Special Education - form of learning provided to students with exceptional needs

Exceptional needs – students with learning disabilities

Top Contributors to the Special Education Field

1. Pedro Ponce de León

- Spanish Benedictine monk
- Believed to be the first person to develop a method for teaching deaf/mutes (16th century)
2. Abbot Charles-Michel de l’Epée
- known as the “Father of the Deaf”
- he allowed his methods and classrooms to be available to the public and other educators
3. Abbot Roche-Amboise Sicard
- further perfected l’Epée’s sign language
- 1786 - was made principal of a school for the deaf at Bordeaux
4. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet
- helped fund and was for many years the principal of the first institution for the education of
the deaf in North America
- 1817, the “American Asylum for Deaf-Mutes” in Connecticut was opened, now known as
the American School for the Deaf
5. Louis Braille
- inventor and designed braille writing
- braille writing - enables blind people to read through feeling a series of organized bumps
representing letters
6. Edward Miner Gallaudet
- was the president of Columbia University for the deaf from 1864–1910
- the school then became known as the first college for the dear, or Gallaudet University
- He was a staunch advocate of sign language.
7. Dr. Jacob Bolotin
- was the first congenitally blind man to receive a medical license
- was particularly known for his expertise on diseases of the heart and lungs
8. Eglantyne Jebb
- was a British social reformer who wrote the first draft of the Declaration of the Rights of the
Child, a series of related children’s rights proclamations adopted by the International Save the
Children Union, Geneva, in 1923 and endorsed by the League of Nations General Assembly
in 1924
9. Clifford W. Beers
- He created the National Committee on Mental Hygiene to move Americans away from state
hospital custodialism and to emphasize prevention
10. Herbert Hoover
- endorsed Jebb’s work and created the Charter of the American Child
- “For every child who is blind, deaf, crippled, or otherwise physically handicapped, and for
the child who is mentally handicapped, such measures as will early discover and diagnose his
handicap, provide care and treatment, and so train him that he may become an asset to society
rather than a liability.”
11. Helen Keller
- was an American author, activist and lecturer
- was the first deaf/blind person to graduate from college
- was not born blind and deaf; it was not until nineteen months of age that she came down with
an illness described by doctors as “an acute congestion of the stomach and the brain”, which
could have possibly been scarlet fever or meningitis
12. Dr. Gunnar Dybwad
- persuaded the leaders of the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children to sue on behalf
of disabled children in 1969
- The case, PARC versus Pennsylvania, is credited with establishing the rights of children with
disabilities to get a free and equal public education
13. Rosemary Kennedy
- was the third child and eldest daughter of Joseph and Rose Kennedy. A lobotomy performed
on Rosemary in 1940 left her permanently disabled. She inspired her sister, Eunice Kennedy
Shriver, to begin a summer day camp that grew into the Special Olympics, and inspired her
brother, President John F. Kennedy, to initiate sweeping legislation designed to improve the
quality of life for Americans with disabilities.
14. Anne McDonald
- is an Australian author and an activist for the rights of people who have communication
disabilities. She developed severe cerebral palsy from a birth defect, and was institutionalized
throughout her teens. At age 18, she repeatedly fought the system in Australia to achieve,
through facilitated communication, her own deinstitutionalization, independence, and
enrollment in a university.
15. Rosemary Crossley
- is another Australian author and advocate for disability rights. She wrote, with Anne
McDonald, the book, Annie’s Coming Out, the story of Anne’s breakthrough to
communication. She later wrote a second book, Speechless: Facilitating Communication for
People Without Voices.
16. Madeleine Will
- in 1986, proposed what has been called the Regular Education Initiative. Citing concerns
about some unintended negative effects of special education “pull-out” programs, her
proposal suggested that greater efforts to educate mildly and moderately disabled students in
the mainstream of regular education should be pursued. In 2004, Ms. Will was named
Director of the National Policy Center of the National Down Syndrome Society.
17. John Elder Robison
- brother to Augusten Burroughs (author of Running with Scissors) wrote his own memoir on
what it was like to grow up with Asperger’s Syndrome. The book, Look Me in the Eye,
published in 2007, was a groundbreaking look into how one person coped with an unknown
disease until he learned about Asperger’s at age 39. Robison now serves as a volunteer
spokesman for the Graduate Autism Program at Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee,
Massachusetts.
18. Dr. Stephen Shore
- was nonverbal until four and diagnosed with “atypical development with strong autistic
tendencies,” Stephen Shore was regarded as “too sick” to be treated on an outpatient basis
 and recommended for institutionalization. Fortunately, his parents disagreed. He is now
completing his doctoral degree in special education at Boston University with a focus on
helping people on the autism spectrum develop their capacities to the fullest extent possible.
19. Temple Grandin
- is a Doctor of Animal Science and professor at Colorado State University, bestselling author,
and consultant to the livestock industry in animal behavior. As a person with high-
functioning autism, Grandin is also widely noted for her work in autism advocacy and is the
inventor of the “hug machine” designed to calm hypersensitive persons.
20. Susan Lee Barker
- a special education teacher, brought a lawsuit against the school district that she worked for.
She took the brave position that if anti-discrimination laws protect kids with disabilities, and
prohibit retaliation against kids for taking action to protect their own rights, then those laws
must also protect the people who stand up for those kids. In 2009, the Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals agreed in the now-famous case, Barker v. Riverside County Office of Education.

