INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

I. What is inclusive education?

 Inclusive education is when all students,
regardless of any challenges they may have,
are placed in age-appropriate general
education classes that are in their own
neighborhood schools to receive high-
quality instruction, interventions, and
supports that enable them to meet success
in the core curriculum (Bui, Quirk, Almazan, & Valenti, 2010; Alquraini & Gut,
2012).
 Inclusive education value the unique contributions students of all
backgrounds bring to the classroom and allow diverse groups to grow side
by side, to the benefit of all (UNICEF 2022)
 All children have the right to education and learn together. Children should
not be devalued or discriminated by being excluded.

Difference between Special Education, Integrated Education, and Inclusive Education

Special education includes a variety of services in different settings using different
methods to meet the needs of differently-abled students, which cannot be fulfilled in
mainstream classrooms. Education specialists also use the term “Special Needs Education”
as an alternative term for this approach. This approach is based on the assumption that
children with disability have some special needs, and they need to study in a different
setting with other children having similar needs.
Integrated Education is an integrated classroom setting, students with special needs
learn together with their general education peers. Within the system of integrated
education, the students with special needs tend to acquire age-appropriate social skills by
patterning after general education peers.
Within the system of inclusive education, all the special need students, as well as the
general students, get equal benefits. Compared to the special education system, inclusive
education focuses not only on the students with special needs but others as well.
Therefore, we consider the inclusive approach as ‘education for all.’ It welcomes the
diverse learning styles and speeds of students. In addition, it employs different techniques
to cater to the needs of every student.
 While it was true that inclusion and special education has different meaning, both are
interrelated and complement one another. A true inclusive education gives equitable
opportunity for everyone including children with disabilities.

II. The Challenges in Transitioning to Inclusive Education

1. Dr. Susanne B. Carington, a professor from Queensland University Technology, Australia
discussed “Global Preparation and Practices on Inclusive Education”. In her presentation,
she explained the difference between inclusive education and special education. She
further stressed that inclusion is not exclusion and at the same time not integration. Then I
understood from there that one of the challenges in embracing inclusion came from such
confusion. People had different understanding between inclusive education and special
education (Carington, 2020). This was manifested on the research conducted for private
education in Quezon City. The respondents (mostly teachers) said that they were practicing
inclusive education however limited in their understanding of what inclusion was. They
were also not confident if what they were doing was at part with the best practices as far as
inclusion was concerned (Muega, M. 2019).
2. Another challenge that Dr. Carington mentioned was lack of resources and
infrastructure. This can be felt by unavailability of services, special education teachers,
classrooms, and to some extent more caseloads for existing SPED teachers (Berry, A. &
Gravelle, M. 2013).
3. Another challenge was the preparation of teachers and school leaders (Carington,
2020). General education teachers lack training on inclusive education. To address this
challenges, current teachers should be equipped with the necessary skills and
appropriation of sufficient budget to fund the endeavor (Muega, M. 2019). The pains in
education for special education was exponentially felt during the pandemic as there were
children with special needs who dropped out due to limited facilities and lack of teachers
(Delizo, M. 2010).

History of Special Education in the Philippines in the lens of legal bases:

 SPED in the Philippines started in the 1908 where the school for deaf in
Harrison, Pasay City was established and marked the official
government recognition of obligations towards the education of the
handicapped children.

Republic Act No. 3562 (June 1963) – an act of promote the education of
the blind in the Philippines which established training course and
Philippine National School for the Blind
Philippine Normal College offered courses in SPED for teaching the
blind in 1964 wherein 14 elementary teachers were selected for
training.
In 1952, a pilot school for SPED at the Philippine Women’s University of
mentally handicapped children was started. All children from this
school were transferred to the Special Child Study Center in Cubao,
Quezon City in 1957.
Republic Act 7277, 1995 - 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.
Republic Act 5250 – An Act Establishing A Ten-Year Training Program
For Teachers Of Special And Exceptional Children In The Philippines
And Authorizing The Appropriation Of Funds Thereof

There are 2 types of Inclusive Education:

1. Partial Inclusion: Children with disability are educated in the regular classrooms for
most time of the day. For the rest of the day, they leave their regular classrooms to be
with their special education teacher aide in a resource room to work on individual
academic skills or behavioral goals.
2. Full Inclusion: A child needs to be isolated because of a skill he uniquely needs. It
means that the disabled students get all the special services they need in the regular
classroom and stay there all day.
There are 2 methods of adopting Inclusive Education:
1. Accommodation:. It is employed when the student is anticipated to learn similar
curricular content. It is carried out when there are little changes in the services or
arrangement that do not alter the learning outcomes of the students. But the student
may be taught in a different way or may require some changes in the environment
2. Modification: It applies to student with severe disabilities. It is implement when
there are changes in the curriculum to fit the student’s ability. It is usually used when a
student is expected to learn a different curricular content.
III. Scope of Inclusive Education:

The one presented in the picture

are the general scopes of inclusive
education. However, the Scope of
Inclusive Education is on the basis
of the persons it caters to and can
be described as ones who are
covered under the title of
Children with Special Needs
(CWSN) as well as ones who are
fully abled, yet are at a very
disadvantaged position.

