LESSON 2

• 1902: Filipino children with disabilities were granted education under the American regime.
• 1907: Formal start of special education program in the Philippines. Mr. David Barrows and Miss Delight Rice
• 1926: The Philippine Association for the Deaf (PAD) was established. Opened school in 1950
• 1927: Welfareville Children's Village (WCV) was established.
• 1936: First Filipino principal appointed at School for the Deaf and Blind. Mrs. Maria Villa Francisco
• 1945: National Orthopedic Hospital opens School for Crippled Children (NOHSCC).
• 1949: Philippine Foundation for Rehabilitation of Disabled organized. Quezon City Science High School for
gifted students was inaugurated.
• 1950: PAD opens school for children with hearing impairment.
• 1953: Elsie Gaches Village (EVG) was established. Orphanage in Alabang that take care of abandoned and
orphaned children and youth with physical and mental handicaps
• 1954: Sight Saving Week declared (every first week of August).
• 1955: Elks Cerebral Palsy Project Incorporated formed by members of Lodge No.761 of the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks. And the First Parent Teacher Work Conference in Special Education was held at the
SDB
• 1956: First Summer Institute on Teaching the Deaf held.
• 1957: Special Education Section of the Special Subjects and Services Division was created under the Bureau of
Public Schools (BPS) of the Department of Education and Culture (DEC).
- Legislation
- teacher training
- census of exceptional children with disabilities in regular classes
- rehabilitation of residential and special schools and materials production
• 1957: Baguio Vacation Normal School ran courses on teaching children with handicaps and the Baguio City
Special Education was also organized.
• 1958: The American Foundation for Overseas Blind (AFOB) regional office opens in Manila.
- This foundation helped the 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: Colleges start offering special education courses.
• 1962: Manila Youth and Rehabilitation Center (MYRC) opens. This center is for extended services to children
and youth who are emotionally disturbed and socially maladjusted
• 1962: DEC issued Circular No.11 s 1962 that specified the "Qualifications of Special Education Teachers
• 1963: Department of Education and Culture (DEC) teacher-scholars training starts at Philippine Normal
College.
• 1964: the Quezon City Schools Division followed suit with the establishment of the Quezon City Science High
School for gifted students.
• 1965: the training program for school administrators on the organizations, administration and supervision of
special education classes was started.
• 1967: National Committee on Special Education organized by BPS.
• 1968: The teacher training program for teachers of exceptional children was held at the Philippine Normal
College for the next ten years and in the same year the First Asian Conference on Work for the blind was held
in Manila.
• 1969: classes for socially maladjusted children were organized at the Manila Youth Reception Center, the
school for the Deaf and the Blind established in 1907 was reorganized into separate residential schools, and
the Paaralan ng Pag-ibig at Pag-asa was established in San Pablo City.
• 1970: Training of teachers for behavior problems starts at UP.
• 1971: Duties of Special Education Teacher for blind issued.
• 1973: Tahanan Special School established.
• 1975: Special Subjects and Services Division abolished.
• 1976: Proclamation 1605 declared 1977 to 91987 as the Decade of the Filipino Child
• 1977: MEC issues Dept. Order No.10 for special education supervisors.
• 1978: The National Commission Concerning Disabled Persons, later renamed National Council for the Welfare
of Disabled Persons through Presidential Decree 1509.
• 1979: The Bureau of Elementary Education Special Education Unit conducted a two-year nationwide survey of
unidentified exceptional children who were in school
• 1980: The School for Crippled Children at the Southern Island Hospital in Cebu was organized
• 1981: The United Nations Assembly proclaimed the observance of the International Year of Disabled Persons.
• 1982: The Cebu State College Special High School for the Deaf, the Siaton Special Education Center in the
Division of Negros Oriental, and the St. John Maria de Vianney Special Education Learning Center in Quezon
City were opened.
• 1983: Accessibility Law enacted. "An Act to Enhance the Mobility of Disabled Persons by Requiring Cars,
Buildings, Institutions, Establishments and Public Utilities to Install Facilities and Other Devices".
• 1984: Northern Luzon Association's Heinz Wolke School for the Blind inaugurated.
• 1990: Philippine Institute for the Deaf (PID) - an oral school for children with hearing impairment was
established.
• 1991: The First National Congress on Street Children was held at La Salle Greenhills in San Juan Metro Manila.
• 1992: The Summer Training for Teachers of the Visually Impaired started at the PNU.
• 1993: DECS issued Order No.14 that directed regional offices to organize the Regional Special Education
Council (RSEC)
• 1995: First National Congress on Mental Retardation held.
• 1996: Autism Consciousness Week declared.
• 1997: DECS Order No.1 issued for Regional Special Education Unit.
• 1998: La Union Special Education Center opens.
• 1999: Various DECS Orders issued, including recognition of special education centers.

