nderstanding and Responding to Children’s Needs in Inclusive … · Year of Publication 2001 ... Inclusive Classrooms 10 The main reason for promoting the attendance in ord inary

Mo

du

le

ET

H302S

Ye

ar

of

Pu

bli

cati

on

2001

Tit

le o

f P

ub

lica

tio

n

Unders

tandin

g a

nd r

espon

din

g to c

hild

ren's

needs in inclu

siv

e c

lassro

om

s :

a

guid

e f

or

Teachers

/|c

Un

ite

d N

ations E

ducationa

l, S

cie

ntific a

nd C

ultura

l O

rganiz

atio

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Ed

itio

n

Pu

bli

she

r U

NE

SC

O

Ch

ap

ter

nu

mb

er

Ch

ap

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titl

e

Unders

tandin

g a

nd r

espon

din

g to c

hild

ren's

needs in inclu

siv

e c

lassro

om

s :

a

guid

e f

or

Teache

rs /

|cU

nite

d N

ations E

ducationa

l, S

cie

ntific a

nd C

ultura

l O

rganiz

atio

n

Pa

ge

1

14

p.

Th

is m

ate

ria

l h

as

be

en

re

pro

du

ced

in

th

e e

-

Re

serv

es

on

be

ha

lf o

f th

e U

NIV

ER

SIT

Y O

F S

OU

TH

AF

RIC

A (

UN

ISA

)

Th

e m

ate

ria

l m

ay

be

su

bje

ct t

o c

op

yri

gh

t u

nd

er

the

Co

py

rig

ht

Act

no

. 9

8 o

f 1

97

8.

An

y f

urt

he

r

rep

rod

uct

ion

or

dis

trib

uti

on

of

this

ma

teri

al

by

yo

u

ma

y b

e a

vio

lati

on

of

the

Co

py

rig

ht

Act

.

A s

ing

le c

op

y (

pri

nte

d o

r e

lect

ron

ic)

of

the

ma

teri

al m

ay

be

ke

pt

for

aca

de

mic

use

on

ly.

Un

dersta

nd

ing

an

d R

esp

on

din

g

to C

hil

dren

’s N

eed

s

in I

nclu

siv

e C

lassro

om

s

A G

uid

e fo

r T

ea

ch

er

s

Un

ite

d N

atio

ns

E

du

ca

tio

na

l,

Scie

ntific a

nd

C

ultu

ra

l O

rg

an

iz

atio

n

Un

dersta

nd

ing

an

d R

esp

on

din

g

to C

hil

dren

’s N

eed

s

in I

nclu

siv

e C

lassro

om

s

A G

uid

e f

or

Tea

ch

ers

Inclu

siv

e E

ducati

on

Div

isio

n o

f Basic

Educati

on

Un

ite

d N

atio

ns

E

du

ca

tio

na

l,

Scie

ntific a

nd

C

ultu

ra

l O

rg

an

iz

atio

n

Ack

no

wle

dg

em

en

ts

The w

ork

pre

sente

d h

ere

has b

een c

arr

ied o

ut

by R

oy M

cC

onkey w

ith

assis

tance o

f:

An

a M

ari

a B

en

ard

da

Cost

a,

Jan

et

Hold

swort

h,

Tu

re J

ön

sson

,

Bon

aven

ture

Sylv

est

er

Ka

nya

nta

, Elin

a L

eh

tom

äki, A

na

Lu

isa

Lop

ez,

Su

sie M

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Nit

hi

Mu

thu

kri

shn

a,

Bri

an

O’T

oole

, Len

a S

ale

h,

Ra

na

Sh

aba

n,

Molly T

horb

urn

and S

ai

Vä

yry

nen

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iew

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ssed i

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Tab

le o

f C

on

ten

ts

Ov

erv

iew

o

f th

e G

uid

e7

Childre

n D

iffe

r7

“Full P

art

icip

ati

on a

nd E

quality

”10

Help

for

Teachers

11

Aim

s o

f th

e G

uid

e11

Conte

nts

13

Form

at

of

the G

uid

e13

Key M

essages

14

Stu

dy G

roups

15

Furt

her

Info

rmati

on

15

Key T

erm

s16

UN

IT

1

E

ve

ry

C

hil

d is

a

n In

div

idu

al

19

Unit

1:

Overv

iew

19

Barr

iers

to L

earn

ing

19

Impair

ments

21

Socia

l V

iew

of

Dis

abilit

y22

Medic

al

Vie

w o

f D

isabilit

y23

Reducin

g D

isabilit

ies

23

Depri

vati

on

25

Why s

hould

we t

ry t

o r

educe t

he d

epri

vati

ons o

r W

hy b

oth

er?

