FOUNDATION OF

SPECIAL
&
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
(ED-FTC 4/Modular)

Summer Class of S.Y 2021

Content of the Course:

1. Foundation of Special Education

a. Historical and philosophical beliefs
b. The laws (federal, state, and local), judicial system, policies, and ethical principles
c. Educational agencies
d. The continuum of placement and services
e. The roles of families

2. Typical and atypical development and characteristics of learners with exceptionalities

a. Typical and atypical growth and development
b. Etiologies and medical aspects
c. Similarities and differences of individuals with and without exceptionalities
d. Unique strengths and need of students with exceptionalities
e. The family system

3. Individual learning differences

a. Living with an exceptional condition
b. Characteristics and effects of the cultural and environmental milieu
c. Variations in beliefs, traditions, and values across and within cultures

4. Professional and ethical practices

a. Ethics, lifelong professional development and upholding high standards of
competence
b. Cultural considerations
c. Life-long professional development
d. Collaborative strategies
e. Communication strategies

FOUNDATION OF SPECIAL & INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

 What is Special Education? The special education serves children with emotional,
behavioral, or cognitive impairments or with intellectual, hearing, vision, speech, or learning
disabilities; gifted children with advanced academic abilities; and children with orthopedic or
neurological impairments. The primary objective of inclusive education is to educate students
who have disabilities in the regular classroom and still meet their individual needs. 

What is Inclusive education? It means including students with disabilities in a

mainstream school environment. In many countries today, children with disabilities attend
ordinary schools but follow a specific curriculum. Inclusive education allows children
with special needs to receive a free and appropriate education along with general education
students in the regular classroom.

This type of education involves the individually planned and systematically monitored
arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials, and accessible settings.
The specific objectives of special education shall be the development and maximization of
learning competencies, as well as the inculcation of values to make the learners with special
needs a useful and effective member of society. Special Education shall aim 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.

Historical and Philosophical Beliefs

Historical Timeline of Perspective on the Philippines’ Special Education

1902 The interest to educate Filipino children with disabilities was expressed during the
American regime and through Mr. Fred Atkinson, the General Superintendent of
Education. He reported to the Secretary of Public Instruction that deaf and blind
children were found in a census of school-aged children in Manila and nearby
provinces. He proposed that these children be enrolled in school like the other
children.

1907 Special Education was formally started in the country by establishing the Insular
 School for the Deaf and Blind in Manila. The Director of Public Education, Mr.
David Barrows, worked for the establishment of the Insular School for the Deaf
and the Blind. Miss Delight Rice, an American educator, was the first
Administrator and teacher of the special school.

1926 The Philippine Association for Deaf (PAD) was founded which composed mostly
of hearing-impaired members and special education specialists.

1927 The government established the Welfare Ville Children’s Village, a school for
people with mental retardation in Mandaluyong, Rizal.

1936 Mrs. Maria Villa Francisco was appointed as the First Filipino principal of the
School for the Deaf and the Blind (SDB).

1945 The National Orthopedic Hospital School for the Crippled Children and Youth
was established for young patients who had to be hospitalized for long periods of
time.
.
1949 Quezon City Science High School was inaugurated for gifted students.

1950 PAD opened a school for the children with hearing impairment.

1953 The Elshie Gaches Village was established in Alabang, Muntinlupa, Rizal to take
care of the abandoned and orphaned children and youth with physical and mental
handicaps.

1954 The first week of August was declared as Sight Saving Week. The celebration
aims to emphasize the importance of protecting and taking good care of the eyes
and to encourage the public to be aware of available means of restoring lost
eyesight and the value of organ donation.

1955 The Private Sector supported the government’s program for disabled Filipinos.
Members of Lodge No. 761 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
 organized the Elks Cerebral Palsy Project Incorporated. First Parent Teacher Work
Conference in Special Education was held at the SDB.

1956 The First Summer Institute on Teaching the Deaf was held at the School for the
1956 Deaf and the Blind in Pasay City. This year marked the beginning of the
integration of deaf pupils in regular classes.