Special Education in the Philippines is anchored on the following fundamental legal documents:

1. Articles 356 and 259 of Commonwealth Act No. 3203

- "the right of every child to live in an atmosphere conducive to his physical, moral and
intellectual development" and the concomitant duty of the government "to promote the full
growth of the faculties of every child."
2. Republic Act No. 3562
- "An Act to Promote the Education of the Blind in the Philippine
- provided for the formal training of special education teachers of blind children at the
Philippine Normal College, the rehabilitation of the Philippine National School for the Blind
(PNSB) and the establishment of the Philippine Printing House of the Blind
3. Republic Act No. 5250
- "An Act Establishing a Ten-Year Teacher Training Program for Teachers of Special
and Exceptional Children."
- provided for the formal training of teachers for deaf, hard-of-hearing, speech handicapped,
socially and emotionally disturbed, mentally retarded and mentally gifted and youth at the
Philippine Normal College and the University of the Philippines
4. Section 8, Article XV of the 1973 Constitution of the Philippines
- "A complete, adequate and integrated system of education relevant to the goals of national
development."
5. Articles 3 and 74 of the Presidential Decree No. 603 of 1975
- "The emotionally disturbed or socially maladjusted child shall be treated with sympathy and
understanding and shall be given the education and care required by his particular condition."
"Thus, where needs warrant, there shall be at least special classes in every province, and if
possible, special schools for the physically handicapped, the mentally retarded, the emotionally
disturbed and the mentally gifted. The private sector shall be given all the necessary inducement
and encouragement."
6. Presidential Decree No. 1509 of 1978
- created the National Commission Concerning Disabled Persons (NCCDP)
7. Education Act of 1982 or Batas Pambansa Bilang 232
- "The State shall promote the right of every individual to relevant quality education regardless of
sex, age, breed, socioeconomical status, physical and mental condition, social and ethnic origin,
political and other affiliations. The State shall therefore promote and maintain equality of access
to education as well as enjoyment of the benefits of education by all its citizens."
8. Section 24 of BP 232:
- "Special Education Services"
- "the State further recognizes its responsibility to provide, within the context of the formal
education system services to meet special needs of certain clientele. These specific types shall be
guided by the basic policies of state embodied on General Provisions of this Act which include
the education of persons who are physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, culturally different
from the so-called 'normal' individuals that they require modification of school practices/services
to develop to their maximum capacity."
9. Batas Pambansa Bilang 344:
- "An Act to Enhance the Mobility of Disabled Persons."
- required cars, buildings, institutions, establishments and public utilities to install facilities and
other devices for persons with disabilities
10. Article XIV, Sections 1 and 2 of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines
- "The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and
shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all."
"The State shall provided adult citizens the disabled and out-of-school youth with training in
civics, vocational efficiency and other skills."
11. Republic Act No. 7277:
- Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities
- An Act Providing For The Rehabilitation, Self-Development And Self-Reliance Of Disabled
Person And Their Integration Into The Mainstream Of Society And For Other Purposes .
12. Republic Act No. 9442
- An Act Amending Republic Act No. 7277, Otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Persons
with Disability as Amended, and For Other Purposes’ Granting Additional Privileges and
Incentives and Prohibitions on Verbal, Non-Verbal Ridicule and Vilification Against Persons
with Disability.
Persons with disability are part of Philippine society, and thus the State shall give full support to
the improvement of their total well being and their integration into the mainstream of society.
They have the same rights as other people to take their proper place in society. They should be
able to live freely and as independently as possible. This must be the concern of everyone the
family, community and all government and non-government organizations. Rights of persons
with disability must never be perceived as welfare services. Prohibitions on verbal, non-verbal
ridicule and vilification against persons with disability shall always be observed at all times.
The History of Special Education in the Philippines

1902

- Fred Atkinson
o General Superintendent of Education
o Reported the Secretary of Public Instruction that deaf and blind children were found
in a census of school-aged children in Manila and nearby provinces
o Proposed that deaf and blind children be enrolled in schools like the other children

1907

- David Borrows
o Worked for the establishment of the Insular School for the Deaf and Blind in Manila
o The Philippine School for the Deaf is located on Harrison Street, Pasay City

1926 – 1949

- Philippine Association for the Deaf was founded

o 1927 – the government inaugurated for gifted students
o Philippine Foundation for Rehabilitation of the Disabled was organized

1977 – 1987

- Decade of the Filipino Child

1993 – 2002

- Asian and the pacific Decade of the Disabled Person

Basic Terms in Special Education:

Developmental Disability

- Refers to a severe, chronic disability of a child five years or older that is:
1. Attributable to a mental or physical impairment or a combination of mental and physical
impairments
2. Manifested before the person attains age 22
3. Likely to continue indefinitely
4. Results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the areas of major life
activities such as self-care, language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for
independent living and economic self-sufficiency
5. Reflects the person’s need for a combination and sequence of special care, treatment or
other services that are lifelong or of extended duration and are individually planned and
coordinated
(Beire-Smith 2002)
Impairment/Disability

- Refers to reduced function or loss of a specific part of the body or organ

- Limit or restrict the normal functions of a particular organ of the body
Examples:
blindness or low vision
deafness or hard of hearing condition
mental retardation
learning disabilities
communication disorders
emotional and behavioral disorders
physical and health impairments
severe disabilities

Handicap

- Refers to a problem a person with a disability or impairment encounters when interacting

with people, events and the physical aspects of the environment

At Risk

- refers to children who have greater chances of than other children to develop a disability

Categories of Children at Risk

1. established risk
o are those with cerebral palsy, down syndrome and other conditions that started
during pregnancy
2. biological risk
o are those who are born prematurely, underweight at birth, whose mother
contracted diabetes or rubella during the first trimester of pregnancy, or who had
bacterial infections like meningitis and HIV
3. environmental risk
o results from poverty, child abuse, limited opportunities for nurturance and social
stimulation