• Mr. Fred Atkinson:

- General Superintendent of Education during the American regime.
- Proposed enrollment of children with disabilities in schools, leading to the start of special education
programs.
• Mr. David Barrows and Miss Delight Rice (1907):
- Worked towards establishing the Insular School for the Deaf and Blind in Manila.
- Mr. Barrows advocated for the school's establishment, while Miss Rice served as its administrator and
teacher.
• Mrs. Maria Villa Francisco:
- Appointed as the first Filipino principal of the School for the Deaf and the Blind (SDB) in 1936.
• Teresita G. Inciong, Yolanda S. Quijano, Yolanda T. Capulong, Julieta A. Gregorio, Adelaida C. Jines
- Book of Introduction to Special Education
LEGISLATION AND POLICIES FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION:

• Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD) Article 24 and Convention on the Rights of the
Child (CRC) Article 28:
- Asserts the right to education based on equality of opportunity for every child.
- CPRD emphasizes inclusive systems at all levels, ensuring children with disabilities are not excluded
from the general education system.
- They are entitled to inclusive, free, and quality education on an equal basis with others in the
communities in which they live
- The CRPD has stressed that... it is the entire process of inclusive education that must be accessible, not
just to buildings, but to all information and communication, including ambient or frequency modulation
assistive systems, support services, and reasonable accommodation in schools.
• Inclusive Education as Societal Transformation:
- Stresses the cultural and philosophical shift towards inclusion.
- Inclusive education integral to broader societal justice and discrimination reduction.
• Legislative Framework Requirements:
- Detailed legislation to ensure explicit obligations and accountability.
- This will support government at the national and local levels to work towards a common approach and
be held accountable for ensuring its implementation for every child
- Revision of special education laws and settings emphasizing inclusion over separation.

DEVELOPMENTS IN LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY REFORM:

• South Africa:
- Introduction of Inclusive Education policy.
- as published in Education White Paper 6 of 2001
- The Department of Education is committed to ensuring that all children are welcomed in all schools
and that they are supported to develop their full potential irrespective of their background, culture,
abilities or disabilities, their gender, or their race.
- 2021- 50O school converted into an inclusive
- 30 districts have support teams, teacher training, and workshops
- 30 schools have been provided with assistive device/s
- 10 mainstream schools have been upgraded into model schools.
- Conversion of special schools to resource centers and establishment of support teams.
- Learning from the past emphasizes inclusiveness for societal peace.

• Thailand:
- Undertook extensive international research on good practices in inclusive education internationally.
- It committed to a policy framework mandating inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream
schools
- It introduced a National Special Education Plan and a National Education Act which protected the rights
of people with disabilities including the right to education under the constitution, followed by a new
policy stating that persons with disabilities must be provided with education opportunities to improve
their lives.
- Implementation combines international practices with local values and priorities.

• Challenges in Maintaining Progress - Vietnam:

- Education law affirming the right and obligation of every citizen to learn and that every citizen has equal
rights of access to learning opportunities.
 - compulsory education includes both primary and lower-secondary levels and priority in resource
allocation for teachers, infrastructure, equipment and budget was to be given to schools and classes
that supported the learning of students with disabilities.
- Viet Nam continues to face educational challenges such as inequity, teacher recruitment, quality
instruction and small budgets. Consequently, inclusive education is often viewed as an additional
burden.

KEY ELEMENTS IN LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY FRAMEWORK:

• Compliance with Human Rights Standards:

- Alignment with CRC and The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities CRPD.
- Repeal of provisions categorizing children as 'uneducable.'

• Equal Access to Mainstream Learning:

- Guarantee of access to mainstream education and support services for all learners.

• Policy Framework for Inclusive Education:

- Central-level framework supporting inclusion across all education levels.

• Consistency in Policy Implementation:

- Ensuring consistent provision and support throughout the country.

• Monitoring Mechanisms and Reasonable Accommodations:

- Implementation monitoring and provision of reasonable accommodations.

• Partnerships and Coordination:

- Collaboration between stakeholders including agencies, NGOs, parents, and individuals with
disabilities.

• Teacher Recruitment and Training:

- Removal of barriers for teachers with disabilities.
- Importance of their presence for equal rights, expertise, breaking barriers, and role modeling.

SPECIAL EDUCATION GUIDELINES FROM DEPED:

• Enrolment Guidelines:
- Organizational guidelines for classes based on areas of exceptionality.

