Inclusive Education and PARIVAAR
Inclusion is a philosophy based on the belief that it is every person’s inherent right to fully participate in society.
SPECIAL CHILDREN BY AMARJIT SINGH ANAND
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What is Inclusion?
Inclusion means irrespective of the social, political, cultural, religious, ethnic status of a person, he or she is accepted in the Community or Society to which he or she belongs.
In respect of a person with disability inclusion has one more connotation. That a person with disability should not be discriminated against because of his or her disability. Inclusion of persons with disability in the mainstream of society is all the more relevant as their rightful place in the rights-based society has been ensured now with acceptance of United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [UNCRPD] by our country.
It is necessary that the process of inclusion should start at a very early stage in the life of person with disability and particularly so in the life of Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities [PwIDDs]. In fact, if we look around the exclusion, and not the inclusion, or isolation of persons with disabilities starts at a very early stage when the child with disability is put in a special school and not in a normal school as other children.
It is heartening to observe that in quite a few elementary, middle and secondary classrooms students with special needs and other cognitive and physical disabilities are studying with their non-disabled peers. This practice of welcoming, valuing, empowering and supporting diverse academic and social learning among students of all abilities is called Inclusive Education.
Inclusive Education is more than mainstreaming. Mainstreaming implies that a student from a separate special education class visits the regular classroom for specific, usually non-academic, subjects. Inclusion is an educational process by which all students, including those with disabilities, are educated together for the majority of the school day. With sufficient support, students participate in age-appropriate, general education programs in their neighborhood schools.
Inclusive Education is an educational process by which all students, including those with disabilities, are educated together. Inclusion is a philosophy based on the belief that it is every person’s inherent right to fully participate in society. Inclusion implies acceptance of differences. It makes room for the person who would otherwise be excluded from the educational experiences.
When inclusion is effectively implemented, it has been found that it brings academic and social benefits for all students, both those who have special needs as well as non-disabled students. Actually, non-disabled students are more appreciative of differences and students with disabilities are more motivated. True acceptance of diversity ultimately develops within the school environment and is then carried into the home, workplace and community.
Benefits of Inclusion
It is, however a sad story in India that not many private or public schools are going for inclusive education. There are many misgivings about inclusive education with parents of non-disabled, and even teachers, are opposing it on various grounds. I don’t have any data of inclusive schooling, we have to analyze and study the problem with participation of parents, teachers and professionals. My discussion with concerned has found that the learning characteristics of students with special needs were more similar to their non-disabled peers than they were different. Moreover, teachers reported positive experiences with students with Learning Disabilities. They described their students as eager to learn, especially when encouraged, and reported personal satisfaction in terms of their professional achievements.
Vision of Reality.
Many children with disabilities continue to be educated in separate classrooms or schools for all or most of the day, even when their parents believe an inclusive setting would be more appropriate.
Why does this happen? Researchers have identified a variety of perceptual, cultural and emotional barriers that cause people to resist the idea of students with and without disabilities sharing the same classroom. In some cases the barrier is simply a matter of prejudice. But there are also many more complex views, including the belief that only those students with disabilities who are closer to “normal” can or should be included and the belief that the needs of students with disabilities are unique and beyond the reach of general educators.
Others may be concerned about the need for special expertise to support the student’s academic and social learning or the potential for students with disabilities to disrupt the classroom. Concerns may also include the costs associated with special services and the idea that functional life skills cannot be addressed in general classroom settings.
Successful implementation of inclusive education programs would allay these concerns. In fact, models of inclusive education can be models for the education of all students, as they overcome barriers and offer a variety of approaches which reach a broader range of students and improve learning. These successful inclusion programs will demonstrate how certain changes in the structure of school systems, classroom operations and the roles of teachers, students, parents and community members can enable equal access to general education curricula and related services for all students.
Unfortunately, effective models for inclusion do not yet exist in many parts of our country. The Government which came out with an Action Plan to implement an aggressive inclusive education policy in Feb 2006 also failed to take necessary steps and the policy remained on paper only.
