Learning knows no boundaries

FOUNDATIONS OF
SPECIAL
EDUCATION Prepared by: Maria Liza A. Baldonado
Module 1
OUTLIN
E • Definition of Special
and Inclusive
Education
• History and Goals
of Special and
Inclusive Education
• Philosophical
foundations
 Learning Outcomes
• Define Special and Inclusive
education
• Identify the historical, theoretical
and philosophical foundations of
Special and Inclusive Education
• Describe the brief history of SPED
• Determine the barriers in inclusive
education
What is Special Education?
 SPECIAL
• is
EDUCATION
a set educational
programs/services especially
designed to meet the unique
needs of children with special
needs who cannot profit from
general or regular education
because of disabilities or
exceptional abilities.
 FOUNDATION

All the efforts to uphold the rights and dignity

of children with disabilities primarily root from
the philosophical understanding of man.
 Special Education Division Philippines Memorandum:

Special education refers to the education of persons

who are GIFTED OR TALENTED and those who have
PHYSICAL, MENTAL, SOCIAL ORSENSORY IMPAIRMENT AND
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES so as to require modifications of
the school curricula, programs and special services
and physical facilities to develop them to their maximum
capacity

These persons may be gifted/talented, fast learner,

mentally retarded, visually impaired, hearing impaired,
with behavior problems, orthopedically handicapped,
with special health problems, learning disabled,
speech impaired or multiply handicapped .
FOUNDATION
- should have the
rights as normal
children do

- must NOT be
isolated nor be
looked down

- must be treated as
persons of dignity

- needs should be
provided
The Philosophy of Special Education
The general philosophy of special education is that
all people have the ability to learn, regardless of their
particular disabilities. The trend in public education has
shifted from isolating special education students in
separate classrooms to mainstreaming them in the
regular classroom for at least part of the day. This is in
keeping with the U.S. Department of Education's Office
of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
(OSERS) mission to '…achieve full integration and
participation in society of people with disabilities by
ensuring equal opportunity and access to, and
excellence in, education, employment, and community
living.'
 BASIC PHILOSOPHY
OF SPECIAL
EDUCATION
“Every child with special needs has a
right to an educational program that
is suitable to his needs.”

“Special education shares with regular

education basic responsibilities of the
educational system to fulfill the right of
the child to develop to his full
potential.”
Brief History of SPED in the Philippines
• SPED in the Philippines started in 1908 where the School
for the Deaf (in Harrison, Pasay City) was established and
marked the official government recognition of its obligations
towards the education of the handicapped children.
• RA 3562 (June 1963) – an Act to Promote the Education of
the Blind in the Philippines which established teacher
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 school
teachers were selected for training.
• In 1952, a pilot school for the Special Education (at
Philippine Women’s University) of the mentally handicapped
children was started. All children from this school were
transferred to the Special Child Study Center in Cubao,
Q.C., in 1957.
OBJECTIVE OF SPECIAL
EDUCATION
To develop the
maximum potential of
the child with special
needs to enable him to
become self-reliant
and shall be geared
towards providing him
with the opportunities for
a full and happy life.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE OF
SPECIAL
EDUCATION
The development and maximization of
learning competencies, as well as the
inculcation of values to make the learners
with special needs as useful and effective
members of society.
 ULTIMATE GOAL OF
SPECIAL
EDUCATION
The integration or mainstreaming of
learners with special needs into the
regular school system and eventually
into the community.
Article I, Section 5 of Child and
Youth Welfare Code (PD No. 603)
What is Inclusive Education?

At the core of the fair society is education. The fair society

is a place where every child, irrespective of differences, can
find knowledge to reach the limit of their potential.

- Pat Rabbitte
 Inclusion
• A dynamic approach of responding positively to
pupil diversity and of seeing individual differences
not as problems, but opportunities for enriching
learning (UNESCO, 2005)
• It incorporates disabled students who have special
education needs into the regular education
environment.
• It is a social movement that supports maximum
participation, empowerment, equality, autonomy,
and rights of the marginalized members of the
society who suffer from discrimination, exclusion,
and denial of education, economic, social, and
political opportunities.
 Inclusive Education
• Is founded on the philosophy that those with and
without disabilities, have the right to study together
in a developmentally appropriate classroom and
that all will profit from a regular education setting.
(Bunch and Cushner et.al, 2006)
• A process of addressing and responding to
diversity of needs of all learners through increasing
participation in learning, cultures, and communities,
and reducing exclusion within and from education
(UNESCO, 2005)
 Inclusive Education
• Paragraph 3 states that inclusive education in the
macro perspective means that “Schools should
accommodate all children regardless of their
physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or
other conditions.
• This should include disabled and gifted children,
street and working children, children from remote
or nomadic populations, children from linguistic,
ethnic or cultural minorities and children from other
disadvantaged or marginalized areas or
group.”(UNESCO, 1994)
World Conference on Special
Educational Needs: Access and
Quality
The conference urged all nations and instigated
their leaders to adopt as a fundamental law or
policy, the philosophy and principles of
inclusive education, admitting all children in
regular schools, except when there is
reasonable basis and valid reason for doing
otherwise
International Conference on
Education in Geneva (2008)
• Inclusive education is an
instrument of producing
schools which receive all
youngsters, in spite of their
attributes, weaknesses, or
difficulties.
What Inclusive Education Is and Is not
• Inclusive education is fundamentally a
mindset or an attribute rather than just a law.
• Inclusive education is a social accountability
and not just about physical access to
schools.
• Inclusive education is not just placing
children with disabilities into general
classroom.
Philosophy of Inclusive Education
1. Inclusive education is a basic human right
2. Inclusive education presupposes that all human
beings have equal value and rights.
3. Inclusive education is a cornerstone to build a just
society.
4. Inclusive education takes forward the agenda of
Education For All (EFA).
EFA means guaranteeing that all children have equal access to quality
basic education by developing a learning environment where able and
disabled children can learn.
5. Inclusive education focuses on providing learners
with a non-threatening learning environment.
Barriers of Inclusive Education
1. Attitudinal Barriers
2. Physical Barriers
3. Inappropriate Curriculum
4. Untrained Teachers
5. Inadequate Funding
6. Poor Organization of the Education System
7. Policies as barriers
 ACTIVITY
Form a group of 5 members.

In one whole sheet of paper, discuss the

following.

1. Define Special and Inclusive Education

2. Create a timeline of the brief history of
Special and inclusive education
3. Explain the 8 barriers of inclusive education
 References:
Danucop, O. ((2010). Classroom
Management:Preparing Special Education
Teachers. Lorimar Publishing, Inc.
Tamayo, A. (2013). Social Dimensions of
Education.1st Ed. Rex Bookstore. Manila
Special education Handbook. (2012).
Managing Children with Special Needs. Rex
Bookstore. Manila
Learning knows no boundaries