• Instructional Programs that SPED teachers shall implement:

1. Self-contained/special class: 12 separate class for only one Tyре of exceptionality that serves moderate
to severe types of disabilities
2. Itinerant teaching: A traveling teacher reaches out to children with special needs in other schools or at
home to provide direct and consultative services
3. Resource room: A designated place where the child with special needs enrolled in the regular school
program goes to make use of the specialized equipment either in a tutorial situation or a small group
session handed by a SPED teacher
4. Pull-out: A kind of program where the child enrolled in the regular class reports to the resource room
for some time for special instructions by the SPED teacher
 5. Integration/mainstreaming: enrolment of a child with special needs in a regular class with support
services. There are degrees of integration In Partial integration, a child with special needs enrolled in s
special class is integrated with regular children in non-academic activities like work education, physical
education, arts, school programs, etc. gradually integrated into the academic subjects then when
quantified.
6. Inclusion: All children with disabilities, regardless of the nature and severity of their disability and need
for related services, receive their total education within the regular education classroom

DepEd Order No. 44, series 2021, provides comprehensive policy guidelines on the provision of educational programs
and services for learners with disabilities in the K to 12 Basic Education Program in the Philippines.

1. 1987 Constitution

• Article XIV, Section 1: Prescribes the State to protect and promote the right to quality education
for all citizens at all levels and to take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.
• Article XIV, Section 2: Directs the State to establish, maintain, and support a complete, adequate,
and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the people and society.

2. Republic Act (RA) No. 9155

• Also known as the "Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001".

• Section 2: Reiterates the constitutional mandate of the State.
• Section 6: Vests the Department of Education (DepEd) with the authority, accountability, and
responsibility for ensuring access to and improving the quality of basic education.

3. Republic Act (RA) No. 10533

• Also known as the "Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013".

• Aims to create a functional basic education system that develops productive and responsible
citizens.
• Requires education to be learner-centered, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate.

4. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 10533

• Section 8: Elaborates on the inclusiveness of enhanced basic education, necessitates the

implementation of programs designed to address the physical, intellectual, psychological, and
cultural needs of learners, including, but not limited to, programs for learners with disabilities.
• Section 4: Further provides that basic education is intended to meet basic learning needs and
encompasses kindergarten, elementary, and secondary education as well as out-of-school learners
and those with special needs. It also provides that kindergarten, elementary, and secondary
education are compulsory.

5. Batas Pambansa Blg. 232

• Also known as the "Education Act of 1982".

• Mandated the State to promote the right of every individual to relevant quality education,
regardless of sex, age, creed, socioeconomic status, physical and mental conditions, racial or ethnic
origin, political or other affiliation.
• Section 3: The state shall therefore promote and maintain equality of access to education as well
as the enjoyment of the benefits of education by all its citizens
• Section 24: The State recognizes its responsibility to provide services to meet the special needs of
certain clientele within the formal education system.
 6. Presidential Decree No. 603

• Also known as "The Child and Youth Welfare Code" (1974).

• Article 3: Affirms the right of children to education commensurate with their abilities and for the
development of their skills for the improvement of their capacity for service to themselves and
their fellowmen.

7. Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)

• Embodies a universal commitment to advance children's rights, including those of children with
disabilities.
• Article 28: The Convention articulates the rights of children more comprehensively and provides a
set of fundamental principles, including but not limited to non-discrimination, which fundamentally
shape the way children must be viewed and treated. The Convention provides for the right of the
child to education.
• Article 3: obligates State Parties to respect and ensure the rights outlined in the Convention to each
child within their jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child's or his or
her parent's or legal guardian's race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion,
national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status.
• Article 7: Specific to children with disabilities, the CRC obligates State Parties to take all necessary
measures to ensure the full enjoyment by children with disabilities of all human rights and
fundamental freedoms on an equal basis with other children

8. Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities

• Emphasizes that persons with disabilities have the same rights as other people to take their proper
place in society and their rights must never be perceived as welfare services by the Government
• provides for the right of persons with disabilities to the provision of adequate access to quality
education and ample opportunities to develop their skills, and the corresponding duty of the State
to ensure this right.
• Requires the State to consider special requirements in formulating education policies and
programs.
• Section 12: Makes it a duty of the State to promote the provision of auxiliary services that will
facilitate the learning process for learners with disabilities
• Section 14: the State has the duty to establish, maintain and support complete, adequate and
integrated system of special education for the visually impaired, hearing impaired, mentally
retarded persons and other types of exceptional children in all regions of the country, and toward
this end, the DepEd shall establish, special education classes in public schools in cities, or
municipalities. It further tasks the DepEd to establish, where viable, Braille and Record Libraries in
provinces, cities or municipalities

• Disability Statistics in the Philippines: The document highlights statistics indicating that approximately 15
million out of 100 million Filipino children, youth, and adults have disabilities, with 3.3 million of them enrolled
in schools. It underscores the importance of identifying learners with disabilities and providing them with
appropriate educational interventions.

