Teacher development for working
with children with special needs &
strategies for community
involvement
Shanti Auluck
Director (hon.)/President
Muskaan: Parents Association for the empowerment
of persons with intellectual disability & families
Data--'Elementary Education in India : Progress towards
UEE (Analytical reports and tables) by the
National University of Educational Planning and
Administration.
This publication is based on data received from
as many as 1.25 million schools spread over 625
districts across all the States and Union
Territories.
Issues involved in this process
• Understanding of the diverse educational needs of
children with disability
• Medical vs. social model of disability
• Deepening and broadening the meaning of
education,
• Critical look at normative thinking and utilitarian
attitudes
• Understanding the challenges of the parents and
families and their involvement in education process
• Change in the way we understand a person with
disability.
contd..
• Problems with the usage of the term “Special
education” and segregated education system
• Challenges of inclusive schools & class rooms:
• Preparations of teachers, school management
and parent community to meet the needs of
inclusive class rooms
What does UNCRPD say
• persons with disabilities include those
who have long term physical, mental,
intellectual and sensory impairments
which in interaction with various
barriers may hinder their full and
effective participation in society on an
equal basis with others.
What is special about special
education?
• Special about special education is that we
do not understand the needs of certain
children and our usual ways do not seem to
work.
• Onus is placed on the child rather than us.
A sincere examination of the situation
reveals that it is lack of our own
understanding of a child’s
education/growth needs that becomes a
barrier in the learning process
What is Inclusive Education
• Ideally it means attending to diverse needs of
every child ( differing in ability, ethnicity, socioeconomic background etc.) in the same class room
or school setting.
• Respect and acceptance of diversity (all
marginalized groups) can happen by inclusion in all
aspects of life starting from inclusion in schools.
• How ready we are for such an approach? There
needs to be thorough change in ideology and school
environment that values growth & development of a
child over achievements alone
Demands of Inclusive Education
• Attitude change of policy makers, school management and
most importantly of teachers.
• Enough knowledge base about various impairments e.g.
locomotor, visual, hearing, intellectual and how it affects
the learning process. It also demands deepening of our
understanding of mind functions including cognition,
emotions and motivation.
• Devising teaching strategies including learning material to
reach out the children with diverse (dis)abilities,
• It demands systemic change rather than huge finances,
child-centric approach rather than information-centric
approach
Teacher development for
Inclusive education
• Sensitization of all the teachers about the educational
needs of children with diverse impairments and how
environmental & attitudinal barriers prevent them from
learning and living a fuller life,
• Broadening the meaning of education beyond curriculum
transaction,
• Orientation programs for in-service teachers to sensitize
them about the needs and challenges of children with
disability along with deepening the understanding of mind
including cognition, emotions, motivation and learning
processes
• Abolition of separate systems of training
of teachers for mainstream children and
children with impairments (locomotor,
sensory and cognitive impairments).
• Teacher training courses must have 1or 2
core courses on understanding the
educational and learning needs of children
with diverse disabilities. It will enrich
their knowledge base.
Teachers are the key to success
of education
• Teaching is an organic system, it should not be equated
with industry.
• Academic leadership is very important and good deal of
attention should be given to it.
• Leadership is all about innovative thinking, deep
commitments and personal conduct
• Stress on responsibility and accountability
• Contextualization is very important. It requires looking at
strengths and weaknesses of one’s culture with an open
mind
Preparations required for
implementing Inclusive Education
• Important to recognize that India has no option other
than mainstreaming of education for all children having
diverse needs and backgrounds, including children with
disability
• Models of inclusive education need to be evolved through
pilot projects and NGOs working with persons with
disability need to be involved in this process.
• Implementation can not happen in one go; it has to be a
phase wise and time bound plans
• NGOs working in the field of disability need to be
supported to function as resource centres
• Orientation programs for school management, teachers,
parents and other staff members are necessary for a
successful implementation,
• Parents/families involvement is important. It will serve
twin purpose of parents capacity building as well as
support system to the school
• .
• Other students of the school can become a huge resource
if they are properly informed and oriented.
• NGOs can contribute through their knowledge and
experience.
Concluding thought
•
•
•
•
•
Inclusive education is possible. It needs:
critical look at present system of education
conviction and courage to take bold steps
Openness to experiment with new ideas
determination
to
evolve
implementation
strategies and accountability systems
If properly done, it has the potential of humanizing
the younger generation—an aim of true education
It is worth doing as it is a matter of preparing
future generations for an inclusive society where
diversities are accommodated & respected.