CWSN includes children facing the following problems:

1. Physical/Motor – muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, chronic asthma, epilepsy,
etc.
2. Developmental/Intellectual – down syndrome, autism, dyslexia, processing disorders.
3. Behavioral/Emotional – ADD, bi-polar, oppositional defiance disorder, etc.
4. Sensory Impaired – Blind, visually impaired, deaf, limited hearing etc.

Children in disadvantaged positions includes:

1. Children engaged in workforce (through child labor or family profession)
2. Children in remote and secluded areas with minimal access to the outside world.
3. Children of migrant laborers and refugees (owing to natural calamities or war)
4. Female Children living in unfavorable circumstances (sex trafficking, child marriage)
5. Children of minority group (exclusion based on caste, religion, race etc.)
6. Children suffering from abuse at home (from parents)
IV. PRINCIPLES OF INLCUSIVE EDUCATION
 No discrimination with students
 Equal educational opportunity to all.
 School adapt to the need of student.
 Equal educational benefits for all students.
 The student’s views are listened to and taken seriously.
 Individual differences between students are a source of richness and diversity and
not a problem.

V. PRACTICE OF INLCUSIVE EDUCATION

Practice of developing inclusive education involves:
 Understanding inclusion as a continuing process, not a one-time event.
 Strengthening and sustaining the participation of all students, teachers, parents,
and community members in the work of the school.
 Restructuring the cultures, policies, and practices in schools to respond the
diversity of pupils within their locality.
 Providing an accessible curriculum and appropriate training programmes for all
(teachers and students).
 Identifying and providing support for staff as well as students.

VI. Need and Importance of Inclusive Education
VII. LEGAL MANDATES
1. Millennium Development Goal (MDG) in Education
 Achieve universal primary education.
2. Education for All (EFA) Goal
 GOAL: Basic Competencies for Everyone to Achieve Literacy for All
3. Magna Carta for Disabled Persons
 Republic Act 7277, 1995 - 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.
 provides for the rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance of disabled
persons and their integration into mainstream society.
4. Policies and Guidelines in Special Education (Revised, 1997)
5. Goal of Special Education
 Article I. Section 5 of Child and Welfare Code (PD NO. 603), states that the ultimate
goal of special education shall be integration of mainstreaming of learners with
special needs into the regular school system and eventually in the community

The Philippines Adapts the SALAMANCA STATEMENT

 “The fundamental principle of the inclusive school, it adds, is that all children should learn
together, where possible, and that ordinary schools must recognize and respond to the diverse
needs of their students, while also having a continuum of support and services to match these
needs.”

In June 1994 representatives of 92 governments and 25 international organizations formed

the World Conference on Special Needs Education, held in Salamanca, Spain. They agreed a
dynamic new Statement on the education of all disabled children, which called for inclusion
to be the norm. In addition, the Conference adopted a new Framework for Action, the
guiding principle of which is that ordinary schools should accommodate all children,
regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions.
The World Conference went on to call upon all governments to:
 give the 'highest policy and budgetary priority' to improve education services so
that all children could be included, regardless of differences or difficulties.
 'adopt as a matter of law or policy the principle of inclusive education' and enroll all
children in ordinary schools unless there were compelling reasons for doing
otherwise.
 develop demonstration projects and encourage exchanges with countries with
inclusive schools.
 ensure that organizations of disabled people, along with parents and community
bodies, are involved in planning decision-making.
 put greater effort into pre-school strategies as well as vocational aspects of inclusive
education.
 ensure that both initial and in-service teacher training address the provision of
inclusive education.

MARCH 7, 1997 – DO 26, S. 1997 – INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF SPED PROGRAMS IN

ALL SCHOOLS
1. In support to the implementation of the Republic Act 7277 (Magna Carta for Disabled
Persons) and to achieve the target set for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons
(1993-2002) that 75% of the 4 million children with disabilities should be provided equal
educational opportunities, special needs education shall be institutionalized in all schools.
2. The Institutionalization aims to provide access to basic education among children with
special needs, namely, the gifted/talented, the mentally retarded, the visually impaired, the
hearing impaired, the orthopedically handicapped, the learning disabled, the speech
defectives, the children with behavior problems, the autistic children and those with health
problems through the formal system and other alternative delivery services in education.
3. The following are the guidelines which shall be observed in the institutionalization of
special needs education:
All divisions shall organize at least one SPED Center in every division and eventually
in ALL Schools which will cater to children with special needs. Programs organized
shall adopt the inclusive education concept or the different types of SPED programs suited
to the needs of the learners. The Center shall function as a Resource Center:
 to support children with special needs integrated in regular schools
 to assist in the conduct of in-service-training
 to produce appropriate teaching materials; and
 to conduct continuous assessment of children with special needs.