1957 The Bureau of Public Schools (BPS) of the Department of Education and Culture
(DECS) created the Special Education Section of the Special Subjects and
Services Division. The inclusion of special education in the structure of DEC
provided the impetus for the development of special education in all regions of the
country. The components of the special education program included legislation,
teacher training, census of exceptional children and youth in schools and the
community, the integration of children with disabilities in regular classes,
rehabilitation of residential and special schools and material production. Baguio
Vacation Normal School ran courses on teaching children with handicaps. The
Baguio City Special Education Center was organized.

1958 The American Foundation for Overseas Blind (AFOB) opened its regional office
in Manila. AFOB assisted the special education program of DEC by providing
consultancy services in the teacher training program that focused on the
integration of blind children in regular classes and materials production at the
Philippine Printing House for the Blind.

1960 Some private college and universities started to offer special education courses on
graduate school curriculum.

1962 The Manila Youth Rehabilitation Center (MYRC) was opened. DEC issued
Circular No. 11 s. 1962 that Specified the “Qualifications of Special Education
Teachers. Another milestone in this year was the experimental integration of blind
children at the Jose Rizal Elementary School in Pasay City.

1963 With the approval of R.A. No. 3562, the training of DEC teacher scholars for blind
 children started at the Philippine Normal University. In the same year, the Manila
Science High School for gifted students was established.

1965 Marked the start of training programs for school administrators on the
organization, administration and supervision of special education classes held at
UP. The First Institute on the Education and Training of the Mentally Retarded
was sponsored by the Special Child Study Center, the Bureau

1967 The Bureau of Public Schools organized the National Committee on Special
education

1969 Classes for socially maladjusted children were organized at the manila Youth
Reception Center

1970 Training of teacher for Children with behavior problems started at the University
of the Philippines

Philosophical Foundation of Special Education

All the efforts to uphold the rights and dignity of children with exceptionalities primarily
root from the philosophical understanding of man. Children with exceptionalities:

 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 overall philosophy of special education is that all people have the capability to learn,
regardless of their disabilities. The paradigm in public education has already shifted from
isolating special education learners in separate classrooms to letting them join and be expose in
the regular classroom for at least part of the day.

“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.”

The Laws (Federal, State, and Local), Judicial System, Policies, and Ethical
Principles.

No one can question the entitlement of children for fundamental necessities of life; love
and attention, food, and shelter, health care and education. Education is not only a basic human
right it is also the best way the government has to do to instill essential skills and to teach
children about their rights.

The education of special children requires greater commitment because of the existence
of distinctive circumstances. It requires the expertise and dedication of a trained staff, the full
participation of the supporting characters and, budgetary support for the establishment of the
centers, the acquisition of supplies and materials and the installation of other auxiliary aids and
services.

Federal And State Laws

Every student who gets special education is covered by the Individual with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA). That federal law points out what all states must do to meet the needs of
students with disabilities. But in many areas, IDEA leaves room for states to interpret the rules and pass
their own laws on how to apply them.
 State laws can’t contradict IDEA, and they can’t provide less than the federal law
requires. But they can offer more protections to kids and parents. 

This table shows examples of what IDEA provides for, and how states can add their own
special education laws to meet students’ needs.

Federal Law (IDEA) State Laws

Who is eligible IDEA says students who have one of 13 States must follow IDEA, but
for Special types of disabilities (Autism, Deaf- they can have guidelines on
education? Blindness, Deafness, Emotional who qualifies for each
Disturbance, Hearing impairment, disability type.
Intellectual Disability, Multiple Disabilities, For example, qualifying
Orthopedic Impairment, Other health under the category of
Impairment, Specific Learning Disability, “specific learning disability”
Speech or Language Impairment, Traumatic can differ by state. States can
Brain Injury, Visual Impairment including even allow it to vary by
Blindness) may qualify for special school district within the
education. To be eligible, the disability must state. States may also use
“adversely affect” their educational different models for deciding
performance. if your child is eligible.
That’s why a learning
difference that qualifies as a
“specific learning disability”
in one state may not in
another.

