Foundation of Special and Inclusive Education

MODULE II: ADDRESSING DIVERSITY THROUGH THE

YEARS: SPECIAL AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
Overview

Moral/ Religious Model Functonal/ Rehaiili aton Model

(Medieval Times/Age of (Medieval Times/ Age

Discovery of Discovery)

1500s- 1600s 1970’s

onward

5th to 8th Century Early 1900s- 1970s

(Copernican/ Scientic
(Pos - Modern Times)
Revoluton)

Socio Model Righ s-

Biomedical Model Based Model Twin-
Track Approach

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

 compare and contrast the different models of disability;

 analyse the special needs education;
 summarize inclusive education.

LESSON 1: MODELS OF DISABILITY

The Importance of the Disability Models

1. They provide definitions of disability

2. They offer “explanations of causal and responsibility attributions”
3. They are based on perceived needs
4. They inform policy
5. They are not “value- neutral”
6. They define the academic disciplines that focus on disability
7. They “shape the self- identity of PWDs”
8. They can provide insight on how prejudice and discriminations occur

A. The Moral/ Religious Model (476 AD- 1800s)

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 Foundation of Special and Inclusive Education

- Disability is seen as either a blessing or a curse.

B. The Biomedical/ Individual Model
- PWD’s are seen as persons who are ill and meant to be treated or “made more
normal”
C. The Functional/ Rehabilitation Model
- Not all disabilities are inborn.
- It refers to the assistance given by professionals to those who have an acquired
disability in the hope of gaining back.
D. The Social Model
- According to sociological response, disability occurs as a result of society’s lack of
understanding of individual differences.
- PWD’s are seen as disabled not because they are deficient but because society
“insists” they are deficient and disadvantaged.
- Disability is a social construct, where standards and limitations that society places on
specific groups of people are what disable a person.
E. Rights- Based Model and Twin Track Approach
- It immediately recognizes the PWD’s vulnerability and tries to address this by
upholding and safeguarding their identities and rights as human beings.
- It recognizes the fact that properly formulated prevention policy may be regarded as
an instance of human rights protection for PWD’s.
- It ensures that all energies are devoted to the realization of each learner’s right to
education.
- It is built on the principle that education is a basic human right and therefore all must
have access to it.
- Here are four key actors directly involved in such a model (Balescut & Sandkull,
2005) :
1. The government as duty bearers
2. The child as the rights- holder
3. The parents not only as duty- bearers but also representatives of the child,
4. The teachers, both as rights- holders and duty bearers

LESSON 2: SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION

Special Education

- Historically, has been regarded as “an attempt to increase the fairness of universal
public education for exceptional learners” because there are “those with special
difficulties or extraordinary abilities in learning” (Kauffman & Hallahan, 200).
- Acknowledging learner differences, the essence of special education lies in its goal
to educate a certain population of students.
- It tries to ensure that those perceived to have difficulties learning will be taught, albeit
in a different way.

LESSON 3: INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Inclusive education

- It is an educational practice that places students with disabilities in the general

education classroom along with typically developing children under the supervision
and guidance of a general education teacher (Del Corro-Tiangco 2014).
- It takes root in special needs education and is anchored on the philosophy that every
child has an inherent right to be educated equally with his peers, no matter how
different he or she may appear to society.
- The Guidelines for Inclusion (2005) published by UNESCO enumerates four key
elements:

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 Foundation of Special and Inclusive Education

1. that inclusion is a process, that is, “a never ending search to find better ways to
respond to diversity”;
2. that inclusion involves a preventive dimension, specifically in identifying and
removing potential barriers to this process through “collecting, collating, and
evaluating information” for improving policy and practice;
3. that inclusion is all about the “presence, participation, and achievement” or
learning outcomes of all types of students;
4. that inclusion puts “particular emphasis on learners who may be at risk of
marginalization, exclusion, or underachievement,” and therefore, they must be
consistently monitored and represented in the inclusive process.

