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STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 1

DEFINITION, GOALS, AND SCOPE OF SPECIAL AND INCLUSIVE

EDUCATION
MODULE OVERVIEW

Proper and good education is very important for all of us. It facilitates quality learning all through the life
among people of any age group, race, status, color, religion and region. It is the process of achieving
knowledge, values, skills, beliefs, and moral habits. Education is very necessary for each and everyone in order
to improve knowledge, way of living as well as social and economic status throughout the life. All citizens have
the right to education even those persons with disabilities. Two concepts are important here i.e., Inclusive
Education and Special Education.
 
Special education is the practice of providing individualised instruction and support to students with
disabilities or learning difficulties. It is designed to be need-based and individualised, which means that every
student in special education will have a different plan depending on their needs, abilities and goals. Inclusive
education, on the other hand, is the practice of educating students with disabilities alongside their peers without
disabilities, in the same classroom. It is meant for all learners. Inclusive education is based on the premise
that all students develop and learn differently, and therefore one fixed way of teaching and learning cannot
ensure successful outcomes for all. (Bhalla, 2020)

On this learning module, you will understand more the definition, goals, and scope of Special and Inclusive
Education. Also, historical timeline will be discussed in this module to further understand and be aware of the
development of Inclusive and Special Education.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this Module, you should be able to

1. To be able to define the different terms in Special and Inclusive Education
2. To be able to spell out the different acronyms related to Inclusive Education
3. To be able to construct meanings of the different terms and acronyms
4. To be able to make use of timeline in discussing the historical foundations of special and inclusive
education

DEFINITION, GOALS, AND SCOPE OF INCLUSIVE AND SPECIAL EDUCATION

Definition

Inclusive Education
Inclusive education means different and diverse students learning side by side in the same classroom. They
enjoy field trips and after-school activities together. They participate in student government together. And they
attend the same sports meets and plays.

Special Education
Special education (also known as special needs education, aided education, exceptional education or Special
Ed) is the practice of educating students in a way that addresses their individual differences and needs. Ideally,
this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching
procedures, adapted equipment and materials, and accessible settings. These interventions are designed to

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help individuals with special needs achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and success in school and
in their community which may not be available if the student were only given access to a typical classroom
education.

Definition of Terms

 A disability is an impairment that may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical,

sensory, or some combination of these. It substantially affects a person's life activities and may be
present from birth or occur during a person's lifetime.
 Disability is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions.
 Impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by
an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by
an individual in involvement in life situations.
 Disability is thus not just a health problem. It is a complex phenomenon, reflecting the interaction
between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives.

 Educators at all levels refer to special needs students as those with exceptionalities. In general,
exceptionalities fall in six broad categories:

• Intellectual. This includes students who have superior intelligence as well as those who are slow to
learn.
• Communicative. These students have special learning disabilities or speech or language impairments.
• Sensory. Sensory-grouped students have auditory or visual disabilities.
• Behavioral. These students are emotionally disturbed or socially maladjusted.
• Physical. This includes students with orthopedic or mobility disabilities.
• Multiple. These students have a combination of conditions, such as orthopedically challenged and
visually impaired.
 Mainstream - People, activities, or ideas that are part of the mainstream are regarded as the
most typical, normal, and conventional because they belong to the same group or system as most
others of their kind.
 Integration - Integration is placing persons with disabilities in existing mainstream education without
changing the system of education delivery.
 Segregation - Segregation  occurs when students with disabilities are educated in separate
environments (classes or schools) designed for students with impairments or with a particular
impairment.
 Inclusion - Inclusion involves a transformation of the education system with changes and modifications
in content, teaching methods, approaches, structures, strategies, and review mechanisms in place.

Acronyms Related to Special and Inclusive Education

 LSEN - Learners with Special Educational Needs (South Africa)

 CWSN - Children with Special Needs

Schools affiliated to CBSE were advised (Circular No. 45 dated 29th October, 2008) to ensure that no
child with special needs is denied admission in main stream schools, it has been observed that there
are many schools affiliated to CBSE who are not abiding by this directive.

 PWD - Persons with Disability

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 ID - Intellectual Disability
Intellectual Disability (ID), once called mental retardation, is characterized by below-average
intelligence or mental ability and a lack of skills necessary for day-to-day living. People with intellectual
disabilities can and do learn new skills, but they learn them more slowly. There are varying degrees of
intellectual disability, from mild to profound.
 GDD - Global Developmental Delay
A child with GDD is one who is considered to have significantly lower intellectual functioning than their
peers.

To be diagnosed under GDD, the child must also be significantly limited in at least two developmental
domains, including, gross motor, vision and fine motor, communication (i.e. speech/hearing/language)
and social skills.

 ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ADHD is a highly genetic, brain-based syndrome that has to do with the regulation of a particular set of
brain functions and related behaviors.

 LD – Learning Disability
A learning disability is a neurological disorder. In simple terms, a learning disability results from a
difference in the way a person's brain is "wired." Children with learning disabilities are as smart or
smarter than their peers. But they may have difficulty reading, writing, spelling, reasoning, recalling
and/or organizing information if left to figure things out by themselves or if taught in conventional ways.