Free
Appropriate IDEA says every child with a disability is States must provide FAPE,
Public entitled to a free and appropriate education. but they have leeway in what
Education Kids with disabilities must also receive instruction or services to
(FAPE) and special education in the LRE. There must be provide. For instance, states
least restrictive a continuum of placements available, from can decide on the types of
environment self-contained to inclusion classrooms. educational programs to use.
(LRE) And many different programs
could be “appropriate.”
States must educate children
with disabilities in the LRE.
But states can choose how to
structure their schools as long
as they provide special
education in several types of
placements.

Procedural This is the area where IDEA is the most As long as states follow the
safeguards detailed. IDEA lays out the process and overall process in IDEA, they
steps that schools and parents go through for have leeway to determine
evaluation,  some of the details.
IEP meetings and dispute resolution. One example is time limits.
For example, it requires schools to complete For example, instead of the
an evaluation within 60 days. 60-day time limit for
evaluations, Washington state
law gives schools just 35 days
to complete one after parental
consent.

Early IDEA provides for early intervention for Each state decides what
Intervention kids with developmental delays or specific constitutes a delay, who is
health conditions. But it doesn’t actually eligible for services and who
define delay, state who is eligible or spell pays for what.
out who pays for what services. Some states are more
generous than others. Some
pay for physical therapy or
 family training. Others
require parents to cover some
costs.

Age IDEA says educational services must be States can choose to limit or
of Eligibility provided to students with disabilities who extend eligibility for kids
are in school until the age of 21. who are 18 or older. Most
states provide services until
the age of 21. But a few end
services earlier or later.
Age Federal law says schools must start Some states choose to start
Of transition transition planning for after high school at earlier. In Massachusetts, for
services the age of 16. instance, schools must
provide transition services
starting at age 14.

There are four special laws that helped shaped the U.S, special education system.

A Federal law for Special education in the United States was originally passed in 1975,
the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) — frequently referred to as
Public Law 94-142 — requires that all public schools accepting federal funds must provide
equal access to education for children with physical and/or mental disabilities. This paved the
way for special education as we know it today. Prior to 1975, only a few small districts provided
education for students with disabilities in the U.S. To receive federal funding for special
education today, states must comply with the law.

In addition to providing equal access to special needs students, the EHA made it

mandatory for public schools to evaluate children with disabilities and create individualized
educational plans that would closely emulate the educational experiences of non-disabled
students while still accommodating their unique needs. Essentially, the EHA was enacted to meet
four key goals:

 To ensure that special education services are available to children who need them
  To guarantee that decisions about services to students with disabilities are fair and
appropriate

 To establish specific management and auditing requirements for special education

 To provide federal funds to help states educate students with disabilities

What was known as the EHA eventually became the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA) in 1990. The following six pillars are what IDEA ensures:

 Public schools are required to create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for

each student who is found to be eligible for special education services. IEPs must be
designed to meet the unique educational needs of that child in the least restrictive
environment appropriate. 
 To the maximum extent appropriate, IDEA ensures that all students are given the
opportunity to learn in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) – an inclusive
classroom environment in which a special needs student can achieve the most academic
success. 
 Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) is an educational right that ensures
education and related services are designed to meet handicapped persons’ individual
needs as adequately as the needs of non-handicapped persons. 
 IDEA includes a set of procedural safeguards designed to protect the rights of children
with disabilities and their families, and to ensure that all special-needs students receive a
FAPE. The safeguards include the opportunity for parents to review their child’s full
educational records, the right of parents to request an independent educational evaluation
and more.
 IDEA ensures the use of appropriate evaluation processes. This minimizes the number
of misidentifications, provides a variety of assessment tools and strategies, prohibits the
use of any single evaluation as the sole criterion and provides protections against
evaluation measures that are racially or culturally discriminatory.
 Cross collaboration is key for a student to receive the education necessary for success.
IDEA enables parents, teachers, school psychologists and other relevant parties to work
 in tandem when developing IEPs, determining the proper LRE and discussing other
important considerations for each student.

Simply put, IDEA replaced EHA to place more focus on the individual learner, as opposed to the
condition that individual may have.

Originally instated in 1998, the Assistive Technology Act was reauthorized in 2004. It

provides assistive technology to persons with disabilities so they can more fully participate in
education, employment and daily activities on level playing fields with other people in their
communities. Because technology plays an increasingly important role in our lives — from
business functions to providing education — it impacts individuals with disabilities no less than
the remainder of U.S. citizens.

