC) was opened
• DEC issued Circular NO. 11 s. 1962 that specific the “Qualifications of
Special Education teachers.”
• PFRD sponsored the Second Pan Pacific Rehabilitation of handicapped persons
• Experimental integration of blind children at the Jose Rizal Elementary School in
Pasay City
• The first National Seminar in Special Education was held at SBD in Pasay City
• St. Joseph of Cupertino School for the Mentally Retarded, a private school,
was founded.
• In the areas of hearing impairment, mental retardation and mental giftedness
under RA 5250, the Training of DEC teacher scholars at the University of the
Philippines commenced
• The Philippine General Hospital opened classes for its school-age chronically ill
patients.

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❖ 1964—the Quezon City Schools Division followed suit with the establishment of the
Quezon City Science High School for the gifted students.

❖ 1965—marked the start of the training program fro school administrators on the
organization, administration and supervision of special education classes

❖ 1967, BPS organized the National Committee on Special Education

• General Letter No. 213 regulating the size of special classes for maximum
effectiveness was issued

❖ 1968—the teacher training program for teachers of exceptional children was held at the
Philippine Normal College for the next ten years
• The First Asian Conference on Work for the Blind was held in Manila

❖ 1969—classes for socially maladjusted children were organized at the Manila

Youth Reception Center

❖ 1970—the Training of teachers for children with behavior problems started at

the University of the Philippines
• The School for the Deaf and the Blind established in 1907 was reorganized into
two separate residential schools

❖ 1971—DEC issued memorandum on Duties of the Special Education

❖ 1973—the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court of Manila established the

Tahanan Special School for socially maladjusted children and youth

❖ 1974, the First National Conference on the Rehabilitation of the Disabled was held at the
Social Security Building in Quezon City

❖ 1975, when the DEC reorganized into the Ministry of Education Culture (MEC)
• The Special Subjects and Services Division was abolished

❖ 1976, Proclamation 1605 declared 1977 to1987 as the Decade of the Filipino Child
• The First Camp Pag-ibig, a day camp for handicapped children was held on
Valentine’s Day in Balara Quezon City

❖ 1977, MEC issued Department Order N. 10 that designated regional and division
supervisors of special education programs
• The West Visayas Stae College of Iloilo City started its teacher training program
and offered scholarships to qualified teachers
• The Bacarra Special Education Center, Division of Ilocos Sur and the
Bacolod Special Education Center, Division of Bacolod City opened.

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❖ 1978—marked the creation of the National Commission Concerned Disabeled Persons
(NCCDP) later renamed National Council for the Welfare of Disabled persons
or NCWDP through Presidential Decree 1509

❖ 1979—the Bureau of Elementayr Education Special Education Unit conducted a two-year

nationwide survey of unidentified exceptional children who were in school

❖ 1980—the School for Crippled Children at Southern Island Hospital in Cebu City
was organized
• United nations Assemby proclaimed the observance of theInternational
Year of Disabled persons
❖ 1982—three special schools were opened
• Cebu State College Special High School for the Deaf
• Siaton Special Education Center in the Division of Negros Oriental
• St. John Maria de Vianney Special Education learning center in
Quezon City
❖ 1983, Batas Pambansa 344 enacted the Accessibility Law
• Batac Special education Center in the Division of Ilocos Norte was organized

❖ 1984—two special education programs were inaugurated: the Labangon Special

Education Cenetr Division of Cebu City and the Northern Luzon
Association’s Heinz Wolke School for the Blind at Baguio City

❖ 1990—establishment of the Philippine Institute for the Deaf (PID) an oral school
for children with hearing impairment

❖ 1992—the Summer Training for teachers of the Visually Impaired started at

the Philippine Normal University

❖ 1993—DEC issued Order No. 14 that directed regional offices to organized the
Regional Special Education Council (RESC)

❖ 1996—the third week of January was declared as Autism Consciousness Week

• The First national Congress on Visual Impairment was held in Quezon City

❖ 1998—DEC Order No. 5 “Reclassification of Regular teacher and Principal Items to

Special Education teacher and Special Schools Principal Item” was issued

❖ 1999—The following events took place:

• Philspada National Sports Competition for the Disabled in Cebu City
• Second national Congress on Special Needs Education in Baguio City

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• Issuance of the following DECS Orders No. 104 “Exemption of the Physically
Handicapped from Taking the National Elementary Achievement Tesyt
(NEAT) and the National Secondary Aptitude test (NSAT)
• No.108 “Strengthening of Special Education Programs for the Gifted in the Public
School System
• No. 448 “Search for the 1999 Most Outstanding Special Education teacher for the
Gifted”
• Memorandum No.457 “National Photo Contest on Disability

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