CHAPTER 1

BASIC CONCEPTS ON SPECIAL AND

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Disability - is a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that
impairs, interferes with, or limits a person's ability to engage in certain tasks
or actions or participate in typical daily activities and interactions
Giftedness - the state of a person who has a large amount of natural
ability or talent in something that is seen from a young age.
UNESCO - in full United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, Specialized agency of the UN, created in 1946 to aid peace by
promoting international cooperation in education, science, and culture.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental
disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate,
learn, and behave.
Impairment - refers to a problem with a structure or organ of the body.
(e.g. deafness, paraplegia or strabismus)

Infanticide - a person who kills an infant, especially their own child.

Defective - having a defect or flaw, or not working correctly.
 With the current reform of the Philippine government in the
Inclusive education curriculum through the Department of
Education Order (DO) no. 21, Series of 2019, and in the teacher
quality through the national adoption and implementation of the
Philippine Professional Standard for Teachers (PPST) or DO 42, s.
2017, teachers are now expected to act as major implementers of
inclusive education. As a beginning teacher, your performance
appraisal will be based on this set of standards, and among it’s
seven domains, the third is devoted to Diversity of Learners.
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
UNESCO - is about putting the right to education into action
by including all learners, respecting their diverse needs,
abilities and characteristics and eliminating all forms of
discrimination in the learning environment

DO 21, series of 2019 also known as the Policy Guidelines on the K

to 12 Basic Education - is the key standard and the core principle of
the K-12 curriculum, it is learner-centered, developmentally-
appropriate, culture-sensitive, relevant, gender-responsive, and
contextualized.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
is defined as classes or instruction designed for students
with disabilities, giftedness, and talents.

Special Education Needs (SEN) is a term used in some

countries to refer to children with impairments that are
seen as requiring additional support.
MAINSTREAMING
is the practice of educating students with learning
challenges in regular classes, in the least restrictive
environment, based on their skills.

INTEGRATION
According to Franklin (1996) refers to the creation of
spaces such as regular classrooms, special education
classrooms, or pull-out serves for diverse learners.
UNESCO states that inclusion is the process of
addressing and responding to the diverse needs of all
learners through increasing participation in learning,
cultures, and community, and reducing inclusion
within and from education. It involves changes and
modifications in content, approaches, structures and
strategies, with a common vision that covers all the
children of the appropriate age range, and a conviction
that it is the responsibility of the regular system to
educate all children.
Inclusion is about welcoming diversity by providing
varied responses to the diverse needs of learners in
formal and informal settings.
It provides opportunities for equal participation of
persons with disabilities (physical, social; and/or
emotional) whenever possible into general education,
but leaves open the possibility of personal choice and
options for special assistance and facilities to those who
needs it.
Special Education (SpEd) encompasses tailored programs for
learners with disabilities, giftedness, and talents, aiming to
address their unique needs. This involves creating and
implementing Individualized Education Plans (IEP) to support
educational, social, behavioral, and physical development. While
terms like Students with Special Education Needs (SEN) or
Children with Special Needs (CSN) are used, the preference is
towards "learners with disabilities" to emphasize equal human
rights, avoiding potentially stigmatizing language. The diversity
in SpEd includes those with various abilities and challenges,
ranging from giftedness to difficulties in areas like
communication or mobility.
In the first picture, equality means every child gets the same
resources, but it doesn't consider their individual needs. This
might not be fair because some kids are too short to see over the
fence. On the other hand, in the second picture, equity is shown.
It's about giving each child the right support they need, like
different-sized boxes, to make sure everyone can enjoy the game
and see over the fence, regardless of their height. So, equality
treats everyone the same, but equity treats everyone fairly by
giving the help they actually need.
But why are there barriers present
in the first place?
These represent systemic and educational barriers that
limit learners' participation. Valbrun (2017) then
replaced the barriers on the second panel of illustration
with the chain-linked fence where all children could see
the game without any additional support. According to
her, Removing these barriers, by anticipating and
addressing the diverse needs of learners, is like creating
a more fair and inclusive system in education. It's about
making sure everyone can be part of the educational
experience without hindrances.
It is also important to differentiate between the terms
accommodations or adaptations and modifications.
 In making education inclusive, teachers use both
accommodation and modification strategies in teaching.
Accommodations change how the learners with disabilities,
giftedness, and talents learn the same material and meet the
same expectations as their age peers (e.g. a person with visual
impairments using audio books, highlighted texts or large
print materials)
Modification changes what a student is taught or expected to
learn (e.g. a person with intellectual disability use less
complicated text materials of different content topic, than
their age peers).
Through these strategies, learners with disabilities and
those with academic challenges are provided with
materials that meet their learning needs
 Medical and Social Model of Disability

MEDICAL MODEL
The medical model of disability views disability as a problem inherent to the individual, often
focusing on impairments, illnesses, or conditions that need to be fixed or cured. It emphasizes
medical interventions and treatments to help individuals fit into society's norms.