Inclusion in Education Involves

A. Valuing all students and staff equally
B. Increasing the participation of students in; and reducing their exclusion from; the
cultures, curricula, and communities of local schools
C. Restructuring the cultures, policies, and practices in schools so that they respond to the
diversity of students in the locality
D. Reducing barriers to learning and participation for all students, not only those with
impairments or those who are categorized as ‘having special educational needs’
E. Learning from attempts to overcome barriers to the access and participation of particular
students to make changes for the benefit of students more widely
F. Viewing the difference between students as resources to support learning, rather than
problems to overcome
G. Acknowledging the right of the students to an education in their locality
H. Improving schools for staff as well as for students
I. Emphasizing the role of schools in building community and developing values, as well as
increasing achievement
J. Fostering mutually sustaining relationships between schools and communities
K. Recognizing that inclusion in education is one aspect of inclusion society.

LESSON 4: THE 2030 AGENDA

The goal of inclusion is for every fabric of society to embrace diversity. It is for this
reason that all these treatises state the need for paradigm shift to address the issues of
inclusion in education.

Inclusive education is not merely a call forward educational reform for those with
additional needs. It is simply a call to improve the quality of education for all learners, because
“every learner matters and matters equally” (UNESCO 2017:12, 2005). This is also reflected in
the current framework being followed for the implementation of inclusive practices, which is the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs.

The SDGs are considered road maps or blueprints that were developed by the United
Nations to ensure a better and sustainable future for everyone. It consists of 17 global goals set
by the United Nations for the year 2030, each addressing one specific area of development. Of
particular interest to the global education community, however, is SDG 4: “Ensure inclusive and
equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” United Nations
General Assembly). Therefore, the need to remove all barriers to inclusion by addressing all
forms if exclusion and marginalization is utmost importance.

"Philippine Laws for PWDs" (Pangalangan & Litong, 2014)

 BP 344 (1983)- Accessibility Law

 RA 7277 (1992) - Magna Carta for Disabled Persons

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 Foundation of Special and Inclusive Education

- Equal rights and privileges of PWDs on employment education, health,

telecommunications, auxiliary social services, accessibility, political, and civil rights
- Penalties for violations of law
 Administrative Order 35 (2002) National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NPDR
Week) every 3rd week of July
 Guidelines in the Admission of Students with Disabilities in Higher Education and Post-
Secondary Institutions in the Philippines (2004)
 RA 9442 (2007) - Amendment of RA 7277 (Privileges to PWDs)
- 20% discount privileges to PWDs
- Change name from "Magna Carta for Disabled Persons" to "Magna Carta for PWDs"
- Added a clause on deliverance from public ridicule and Vilification
 NCDA Administrative Order No. 001, s. 2008-Guidenes on the Isssuance of PWD ID
Cards relative to RA 9442
 RA 10070 (2010)- Amendment of RA 7277 (Implementation of Programs and Services
for PWDs in every province, city, and municipality - PDAO Law)
 RA 10366 (2013)- Accessible Polling Places for PWDs and Senior Citizens
 Proclamation No. 688, S. 2013- Declaring the Period of 2013-2022 as the Philippine
Decade of "Make the Right Real" for PWDs
 RA 10524 (2013)- Amendment of RA 7277 (Expanding the Positions Reserved for
PWDs)
- 1% of all government agencies, offices, corps shall be reserved for PWDs
- Private companies with over 100 employees are encouraged to reserve at least 1%
for PWDs
 RA 10754 (2016) - An Act Expanding the Benefits and Privileges of PWDs
- Exemption of VAT on the following sale of goods and services
- Inclusion of funeral services
 Civil Service Commission MC No. 20, s. 2017- express lanes for PWDs in all commercial
and government establishments
 RA 11228 (2019)- Amendment of RA 7277

All PWDs shall be automatically covered by the National Health Insurance Program
(NHIP) of the PhilHealth and that the PhilHealth shall develop exclusive packages for PWDs
that will address their specific health and development needs.