29

Rig

ht

to P

art

icip

ati

on

29

Rig

ht

to E

ducati

on

30

Implicati

ons f

or

Teachers

31

Teachers

’ R

eacti

ons

33

Revie

w o

f th

e U

nit

36

UN

IT

2

A

sse

ssin

g N

ee

ds

39

Unit

2:

Overv

iew

39

1.

Identi

ficati

on o

f N

eeds

41

Heari

ng I

mpair

ments

42

Warn

ing S

igns

42

Causes o

f H

eari

ng I

mpair

ments

44

Acti

ons T

eachers

can t

ake

44

Vis

ual

Impair

ments

48

Warn

ing S

igns

48

Causes o

f V

isual

Impair

ments

50

Acti

ons T

eachers

can t

ake

50

Inte

llectu

al

Dis

abilit

y54

Warn

ing S

igns

55

Causes o

f In

tellectu

al

Dis

abilit

y56

Acti

ons T

eachers

can t

ake

57

Cere

bra

l Pals

y60

Causes o

f C

ere

bra

l Pals

y61

Acti

ons T

eachers

can t

ake

61

Revie

w o

f th

e U

nit

62

2.

Adapti

ng t

he C

urr

iculu

m64

3.

Com

mon I

llness

es

and I

mpair

ments

68

Revie

w o

f th

e U

nit

71

UN

IT

3

R

esp

on

din

g to

D

ive

rsit

y73

Unit

3:

Overv

iew

73

Part

1.

Nin

e G

old

en R

ule

s74

1.

Inclu

din

g E

very

one

74

2.

Com

munic

ati

on

76

3.

Managin

g C

lassro

om

s80

4.

Lesson P

lannin

g81

5.

Indiv

idual

Pla

ns

83

6.

Indiv

idual

Help

85

7.

Assis

tive A

ids

87

8.

Managin

g B

ehavio

ur

90

9.

Work

ing T

ogeth

er

93

Revie

w o

f your

teachin

g95

Part

2:

Exam

inati

ons

96

Alt

ern

ati

ves t

o E

xam

inati

ons

97

Revie

w o

f th

e U

nit

98

UN

IT

4

W

ork

ing

T

og

eth

er

99

Unit

4:

Overv

iew

99

Part

1:

Schools

Togeth

er

100

Part

2:

School

Cult

ure

s103

Part

3:

Com

munit

y G

roups

105

Work

ing w

ith f

am

ilie

s105

Healt

h P

ers

onnel

107

Com

munit

y W

ork

ers

109

Dis

able

d P

ers

ons’ O

rganis

ati

ons

111

Com

munit

y S

upport

ers

113

Revie

w o

f th

e U

nit

115

Gett

ing C

onnecte

d115

7

Overvie

w

of

the G

uid

e

This

G

uid

e

can

be

used

in

addit

ion

to

the

UN

ESC

O

Teacher

Educati

on R

esourc

e P

ack:

Specia

l N

eeds i

n t

he C

lassro

om

(see B

ox

on p

. 8

). It

repeats

som

e o

f th

e m

essages c

onta

ined in t

he R

esourc

e

Pack.

But

it a

lso g

uid

es t

eachers

on p

racti

cal

ways o

f copin

g w

ith

childre

n w

ho h

ave p

art

icula

r dif

ficult

ies i

n l

earn

ing.

The G

uid

e c

an b

e u

sed a

s a

stu

dy b

ook o

n its

ow

n o

r as a

guid

e

for

gro

ups o

f te

achers

stu

dyin

g t

ogeth

er. I

t should

help

:

!Teachers

who a

lready h

ave c

hildre

n w

ith ‘specia

l needs’ in

their

cla

sses.

!Teachers

who h

ave l

imit

ed e

xperi

ence o

f such c

hildre

n b

ut

who w

ant

to l

earn

more

.

“No t

wo c

hildre

n a

re t

he s

am

e”.

How

oft

en h

ave y

ou s

aid

that?

Take

any c

lass o

f childre

n in y

our

school. T

hey m

ay b

e t

he s

am

e a

ge b

ut

are

they a

ll a

like?

No! H

ow

do t

hey d

iffe

r fr

om

one a

noth

er?

Som

e a

re t

all;

oth

ers

are

sm

all.

Som

e a

re s

hy;

oth

ers

are

for-

ward

. Som

e l

earn

quic

kly

; oth

ers

are

slo

w.