SOCIAL MODEL
The social model of disability considers disability as a product of social, environmental, and attitudinal
barriers that prevent individuals with impairments from fully participating in society. It highlights the
need to remove these barriers through changes in attitudes, policies, and the built environment to
promote inclusion and equal opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their abilities or difference
 People First Policy

A "people-first" policy in special and inclusive education emphasizes the

importance of acknowledging individuals as people first, rather than defining
them solely by their disabilities or differences. It emphasizes respecting and
valuing each person's unique abilities, needs, and potential. This approach
promotes inclusive practices that ensure all students, regardless of their
abilities or disabilities, have access to quality education, support services, and
opportunities to thrive in diverse learning environments. It prioritizes
individualized support, accommodations, and adaptations to meet the needs
of each student while fostering a culture of acceptance, understanding, and
equity in education.
 CHAPTER 2

HISTORICAL, PHILOSOPHICAL,
THEORETICAL, AND LEGAL FOUNDATIONS
of SPECIAL AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
In this discussion, we will look at the major developments
in the history of special and inclusive education in global
and local settings. As we do so, we will also tackle how the
perspectives and views about learners with disabilities,
giftedness, and talents changed through time, and along
with these changes, how ways of addressing their needs
also developed.
Era of Extermination
During the Greek and Roman Era, disability was regarded as a
punishment from God, something that signifies being bad or evil.
Individual with disability were labelled as “defectives” hat needs to
be eliminated from the society
There were calls for infanticide (a father had the right to terminate
their child’s life if happened to be born with disability)
In the early Christian Era, since in the old testament, man is
supposedly created by God in his own image, disability was viewed
as an impurity
 Later, though, this perspective changed as the
New Testament presented Jesus being helpful to
person with disability.
Era of Ridicule
During the Middle Ages, persons
with ridicule disability were
treated with ridicule in which they
were used as servants or fools;
they were used as clowns; they
were mocked with their
deformities and behaviour; or may
be ordered to be put to death
Era of Asylum
During the Renaissance Period, the
Catholic Church began accepting
persons with disabilities as wards of
state. This was the start of humane
treatment given to them. They were
taken care for, albeit in isolation.
However, the belief that once
disabled, always disabled rendered
these individuals as uneducable.
Perspective on Educability in the Early
Beginning of Special Education
Whereas being taken care for can be considered as humane
treatment for persons with disability, a different perspective
stipulates that without education, there is no humanity. Thus, to
reinforce equal treatment among all humans, one should have the
right to education regardless of his or her disability

This led some individuals to device ways to deliver education to

those with disabilities, and thus, the start of the development of
special and inclusive education
Pedro Ponce de Leon (1578) Abbe Charles Michel de
- Provided education to deaf l’Epee (1960) - put up
children from nobility. an institute for the deaf
Louis Braille (1829) - Braille Script
who invented the Braille
Script to allow the blind
to read.
A TIMELINE OF EVENTS, PERSONS
AND IDEAS THAT SHAPED THE
EARLY HISTORY OF SPECIAL AND
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
Mid-1700s
a) Joseph Pereire - showed interest in a group of individuals
called "deafmutes" who were generally believed to be
unteachable.

b) Jean Marc Itard- was known for his work on intellectual

disability and well-known in a case of vistor a wild boy of
Aveyron, he managed to teach victor how to identify comon
Objects, letters of the alphabet and meaning of words.
Early 1800s
- In this era special education program was started to develop
in United State.
a) Samuel Gridley Howe - was known for his work with blind individuals
at the Perkins School for Blind in Boston.
b) Thomas Gallaudet- put up a school for deaf in Hartford, Connecticut.
c) Edouard Seguin
he was a student of Itard.
he was involved with Hospice des Incurables in France.
he was involved in putting up a Pennsylvania Training sohool for
ldiots in the United State and weak-minded and weak-bodied
childven in New york.
Early 20th Century
a) Maria Montessori - She developed techniques and materials like
hands-on materials, individual instructions, and Materials that
stimulate various senses to teach leamers with intellectual
disability.

b) Grace Fernald - she developed techniques for providing

remedial education in reading.
1920s to 1940s
- during 1920s to 1930s, social and economic hardship took away
much of the interest about individuals with handicaps.

a) Henry Goddard - he published a famous study on the kallikak

family (Feeblemindedness: Its causes and Consequences, (1914)
b) Alfred Strauss and Heinz Werner - they became instrumental in
special education through their research on the neurological basis
of learning disabilities. Their research states how brain and
heurological problems affect how children learn and develop.
1950s to 1970s
- this time the improvement of economics and politics
helped create a more positive attitude and available funding
for Special Education.