Role of PARIVAAR.
We in PARIVAAR support all concerned individuals, parents, associations, organizations, institutions who support for inclusion. Inclusion if adopted in true manner in all spheres of life can bring great change in the life of the generation of young persons with disabilities. English speaking Public Schools can bring great change in this. Acceptability by normal children will fill the gap; it’s like untouchability. That is why we loud our voice and stand for ‘One Comprehensive Law’.
PARIVAAR is the only platform which formed Self Advocates Society of India-SASI Groups, where our self advocates have proved that they are second to none in honesty, loyalty, and working to their best. Some enlightened corporate sector companies have taken initiative to provide suitable jobs after training them. But these examples are very few and Parivaar and its affiliated units are taking initiatives in approaching and motivating other corporate sector companies. Even Educational Academies have come forward to educate our leaning disable children as part of Inclusion if PARIVAAR and Parents support them by providing Special Educators, in academic subjects.
We in PARIVAAR are confident that J&K will soon have the NT Act that will entitle you of what the rest of India gets for which PARIVAAR stands with you. As you all know that all Legislations that are enacted in our country are subject to ‘except the State of J&K’. It is the State of J & K that have to approach the Centre to extend all disability legislations to the State; has to pass a Legislation that J&K Disability Sector has equal rights as in rest of India and that J&K Assembly too should pass these legislations and make them applicable to the State. Here starts a revolution in J&K for our Special children.
I hope that in Jammu & Kashmir not a single District will be left without a Parents Platform and all the Parents Association in J&K are part of PARIVAAR. I as Secretary North Zone of PARIVAAR is always their to assist you and take every challenge for the cause of our special needs children.
Amarjit Singh Anand is Secretary North Zone PARIVAAR. Feedback at amarjitsinghanand@gmail.com.
Lastupdate on : Sat, 3 Sep 2011 21:30:00 Mecca time
Inclusion is a philosophy based on the belief that it is every person’s inherent right to fully participate in society.
SPECIAL CHILDREN BY AMARJIT SINGH ANAND
Smaller
Default
Larger
What is Inclusion?
Inclusion means irrespective of the social, political, cultural, religious, ethnic status of a person, he or she is accepted in the Community or Society to which he or she belongs.
In respect of a person with disability inclusion has one more connotation. That a person with disability should not be discriminated against because of his or her disability. Inclusion of persons with disability in the mainstream of society is all the more relevant as their rightful place in the rights-based society has been ensured now with acceptance of United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [UNCRPD] by our country.
It is necessary that the process of inclusion should start at a very early stage in the life of person with disability and particularly so in the life of Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities [PwIDDs]. In fact, if we look around the exclusion, and not the inclusion, or isolation of persons with disabilities starts at a very early stage when the child with disability is put in a special school and not in a normal school as other children.
It is heartening to observe that in quite a few elementary, middle and secondary classrooms students with special needs and other cognitive and physical disabilities are studying with their non-disabled peers. This practice of welcoming, valuing, empowering and supporting diverse academic and social learning among students of all abilities is called Inclusive Education.
Inclusive Education is more than mainstreaming. Mainstreaming implies that a student from a separate special education class visits the regular classroom for specific, usually non-academic, subjects. Inclusion is an educational process by which all students, including those with disabilities, are educated together for the majority of the school day. With sufficient support, students participate in age-appropriate, general education programs in their neighborhood schools.
Inclusive Education is an educational process by which all students, including those with disabilities, are educated together. Inclusion is a philosophy based on the belief that it is every person’s inherent right to fully participate in society. Inclusion implies acceptance of differences. It makes room for the person who would otherwise be excluded from the educational experiences.
When inclusion is effectively implemented, it has been found that it brings academic and social benefits for all students, both those who have special needs as well as non-disabled students. Actually, non-disabled students are more appreciative of differences and students with disabilities are more motivated. True acceptance of diversity ultimately develops within the school environment and is then carried into the home, workplace and community.