Ch

ild

re

n D

iffe

r

??

Can

you

th

ink o

f an

y o

ther w

ays

ch

ildren

dif

fer f

rom

on

e a

noth

er?

Un

der

stan

din

g a

nd

Res

pon

din

g t

o C

hild

ren

’s N

eed

s in

In

clu

sive

Cla

ssro

om

s8

You m

ight

have w

ritt

en:

som

e l

ike s

port

s;

oth

ers

don’t;

som

e a

re

good s

ingers

; oth

ers

are

not;

som

e r

ead w

ell o

thers

don’t; som

e a

re

naughty

, oth

ers

are

not.

The lis

t can g

o o

n a

nd o

n. A

s w

e s

aid

at

the

begin

nin

g:

But

there

are

oth

er

dif

fere

nces t

hat

you m

ay n

ot

have m

enti

oned.

No t

wo c

hil

dre

n a

re a

like

Dep

riv

ati

on

Som

e c

hil

dre

n’s

gro

wth

an

d d

evelo

p-

men

t is

im

pair

ed

becau

se t

heir

en

vi-

ron

men

t cau

ses

them

harm

or

does

not

sup

port

th

eir

well

bein

g.

Th

ey m

ay n

ot

have e

nou

gh

food

or

a g

ood

die

t; t

hey

may l

ive i

n p

oor

hou

sin

g a

nd

are

pro

ne

to i

lln

ess

es;

th

ey m

ay b

e b

eate

n;

their

pare

nts

may h

ave s

ep

ara

ted

; th

ey a

re

refu

gees

or

surv

ivors

of

war.

Som

eti

mes

they l

ive o

n t

he s

treets

.

Th

ey m

ay a

bu

se d

rugs.

Imp

air

men

ts

Som

e c

hil

dre

n a

re b

orn

wit

h i

mp

air

-

men

ts s

uch

as

eyes

that

do n

ot

see

well

; arm

s an

d l

egs

that

are

defo

rmed

,

or

a b

rain

th

at

is n

ot

develo

pin

g i

n a

typ

ical

way.

Som

e c

hil

dre

n c

an

be l

eft

wit

h i

mp

air

men

ts a

fter

ch

ild

hood

ill

-

ness

es

like m

easl

es

an

d c

ere

bra

l m

ala

r-

ia o

r fr

om

accid

en

ts s

uch

as

bu

rns

an

d

bad

fall

s. O

ften

th

ese

ch

ild

ren

are

call

ed

‘d

isab

led

’ or

‘han

dic

ap

ped

’.

UN

ESC

O T

each

er E

du

cati

on

Resou

rce P

ack

:Sp

ecia

l N

eed

s in

th

e C

lass

room

was

develo

ped

to a

ssis

t cou

ntr

ies

an

d p

racti

tion

ers

to a

dop

t m

ore

inclu

sive s

trate

gie

s fo

r re

spon

din

g t

o c

hil

dre

n’s

sp

ecia

l le

arn

ing n

eed

s in

regu

lar

sch

ools

an

d t

osu

pp

ort

regu

lar

teach

er

ed

ucati

on

.T

he m

ain

ele

men

ts o

f th

e R

eso

urc

e P

ack,

con

sist

of

the f

oll

ow

ing:

stu

dy m

ate

rials

(an

exte

nsi

ve

ran

ge o

f re

ad

ings,

sti

mu

lus

sheets

an

d c

lass

room

acti

vit

ies)

; a c

ou

rse l

ead

er’

s gu

ide w

ith

deta

iled

gu

idan

ce o

n h

ow

to o

rgan

ize c

ou

rse a

nd

facil

itate

sess

ion

s b

ase

d o

n t

he s

tud

y m

ate

rials

; an

d t

wo

dem

on

stra

tion

vid

eos.

Th

e P

ack i

ntr

od

uces

new

th

inkin

g i

n s

pecia

l n

eed

s ed

ucati

on

an

d l

ooks

at

dis

ab

ilit

ies

an

d l

earn

ing

dif

ficu

ltie

s fr

om

th

e p

oin

t of

vie

w o

f in

tera

cti

on

betw

een

th

e l

earn

er

an

d t

he e

nvir

on

men

t, d

iscard

-in

g t

he m

ed

ical

con

cep

t of

dis

ab

ilit

ies

an

d l

earn

ing d

iffi

cu

ltie

s. I

t p

rom

ote

s p

art

icip

ato

ryap

pro

ach

es

to l

earn

ing a

nd

teach

ing,

en

cou

ragin

g l

earn

ers

an

d t

each

ers

to w

ork

coll

ab

ora

tively

,an

d i

nvit

es

sch

ools

to o

pen

th

eir

doors

to c

om

mu

nit

y p

art

icip

ati

on

. T

he m

ate

rials

are

use

d fl

exib

lyan

d c

an

be m

od

ified

to s

uit

local

train

ing c

on

texts

at

the p

re-s

erv

ice a

nd

in

-serv

ice l

evel,

as

well

as

in s

ch

ool-

base

d t

rain

ing.