JULY 06, 2009 - DO 72, s. 2009 Inclusive Education as Strategy for Increasing
Participation Rate of Children
“Aims to address and guarantee the right of children with special needs to receive
appropriate education within the regular or inclusive classroom setting.”
1. Special Education in the Philippines has only served 2% of the targeted 2.2 million
children with disabilities in the country who live without 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.
3. A comprehensive inclusive program for children with special needs has the following
components:
 Child Find. This is locating where these children are through the family mapping
survey, advocacy campaigns and networking with local health workers. The children
with special needs who are not in school shall be listed using Enclosure No. 1. These
children shall be visited by Special Education (SPED) teachers and parents should
be convinced to enroll their children in SPED Centers or schools nearest their home.
 Assessment. This is the continuous process of identifying the strengths and
weaknesses of the child through the use of formal and informal tools for proper
program grade placement. Existing SPED Centers in the Division shall assist regular
schools in the assessment process.
 Program Options. Regular schools with or without trained SPED teachers shall be
provided educational services to children with special needs. These schools shall
access educational services from SPED Centers or SPED trained teachers. The first
 program option that shall be organized for these children is a self-contained class
for children with similar disabilities which can be mono-grade or multi-grade
handled by a trained SPED teacher. The second option is inclusion or placement of
the child with disabilities in general education or regular class where he/she learns
with his/her peers under a regular teacher and/or SPED trained teacher who
addresses the child’s needs. The third option is a resource room program where the
child with disabilities shall be pulled out from the general education or regular class
and shall report to a SPED teacher who provides small group/one-on-one
instruction and/or appropriate interventions for these children
 Curriculum Modifications. This shall be implemented in the forms of adaptations
and accommodations to foster optimum learning based on individual’s needs and
potentials. Modification in classroom instructions and activities is a process that
involves new ways of thinking and developing teaching-learning practices. It also
involves changes in any of the steps in the teaching-learning process. Curriculum
modifications shall include service delivery options like cooperative or team
teaching, consulting teacher program and others. The provision of support services
from professionals and specialists, parents, volunteers, and peers or buddies to the
children with special needs is an important feature in the inclusion program.
 Parental Involvement. This plays a vital role in preparing the children in academic,
moral and spiritual development. Parents shall involve themselves in observing
children’s performance, volunteering to work in the classroom as teacher aide and
providing support to other parents.

VIII. Definition of Inclusion in the Philippine context

 A process by which schools attempt to respond to all pupils as individuals by
reconsidering its curricular organization and provision.
 Schools build capacity to accept all pupils from local community thus reduces the
need to exclude pupils.
 Education of students with disabilities in regular setting under the responsibility of
regular education teacher with support services from SPED teacher and other
significant persons.

Why inclusion is the

primary solution?
IX. Categories of children with disabilities for inclusion
 Children with Learning Disabilities
 Children with Visual Impairment (the Low Vision & the Blind)
 Children with Hearing Impairment ( the Hard of Hearing and the Deaf)
 Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
 Children with Intellectual Disabilities
 Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
 Giftedness and Special Talents
 Physical Disabilities and Impaired Health
 Communication Disorders
 Others

