Republic of the Philippines

Iloilo State College of Fisheries

DUMANGAS CAMPUS
Dumangas, Iloilo Registration No. 78Q13035

Tenix Caesar C. Amar BSED III – English

Topic 1
Philosophical, Theoretical, and Legal Foundation in Special and Inclusive Education

1. What makes Victor an object of curiosity?

Victor was obviously different from most regular of the children. He was found naked with scars
all over his body. The individuals there appraised him to be a horrifically savage creature incapable of
using almost any sense. Aside from having basically no discernable cognitive ability, Victor was
initially assumed to be deaf. He responded to absolutely nothing—not even loud, sudden noises—
except for sounds of interest to him, such as the cracking of his favored nuts. Unsurprisingly then, he
possessed no capability of speech, uttering only guttural noises. His senses of touch and temperature
were no better developed. Victor had no qualms about picking hot potatoes out of a fire and eating
them before letting them cool, and running outside naked in the middle of winter seemed to be a
source of pleasure rather than pain. Cleanliness was a concept beyond him, as demonstrated by his
willingness to eat raw, dirty or otherwise foul food with an unbridled voracity and tendency to urinate
and defecate on himself without a care. Given all these disgusting, underdeveloped features about
him, it came as little surprise that Victor had no socialization skills. Indeed, Victor cared nothing for
people and was happiest left alone. People were mere objects to him existing solely for help in
obtaining things he wanted, and, should they not serve any real purpose to him, almost always
ignored. In all respects, Victor was a huge disappointment to all of whom examined him. Locals and
doctors were likely just compelled to find out what’s wrong with the boy and if they can fix the
problem.

2. Is Victor an object of pity (or sympathy)?

It can be different depending on where you’re coming from, but it could also be both. However,
most people see Victor as a child needing help and readily offered him his basic needs but were only
discarded because the problem with Victor is definitely more than sustenance and clothing. Even the
doctor who stuck with him until he developed into a more sociable and intelligent person and who
had to go to great lengths and great deal of time and understanding to even see the slightest change
in Victor, eventually gave up on him. That is why I consider most people in his story as people
showing pity but probably didn’t have enough patience and may have had disdain or mild contempt
when they first saw the boy. The doctor on the other hand, who may have the biggest contribution on
his development was probably only after the glory of correcting the boy, but when he realized that
everything seemed futile, he left. At the very least, he tried and he is the only one who did.

Madame Guerin may be the only one to be considered as the one who has ever sympathized with
Victor because they were together until Victor’s death. But that is still up for debate.

In the end, we should all be showing sympathy to Victor. Victor is a person they considered
retarded, however, he showed significant emotions and that is enough to know that Victor has a
heart and a human too. As normal human beings, it must be our obligation to take care of one
another, especially those who are in need and as the more sensible and more intelligent persons, we
must be the ones to understand and feel for those who are lacking of it. That is the golden rule.
 Republic of the Philippines
Iloilo State College of Fisheries
DUMANGAS CAMPUS
Dumangas, Iloilo Registration No. 78Q13035

3. Write out Itard’s 5 aims in your own words.  

 Victor must be able to socialize because it is the process through which individuals learn their
culture and become fully human. It is important in children’s social and cognitive
development. Social interaction provides the means via which we gradually become able to
see ourselves through the eyes of others, and how we learn who we are and how we fit into
the world around us.
 Dr. Itard wanted Victor to have the ability to adapt, or adjust to changes in the environment.
This is important because the human body is equipped with response mechanisms that allow
us to adjust to changes within the environment in order for survival. Victor must be able to
assess the seriousness of a situation and cope with the circumstances.
 Victor should be able to expand his mind through the introduction of games, culture, etc. Dr.
Itard wanted the boy to know that the world is big and there is so much to learn and exploring
these different aspects is fun and may lead to better understanding of our environment.
 He wanted to civilize Victor with the objectives of teaching him to speak and to communicate
human emotion. If Victor is able to achieve he would have no problem about understanding
the emotion and intentions behind the information given to him. It’s as well as being able to
clearly convey a message, victor would to also be able listen in a way that gains the full
meaning of what’s being said and makes the other person feel heard and understood. It’s also
good to remember that effective communication is about more than just exchanging
information.
 Because Victor has difficulties in speaking, Dr. Itard wanted to introduce and teach him to
communicate by using symbol systems, such as pictures and written words. He thought it
would be easier for him because it is the basic form of communication and was even used by
early men. Sign language is the bridge that connects us to the world of those who have an
impaired hearing; or verbal ability. An array of gestures made using hands, fingers, arms, head
and also facial expressions; which also helps the deaf and dump to communicate with the
people around them and vice versa. It allows them to understand the world around them
through visual descriptions and, as a result, contribute to society.