Under the law, each U.S. state receives a grant to fund Assistive Technology Act Programs
(ATAP) that provide services to persons with disabilities for their entire lives. The 56 ATAPs
created under the law provide a place where users can go for product demonstrations, low-cost
loans for their purchases and information on these products.

The Assistive Technology Act of 2004 set forth a core set of program services to increase
consistency across the country. As a result, at least 60 percent of the funds each state’s assistive
technology program receives must support the following:

 State financing activities

 Device reutilization programs

 Device loan programs

 Device demonstration programs

While the EHA mandated that all public schools receiving financial support from the federal
government provide special-needs students with nondiscriminatory access to all educational
programs, the Handicapped Children’s Protection Act (HCPA) of 1986 was created to instate
provisions not covered by the EHA. For example, the EHA does not directly address legal cost
relief available for parents who prevail in lawsuits based on violations of EHA provisions.
 The HCPA came to be after the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in the 1984 case Smith
v. Robinson. It was found that existing enforcement mechanisms of disability rights did not cover
how, when and/or where legal costs are to be resolved.

The HCPA amended the EHA to authorize the award of reasonable attorneys’ fees, expenses
and costs to the parents or guardian of a handicapped child or youth who is the prevailing party
in a civil suit to protect the child’s right to FAPE.

The approaches to special education in US have evolved over the years because special
education have distinct needs, they mostly rely on a teaching environment that is tailored for the
students with exceptionalities. According to the data from the National Center for Education
Statistics (NCES) there are about 7 million students age 3-21 who are receiving special education
services and 14% of all public-school students. This means it isn’t just special education teachers
who need to be well-versed in the laws and regulations that impact students with special needs
— all teachers should have a solid understanding of special education laws and policies.

Local Laws for Special Education.

In the Philippines the special education is anchored on the following fundamental legal
documents:

 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.

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.

In the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Article II, Section 17 -provides that the state must
give priority to education. Article XIV, Section 1 guarantees that this education be accessible to
all: appropriate steps must be taken. In the Chapter II of Title II of the Magna Carta for Disable
Persons, RA 7277 Sec. 12 mandates that the "State shall take into consideration the special
requirements of disabled persons in the formulation of educational policies and programs.".

The following are some of the important laws that is being implemented to give priority to the
needs and rights to be educated of the children with exceptionalities:

 Commonwealth Act No. 3203-  In 1935, A provision in this Act for the care and
protection of disabled children. Articles 356 and 259 of the Civil Code of the Philippines
mention “the right of every child to live in an atmosphere conclusive 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”.
 The Declaration of the Rights of the Child This declaration adopted by the United
Nations General Assembly in 1959, affirmed that mankind owes to the child the best it
has to give. One of the principles concerned with the education of children with special
needs runs: “The child who is physically, mentally or visually handicapped shall be given
the special treatment, education that are required of his particular condition.”
 Republic Act Nos. 3562 and 5250  Approved on June 13, 1968 respectively, these Acts
provided that teachers, administrators, and supervisors of special education should be
trained by the Department of Education and impoverished.
 Republic Act Nos. 3562 and 5250  Approved on June 13, 1968 respectively, these Acts
provided that teachers, administrators, and supervisors of special education should be
trained by the Department of Education and impoverished.
 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.
 In the 1975 a Presidential Decree No. 603 known as the ‘Child and Youth Welfare Code’
was enacted. It is mandated to coordinate the implementation and enforcement of all
laws, formulate, monitor and evaluate policies, programs and measures for children.
Article 3, Rights of the Child. Equally important is Article 74 which provides for the
creation of special classes. The Article reads: “Where needs warrant, there shall be at
least one special class in every province, and if possible, special schools for the
 physically handicapped, the mentally retarded, the emotionally-disturbed and the
specially gifted.”
 Republic Act 7277  Approved on January 22, 1992, Republic Act 7277, otherwise
known as the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons affirms the full participation and total
integration of persons with disabilities into the mainstream of our society.

Policies and Guidelines of Special Education