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): The IDEA requires public schools to provide free and
appropriate education to eligible students with disabilities, covering 13 categories of disabilities, including
 a. Specific Learning Disability - The "specific learning disability (SLD) category covers a specific group of
learning challenges. These conditions affect a child's ability to read, write, listen, speak, reason, or do
math. Here are some examples of what could fall into this category:
- Dyslexia (reading)
- Dyscalculia (mathematics)
- Written expression disorder (writing)
b. Other Health Impairment - The "other health impairment" category covers conditions that limit a
child's strength, energy, or alertness. One example is ADHD, which impacts attention and executive
function.
c. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) - ASD is a developmental disability. It involves a wide range of
symptoms, but it mainly affects a child's social and communication skills. It can also impact behavior.
d. Emotional Disturbance - Various mental health issues can fall under the "emotional disturbance
category. They may include anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive
disorder, and depression. (Some of these may also be covered under "other health impairment.")
e. Speech or Language Impairment - This category covers difficulties with speech or language. A
common example is stuttering. Other examples are trouble pronouncing words or making sounds
with the voice. It also covers language problems that make it hard for kids to understand words or
express themselves.
f. Visual Impairment including blindness - A child who has eyesight problems is considered to have a
visual impairment. This category includes both partial sight and blindness. If eyewear can correct a
vision problem, then it doesn't qualify.
g. Deafness - Kids with a diagnosis of deafness fall under this category. These are kids who can't hear
most or all sounds, even with a hearing aid.
h. Hearing Impairment - The term "hearing impairment" refers to a hearing loss not covered by the
definition of deafness. This type of loss can change over time. Being hard of hearing is not the same
thing as having trouble with auditory or language processing.
i. Deaf-Blindness - Kids with a diagnosis of deaf-blindness have both severe hearing and vision loss.
Their communication and other needs are so unique that programs for just the deaf or blind can't
meet them.
j. Orthopedic Impairment - An orthopedic impairment is when kids lack function or ability in their
bodies. An example is cerebral palsy
k. Intellectual Disability - Kids with this type of disability have below-average intellectual ability. They
may also have poor communication, self-care, and social skills. Down syndrome is one example of a
condition that involves an intellectual disability.
l. Traumatic Brain Injury - This is a brain injury caused by an accident or some kind of physical force.
m. Multiple Disabilities - A child with multiple disabilities has more than one condition covered by IDEA.
Having multiple issues creates educational needs that can't be met in a program designed for any
one disability.

• Types of Disabilities Recognized by DepEd: The DepEd recognizes various types of disabilities, including:
- blindness and visual impairment
- deafness
- orthopedic challenged
- intellectual disability
- learning disability
- autism
- multiple disabilities
- serious emotional disorders
 - communication disorders, speech, and language impairments
- deaf-blind
- and other health problems.

APPLICATION OF LEARNING THEORIES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION:

o Gestalt Theory:
- Encourages grouping to facilitate learning in special education classrooms.
- Important to make verbal and practical connections for students who may struggle with
independent learning.
o Connection Theory:
- Focuses on cause-effect relationships between stimuli and response.
- Helps students understand connections and relationships in their learning process.
o Cognitive Load Theory:
- Emphasizes simplifying learning tasks to reduce cognitive load.
- Aids in ensuring that special education students can effectively process information.
o Sign Learning Theory:
- Supports simplified learning methods and visual aids to aid understanding.
- Beneficial for students who may struggle with traditional verbal instruction.
o Component Display Theory:
- Advocates for incorporating a variety of elements, including verbal and hands-on learning.
- Provides a structured approach to learning that benefits special education students.
o Gagne's Conditions of Learning:
- Focuses on creating optimal conditions for learning, including varied instructional methods.
- Supports a structured learning environment that accommodates diverse learning needs.

• NBPTS, the National Board for Professional Standards, encourages teachers to discover their own belief in
teaching theories

• Challenges and Considerations: There are challenges in applying learning theories in inclusive school settings,
as each student with special needs is unique and may require individualized approaches to learning. The
document highlights the importance of teachers understanding their own teaching beliefs and being reflective
practitioners to improve the overall educational environment.

• These policy guidelines underscore the commitment of the Department of Education in providing accessible
and quality education for all learners, including those with disabilities, in the Philippines.