Contributed to the progress of Special Education

1. Samuel Kirk (coined the term learning disabilities)
2. Marianne Frostig
3. Newell Kephart
4. William Cruickshank
1970s and Beyond
Special Education started to be recognize as a formal
and identifiable profession.
Parents and advocates started to acknowledge the
rights of individuals with special needs and
importance of special education.
legislation was created.
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LAST CENTURY (1900s)
1. Medical Model - emphasizing biological factors and suggesting
institutional care for individuals with disabilities.
2. Compulsory Education - in the 1900s and 1950s was a significant
development, paving the way for advancements in special and
inclusive education.
3. Creation of Specialized Schools - schools and classes specifically
designed for individuals with various disabilities.
4. Post-World War II Developments - organized and separated
special education to regular education, to cater the needs of
individuals with disabilities.
FROM SPECIAL EDUCATION TO INCLUSION
In the past, special education saw Learners with Special Needs
(LSEN) as different from others, so they were taught
separately. This meant special instructions, separate
classrooms, teachers, and methods like sign language or Braille
were used. While this gave them focused attention and
support, it also made them feel more disabled, lowered
expectations for them, kept them apart from others, and
limited their interaction with peers.
 As special education has progressed, so has the
understanding of disability. While the medical view sees
disability as a physical or mental problem, the social
perspective looks at how the environment affects it. The
World Health Organization distinguishes between
impairment (physical or mental defect), disability
(limitations in activities), and handicap (social limitations).
Education of LSENs has moved to Inclusion

3 Kinds of Pressure
1. Ethics and Moral Pressure - which was reinforced by
associations, laws, and increased awareness

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)
World Declaration for Education for All ( 1990)
Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities
for Persons with Disability (1993)
 UNESCO Salamanca Statement and Framework for
Action (1994)
Dakar Framework for Action (2000), among others).

2. Conceptual Pressure
which comes from the need to treat individuals as
normally as possible (normalization)
to educate children with disabilities alongside those
who do not have (least restrictive environment)
to let them engage with others of the same age and
other social characteristics (social validation)
 to allow them to adapt only when necessary and to increase
their participation and success (principles of adaption)
to allow them to integrate physically, socially, and pedagogically
(mainstreaming, inclusion) (integration)

3. Economic Pressure
pushes for cost-effective special education, driving a shift
towards inclusion where support services come to the child.
Placing the child in a regular classroom setting enables
immediate benefits, countering concerns about keeping up
with peers.
 Special and Inclusive
Education in Philippines
 Recent Legislations in the Philippines
Supporting Inclusive Education

Section 8 of DepEd Order No. 43, s. 2013, IRR of RA 10533

or THE ENHANCE BASIC EDUCATION ACT OF 2013
the policy that recognized the inclusiveness of the
Enhanced Basic Education Program.
includes programs that address the physical, intellectual,
psychosocial, and cultural needs of learners.
Bill 1414 INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN
AND YOUTH WITH SPECIAL NEEDS ACT
An act instituting inclusive education through the establishment
of inclusive education learning resource centers for children and
youth with special needs in all public schools divisions, providing
for standards and guidelines, and appropriating funds therefor

INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT OF 2016

An act providing free appropriate public education to children
with disabilities, appropriating funds therefor and for other
purposes
Senate Bill 996 INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN
AND YOUTH WITH SPECIAL NEEDS ACT OF 2016
an act instituting inclusive education and establishing
special education centers( SPED centers ) for children
and youth with special needs in all public schools
divisions, providing for standards and guidelines, and
appropriating funds therefor
Deped order No 42 series of 2017 NATIONAL ADOPTION AND
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PHILIPPINE PROFESSIONAL
STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS
Intends to set out clear expectations of teachers along the different
stages of their careers; encourage teachers to actively partake in
continuing effort to attain proficiency; and to provide a standard
measure to assess teacher performance, identify their needs, and
provide support for their professional development. The PPST shall
serve as a basis in developing learning programs for teachers in
order to capacitate them for the effective implementation of the K
to 12 Program, as well as in the selection and promotion of teachers.
 Ched memo 74-77 CHED Memo 74-77, series of 2017 Policies,
Standards, and Guidelines for Bachelor of Elementary
Education (BEEd), Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd),
Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (BECEd), and Bachelor
of Special Needs Education (BSNEd)
Require that a Professional Education course of Foundation of
Special and Inclusive Education be taken by all teacher
education students in order to ensure that all teachers have the
basic knowledge in handling learners with disabilities,
giftedness, and talents.
 Deped order 21 Policy Guidelines on the K to 12
Basic Education Program
Embedded inclusive education in the K-12 curriculum. Inclusion in
this policy is the core principle, the key standard and the principle
of the curriculum, where the right of every Filipino to quality,
equitable, culture-based and complete education are promoted
through existing programs such as Special Education, Indigenous
Peoples Education, Madrasah Education, and Flexible Learning
Options (FLOS) including Alternative Delivery Modes (ADMs) and
the Alternative Learning Systems (ALS).