4. “Man is only what he is made”.   Apply this statement to the story of Victor, the wild boy of
Aveyron. Does it fit?   Explain. If you believe that people are only what they are made, what
sort of responsibility does the family have?  

Change is the only constant thing in this world and it also applies to every human
being. We are special because we start with almost nothing but eventually develop into
something greater. Victor is a great example that the saying “man is only what he is made” is
true. The boy had nothing to begin with, in terms of socialization, communication and
generally the concept of what it’s like to be a regular person. However, it all changed when he
was guided by the doctor. His progress may be slow and painstaking but it showed significant
changes. By the end of his life, he was able to show emotions and we can definitely say that he
is so much better than what he was.

The family is the first one to mold a person to become what he is. Tabula rasa explains
that individuals are born without built-in mental content, and therefore all knowledge comes
from experience or perception and thus the family becomes the foundation and the moral
standard of every person. A family’s primary responsibility is to provide the needs of a child
and develop him until he is old enough to make his own way in the world.
 Republic of the Philippines
Iloilo State College of Fisheries
DUMANGAS CAMPUS
Dumangas, Iloilo Registration No. 78Q13035

5. The wild boy was found naked, and it required a lot of effort to get him to wear clothes.  Why are
clothes so important?   What is the significance of nakedness?

Clothes are not optional in human societies. It is an important component of our daily lives. Through
clothing, individuals establish their sense of self as well as their place in society. Normally clothes are
used to protect the body from the outside temperature and enhance physical appearance. The
primary function of clothing is to comfort the person. In hot climates, clothing protects from sunburn
or wind damage, while in cold climates it protects human from cold weather. The first impression is
often laid by the style of outfit the people normally wear.

The naked human body is intimate and private. It’s usually reserved for private moments. As culture
dictates that we keep the human body clothed, shielded and hidden from view, depictions of nudity
have become symbolic of exposure, vulnerability and weakness. Nakedness is socially unacceptable,
rebellious and controversial, yet it is the truth – the purest identity stripped of all pretense and
artefact. It also symbolizes a clean slate, a new beginning and a reminder that we came from nothing.

6. One might say that the boy of Aveyron had, before his discovery, lived in a “state of nature.”  
Characterize the “state of nature” as it is implied in both reports and the film. Compare with the
state of nature in Locke.

The boy of Aveyron was believed to be a person existing in the pure state of nature. Philosophers of that time
explains state of nature as: "gentle, innocent, a lover of solitude, ignorant of evil and incapable of causing
intentional harm.

For Locke, by contrast, the state of nature is characterized by the absence of government but not by the
absence of mutual obligation. Beyond self-preservation, the law of nature, or reason, also teaches “all
mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his
life, liberty, or possessions.” Unlike Hobbes, Locke believed individuals are naturally endowed with these
rights (to life, liberty, and property) and that the state of nature could be relatively peaceful. Individuals
nevertheless agree to form a commonwealth (and thereby to leave the state of nature) in order to institute an
impartial power capable of arbitrating their disputes and redressing injuries. Locke’s idea that the rights to life,
liberty, and property are natural rights that precede the establishment of civil society influenced the American
Revolution and modern liberalism more generally.

7. The experiment on Victor seems to ask what it means to be human.   Is the boy a human being when he is
found?   Does he become a human being?   If so, what are the signs of his humanity?   Do these accounts of
the boy suggest that society is necessary to becoming human?   What does society provide for Victor?  
What sacrifice or cost does it exact?  