Benefits of Inclusion
It is, however a sad story in India that not many private or public schools are going for inclusive education. There are many misgivings about inclusive education with parents of non-disabled, and even teachers, are opposing it on various grounds. I don’t have any data of inclusive schooling, we have to analyze and study the problem with participation of parents, teachers and professionals. My discussion with concerned has found that the learning characteristics of students with special needs were more similar to their non-disabled peers than they were different. Moreover, teachers reported positive experiences with students with Learning Disabilities. They described their students as eager to learn, especially when encouraged, and reported personal satisfaction in terms of their professional achievements.
Vision of Reality.
Many children with disabilities continue to be educated in separate classrooms or schools for all or most of the day, even when their parents believe an inclusive setting would be more appropriate.
Why does this happen? Researchers have identified a variety of perceptual, cultural and emotional barriers that cause people to resist the idea of students with and without disabilities sharing the same classroom. In some cases the barrier is simply a matter of prejudice. But there are also many more complex views, including the belief that only those students with disabilities who are closer to “normal” can or should be included and the belief that the needs of students with disabilities are unique and beyond the reach of general educators.
Others may be concerned about the need for special expertise to support the student’s academic and social learning or the potential for students with disabilities to disrupt the classroom. Concerns may also include the costs associated with special services and the idea that functional life skills cannot be addressed in general classroom settings.
Successful implementation of inclusive education programs would allay these concerns. In fact, models of inclusive education can be models for the education of all students, as they overcome barriers and offer a variety of approaches which reach a broader range of students and improve learning. These successful inclusion programs will demonstrate how certain changes in the structure of school systems, classroom operations and the roles of teachers, students, parents and community members can enable equal access to general education curricula and related services for all students.
Unfortunately, effective models for inclusion do not yet exist in many parts of our country. The Government which came out with an Action Plan to implement an aggressive inclusive education policy in Feb 2006 also failed to take necessary steps and the policy remained on paper only.
Role of PARIVAAR.
We in PARIVAAR support all concerned individuals, parents, associations, organizations, institutions who support for inclusion. Inclusion if adopted in true manner in all spheres of life can bring great change in the life of the generation of young persons with disabilities. English speaking Public Schools can bring great change in this. Acceptability by normal children will fill the gap; it’s like untouchability. That is why we loud our voice and stand for ‘One Comprehensive Law’.
PARIVAAR is the only platform which formed Self Advocates Society of India-SASI Groups, where our self advocates have proved that they are second to none in honesty, loyalty, and working to their best. Some enlightened corporate sector companies have taken initiative to provide suitable jobs after training them. But these examples are very few and Parivaar and its affiliated units are taking initiatives in approaching and motivating other corporate sector companies. Even Educational Academies have come forward to educate our leaning disable children as part of Inclusion if PARIVAAR and Parents support them by providing Special Educators, in academic subjects.
We in PARIVAAR are confident that J&K will soon have the NT Act that will entitle you of what the rest of India gets for which PARIVAAR stands with you. As you all know that all Legislations that are enacted in our country are subject to ‘except the State of J&K’. It is the State of J & K that have to approach the Centre to extend all disability legislations to the State; has to pass a Legislation that J&K Disability Sector has equal rights as in rest of India and that J&K Assembly too should pass these legislations and make them applicable to the State. Here starts a revolution in J&K for our Special children.
I hope that in Jammu & Kashmir not a single District will be left without a Parents Platform and all the Parents Association in J&K are part of PARIVAAR. I as Secretary North Zone of PARIVAAR is always their to assist you and take every challenge for the cause of our special needs children.
Amarjit Singh Anand is Secretary North Zone PARIVAAR. Feedback at amarjitsinghanand@gmail.com.
Lastupdate on : Sat, 3 Sep 2011 21:30:00 Mecca time
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