Children with Learning Disabilities - Also known as learning disorders is a term used to
describe a wide variety of learning problems. Not a problem with intelligence or
motivation. Kids with learning disabilities aren’t lazy or dumb but their brains are simply
wired differently that affects how they receive and process information; so they see, hear,
and understand things differently. There is trouble with learning new information and
skills, and putting them to use. Most common types of learning disabilities involve
problems with reading, writing, math, reasoning, listening, and speaking.
Four Common Learning Disabilities
1. Dyslexia - Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that affects the processing of
spoken and/or written language. Children with dyslexia usually have difficulty reading
accurately and fluently. There are a variety of ways in which dyslexia can be manifested.
Here are some of the more common “types” of dyslexia that you might hear about:
 Phonological dyslexia: Trouble breaking down words according to sound.
 Visual dyslexia: Trouble recognizing words by sight. The brain struggles to
remember what the word looks like.
 Rapid naming dyslexia: Trouble naming several letters and numbers in a row. This
could be an issue with processing and reading speed.
2. Dyscalculia - Children with dyscalculia struggle with learning mathematical concepts
such as numerical organisation and understanding quantity, place value and time. They
may also face difficulty in following and/or using steps involved in math problems. Despite
many hours of practice/rote learning, the child may still struggle to remember basic math
facts.
3. Dysgraphia - Dysgraphia refers to difficulty with the physical act of writing. This
includes having a cramped grip when holding a pencil, illegible handwriting, inconsistent
spacing, and poor spelling (unfinished words or missing words or letters). The child may
also have trouble reproducing the shape of a letter or drawing.
4. Dyspraxia - Dyspraxia is associated with delayed neurological development that makes
it difficult to plan and coordinate physical movement. A child with dyspraxia struggles with
fine motor skills (hand-eye coordination, holding a pencil), or gross motor skills (running,
jumping). Some of the different kinds of dyspraxia include:
 Ideomotor dyspraxia: Difficulty doing single-step tasks such as using a fork or
pouring juice.
 Ideational dyspraxia: Difficulty planning and carrying out a sequence of steps
needed for complex tasks. E.g. tying shoes, riding a bike.
 Oromotor dyspraxia: Difficulty coordinating muscle movement to pronounce
words clearly.
 Constructional dyspraxia: Difficulty understanding spatial relations.
Children with Visual Impairment: Kids who have vision loss that can’t be fixed with
glasses, contacts, or other methods have a visual impairment. They may have complete
vision loss (blindness) or partial vision loss. Visual impairments can be caused by eye
conditions like amblyopia (“lazy eye”) or strabismus (misaligned or crossed eyes), eye or
brain injuries, or birth defects.
Children with Hearing Impairment: Hearing impairment refers to any degree of hearing
loss, mild to severe, and can occur when there is a problem with a part of the ear, including
the inner, middle, and outer ears, or the nerves needed for hearing. Hearing impairment is
relatively common among children. About 1.9% of children have trouble hearing, and
permanent hearing loss is found in more than 1 out of every 1,000 children screened for
hearing loss, whether or not they have symptoms. Hearing impairment is slightly more
common among boys.
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a
developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. People with ASD often have
problems with social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviors
or interests. People with ASD may also have different ways of learning, moving, or paying
attention. Besides autism, ASD includes Asperger syndrome much like autism in many
ways but milder and usually without significant delays in cognition and language.
Children with Intellectual Disability: formerly known as mental retardation or MR,
includes significantly below average intellectual ability. Children with IDs have significant
difficulties in both intellectual functioning (e.g. communicating, learning, problem solving)
and adaptive behavior (e.g. everyday social skills, routines, hygiene). IDs can be mild or
more severe. Children with more severe forms typically require more support–particularly
in school. Children with milder IDs can gain some independent skills, especially in
communities with good teaching and support.
Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorder: An emotional and behavioral
disorder is an emotional disability characterized by the following: a.) an inability to build
or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and/or teachers. For
preschool-age children, this would include other care providers; b.) an inability to learn
which cannot be adequately explained by intellectual, sensory or health factors; c.) a
consistent or chronic inappropriate type of behavior or feelings under normal conditions;
d,) a displayed pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; e.) displayed tendency to
develop physical symptoms, pains or unreasonable fears associated with personal or
school problems.
Giftedness and Special Talents: Gifted children are born with natural abilities well above
the average for their age. Special education may be needed by them, because without
access to a curriculum that is challenging to them, they are likely to be bored and achieve
far less than they could otherwise. Certain groups of gifted students have been particularly
neglected including families, students with disabilities, and students from some ethnic
minorities. The greater the discrepancy between their abilities and those of their typical
peers, the less likely that their education needs will be met without special education.
Twice Exceptional Individuals is someone who has both a disability and a special gift or
talent.
Physical Disabilities and Impaired Health: involve wide range of injuries, diseases, birth
anomalies, and chronic conditions that limit a person’s ability to perform everyday
activities. It also include such conditions as a cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, cystic
fibrosis, asthma, limb amputations or anomalies, and other conditions and diseases.
Because of some physical conditions the individual can’t engage in typical activities or do
them in the normal way.
Communication Disorder: it can involve speech or language or both. Speech refers to
making vocal sounds and putting them together properly so that the listener can
understand what is being said. Language refers to sending and receiving ideas,
comprehending and using symbols, the communication of meaning. A communication
disorder is an impairment in the ability to receive, send, process, and comprehend concepts
or verbal, nonverbal and graphic symbol systems. A communication disorder may be
evident in the processes of hearing, language, and/or speech. A communication disorder
may range in severity from mild to profound.
Can kids with learning disabilities succeed in schools?
Most kids with learning disabilities are just as smart as everyone else. They just need to be
taught in ways that are tailored to their unique learning styles. By learning more about
learning disabilities in general, and your child’s learning difficulties in particular, you can
help pave the way for success at school and beyond. (Gina Kemp, M.A., Melinda Smith, M.A.,
and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D, February 2013.)