To be a human being is to be a person, especially as distinguished from other animals or as representing the

human species. Victor was more akin to a beast than a human being when he was first found. However, he
eventually became one with society when he started wearing clothes and began to show sympathy. He may
not have learned much about language, but he has his ways of communicating his needs.

I have no right whatsoever to tell whether a man is not a human being. However, figuratively speaking, Victor
is more human being than “other normal human beings”. These other human beings who are abusive, kills-
for-nothing, enjoys agony of other people and the likes. Sometimes, we even treat animals better that our
fellow human beings. Society provided Victor a standard, a goal to be reached and gave him necessary
education and skills to fit in.

To be able to “fit in” in whatever society, you must live by the norms and their rules. Thus, to conclude, it can
be stated that the relationship between society and individual is not one-sided. Both are essential for the
 Republic of the Philippines
Iloilo State College of Fisheries
DUMANGAS CAMPUS
Dumangas, Iloilo Registration No. 78Q13035

comprehension of either. Both go hand in hand, each is essentially dependent on the other. Both are
interdependent on each, other.

The individual should be subordinated to society and the individual should sacrifice their welfare at the cost of
society. Both these views are extreme which see the relationship between individual and society from merely
the one or the other side. But surely all is not harmonious between individual and society. The individual and
society interact on one another and depend on one another. Social integration is never complete and
harmonious. That is why there are people who prefers to live outside society and claim their “freedom” from
social prejudice, control of governments and not controlled by any human-made laws.

Mind Exercises on Content Knowledge:

1. In what ways is special education:

 A legislatively governed institution

Education is vital not only in itself, but also for participating in all areas of social activity. In poet,
the right to education works as a multiplier by enabling people to exercise other human rights. It
enhances both economic, social and cultural rights, such as the right to work and the right to food,
and civil and political rights, like the right to vote and the freedom of expression. Being its
realization a precondition for socio-economic inclusion and full participation in society, the right to
education has, therefore, been recognized as an example of the indivisibility and interdependence
of all human rights on account of its key role in the full and effective realization of other rights.

In such context, international law plays as a facilitator for the realization of the right to education of
people with disabilities throughout the world. As the most recent, integral and legally binding
international instrument to protect the rights of persons with disabilities, the Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) put steps forwards for the protection of their right to
education.

The adoption of an Inclusive Education (IE) approach in the heart of the country’s educational system is
mandated by the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the Child and Youth Welfare Code (PD 603), the Special
Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act (RA 7610), the Early Years Act
(RA 10410) , the Enhanced Basic Education Act (RA 10533), the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons amended by
RA 9442 (RA 7277), and the Policies and Guidelines in Special Education. In the same manner, the country is
signatory to international documents adopting IE such as, the UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child
(1989), World Declaration on Education for All (1990), Incheon Strategy to make the Rights Real for PWDs in
Aisa and Pacific, and the UNESCO Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education
(1994).

 The process of teaching children with special education needs

Special education refers to a range of services that can be provided in different ways and in different settings.
There’s no “one size fits all” approach to special education. It’s tailored to meet the needs of students with
disabilities.

Special education focuses on helping kids with disabilities learn. But it doesn’t mean placing kids in a special
classroom all day long. In fact, federal law says that kids who get special education services should learn in the
same classrooms as other kids as much as possible. This is known as the least restrictive environment  (or LRE).
 Republic of the Philippines
Iloilo State College of Fisheries
DUMANGAS CAMPUS
Dumangas, Iloilo Registration No. 78Q13035

The services and supports for one student may be very different from those of another student. It’s all about
the individual child and giving them the resources they need to make progress in school.

For example, some students may spend most of the day in a general education classroom. Others may spend
just an hour or two in a resource room working with a specialist. And others might need to attend a different
school that specializes in teaching kids with learning disabilities.

Kids who qualify for special education have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). They get individualized
teaching and other resources at no cost to their families. Specialists work with kids on strengths as well as
challenges. And families are key members of the team that decides what kids need to thrive in school.