The Historical Foundations of Special and Inclusive Education

The Beginning of Special Education

As recent as a hundred years ago, children with disabilities received little, if any, formal
education. In the tradition of segregating students during the middle to late 19 th century, special schools
for those with disabilities continued to be created in the early 1900s. These schools claimed to educate
children; however, they primarily served as residential facilities and institutions. Even in 1918, as states
began creating a nationwide public school system, children with disabilities were usually excluded.
Between 1850 and 1950, special classes with people trained to care for individuals with
disabilities began to develop as teachers noted differences among students. During these years,
groups of parents of children with developmental disabilities started schools and programs. Although
these developments were sporadic, they began to positively change ideas about teaching these
children. Attitudes continued to change in the mid-1920s as educators began to see the value of
education and community involvement for individuals with disabilities. Still, children continued being
placed in institutions as many parents believed these facilities offered the only educational opportunity
available to their child. Special education was typically only offered in large cities.

Improved Educational Opportunities

While the Supreme Court ruled in 1954 that students could not be separated in schools
because of race, the parents’ movement worked to change the belief that individuals with disabilities

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could not be taught. The movement additionally improved conditions in state institutions, created
educational and employment opportunities, and proposed legislation. In public schools, however, more
than a million students were excluded and another 3.5 million did not receive appropriate services. As
many laws specifically exclude children with certain disabilities, only one in five have the right to an
education.

IDEA

Beginning with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and its amendments of 1986 and 1992,
employment and educational rights of people with disabilities were guaranteed from institutions
receiving federal funding. Then, with the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA), all school districts were required to develop and provide a free, appropriate public education for
all children. The first major legislation of its kind, IDEA required that education be provided in the least
restrictive environment for each child, meaning that students with disabilities should be taught in
neighborhood schools in general education classes.
The U.S. Court of Appeals ruling, with Timothy v. Rochester School District, established that all school
districts have the responsibility for educating every child, including those with disabilities. The
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 further protected school-aged children with disabilities outside
of education in employment and access to public and private services.

Inclusion: Another Way to Educate

Although still rare in many school districts, real special education inclusion began in the 1990s
when children with physical disabilities gained access to neighborhood schools. For children with
developmental disabilities in 1993, though, separate classes remain the norm. The reauthorization of
IDEA in 1997 guaranteed more than access to education for students with disabilities; it ensured the
rights to a quality education and quality outcomes. Another reauthorization of IDEA occurred in 2004 to
align it more closely with the general education No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, while retaining,
expanding, and clarifying important elements of the 1997 law.

The onset of inclusion has resulted in over 90% of students with disabilities receiving education
in typical schools and almost half were included in the general classroom 80% of the day during the
1999-2000 school year. An increasing number of students with disabilities are graduating from high
school, with over half earning a diploma. Full inclusion is still years away, though, as millions with
disabilities learn in special education classrooms.

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The Past
People who had a disability were seen as mentally ill. Many of them were placed in Mental intuitions
called Insane Aslyms and were being "cured". They were treated in very inhumane ways making life expectancy
short for
many.

Timeline A

How did special Education move forward?

1975: Education for all Handicapped

This law was created as an effort to provide the millions of children with disabilities a proper education.
This included: Zero Reject, Free Appropriate Education, Least, Restrictive Environment, Parental Participation,
Evaluations, IEP Programs

1990: Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)

It was designed to protect the rights of students with disability by ensuring that everyone receives a free
appropriate public education (FAPE), regardless of ability.
The Civil Rights moment inspired the Disability Rights Movement. This movement was to get rights for
physical barriers such as wheelchair lifts, curb cuts, buses and ramps. This movement was also started to
eliminate labels and stereotypes associated with people with disabilities. This overnight in 1940 parent
organizations formed for the right to educate children with disabilities. The American Disabilities Act (ADA)
came out of this movement in the 20th Century for right for disabled people to work.

Present and Future of Special Education

After IDEA was passed there was more push for inclusion in public schools. The idea of inclusion is that
special education students can be in regular education schools and not segregated. Inclusion also means the

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teacher and school are doing everything in their power to make sure that the student is fully included. The
picture below is of how inclusion classrooms can be set up to provide equal education in a classroom.

Gifted and talented is now part special education and is growing in numbers.
However, for future need, schools need to seek out children who are advance in poverty districts and students
of color. Some schools have made efforts to put students with learning disabilities in gifted and talented
programs.

Timeline B

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LEARNING ACTIVITY 1: REFLECTION

Write a one page reflection on “Inclusion: Another Way to Educate”. Send a Word file or PDF file to the
instructor.
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

SUMMARY

Here are some pointers to remember:

 Inclusive education means different and diverse students learning side by side in the same classroom.
 Inclusive education values diversity and the unique contributions each student brings to the classroom.
 Special education (also known as special needs education, aided education, exceptional education or
Special Ed) is the practice of educating students in a way that addresses their individual differences
and needs.
 Learning disabilities are due to genetic and/or neurobiological factors that alter brain functioning in a
manner which affects one or more cognitive processes related to learning. 
 Inclusion gives all learners the opportunity to show their potential to people around them.

REFERENCES

 https://education-profiles.org/eastern-and-south-eastern-asia/philippines/~inclusion#Definitions
 https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/explainers/value-inclusive-education
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_education
 https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability.html
 World Health Organization, International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health
(ICF)external icon.  Geneva: 2001, WHO.
 US Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Improve the
Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities external icon. Washington, DC: US Department of
Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General; 2005.
 https://www.teachervision.com/special-needs/students-with-exceptionalities
 https://impactofspecialneeds.weebly.com/history-of-special-education-christina-pressley.html

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