Th

e U

NESC

O T

each

er

Ed

ucati

on

Reso

urc

e P

ack S

pecia

l N

eed

s in

th

e C

lass

room

has

been

use

d i

nab

ou

t 8

0 c

ou

ntr

ies

an

d b

een

tra

nsl

ate

d i

nto

more

th

an

20

lan

gu

ages.

No

we

d

on

’t h

av

eth

ese

ch

ild

re

nin

o

ur sch

oo

l

Ye

sw

e d

o h

av

eth

ese

ch

ild

re

nin

o

ur sch

oo

l

Overv

iew

of

the G

uid

e9

In m

any c

ountr

ies,

these c

hildre

n d

o n

ot

com

e t

o s

chool. V

ari

ous

reasons a

re g

iven f

or

this

.

!Fam

ilie

s d

o n

ot

know

of

their

child’s r

ight

to e

ducati

on o

r th

ey

chose t

o s

pend t

heir

scarc

e m

oney o

n t

heir

oth

er

childre

n.

!T

he s

chool

cannot

cope w

ith c

hildre

n w

ho h

ave a

ddit

ional

needs a

nd t

hey a

re n

ot

allow

ed t

o e

nro

l.

!T

he c

hildre

n c

om

e t

o s

chool

but

soon d

ropout

!T

hey a

ttend s

pecia

l schools

inste

ad.

Aro

und th

e w

orl

d,

more

childre

n fr

om

depri

ved backgro

unds or

wit

h dis

abilit

ies are

att

endin

g th

eir

lo

cal

pre

-schools

, pri

mary

or

secondary

schools

. In

deed,

most

countr

ies h

ave l

aw

s w

hic

h s

tate

that

ALL c

hildre

n h

ave t

o b

e e

ducate

d.

!A

ll c

hildre

n c

an l

earn

but

if t

hey d

o n

ot

go t

o s

chool

their

chances t

o l

earn

are

much r

educed.

!A

ll c

hildre

n h

ave t

he r

ight

to l

earn

wit

h t

heir

peers

in l

ocal

schools

.

!M

any c

hildre

n e

ncounte

r pro

ble

ms a

t som

e t

ime i

n t

heir

liv

es.

Som

e p

roble

ms q

uic

kly

pass b

ut

oth

ers

requir

e o

ngoin

g h

elp

.

!M

ore

specia

l schools

are

not

the s

olu

tion.

They a

re o

ften a

t a

dis

tance f

rom

the f

am

ily h

om

e a

nd s

epara

te t

he c

hildre

n f

rom

their

peers

.

??

Have y

ou

ch

ildren

lik

e t

hese i

n y

ou

rcla

ss o

r s

ch

ool?

??

Are t

here o

ther r

eason

s y

ou

can

th

ink o

f?

Un

der

stan

din

g a

nd

Res

pon

din

g t

o C

hild

ren

’s N

eed

s in

In

clu

sive

Cla

ssro

om

s1

0

The m

ain

reason f

or

pro

moti

ng t

he a

ttendance i

n o

rdin

ary

schools

of

childre

n w

ith dis

abilit

ies or

from

depri

ved backgro

unds is

to

incre

ase t

heir

opport

unit

ies t

o learn

thro

ugh inte

racti

on w

ith o

thers

and t

o p

rom

ote

their

part

icip

ati

on i

n t

he l

ife o

f th

e c

om

munit

y.

Oft

en t

hese c

hildre

n a

re e

xclu

ded f

rom

socie

ty.

They m

ight

be

hid

den aw

ay at

hom

e if

th

ey lo

ok dif

fere

nt

because of

fear

and

supers

titi

on.

Or

povert

y f

orc

es f

am

ilie

s t

o l

ive i

n c

ity s

lum

s w

ith

few

am

enit

ies.

Oft

en t

heir

needs a

re n

ot

recognis

ed a

nd t

hey a

re

thought

to have litt

le to

contr

ibute

to

th

eir

com

munit

y. But

this

exclu

sio

n

reduces

childre

n’s

opport

unit

ies

to

learn

, gro

w

and

develo

p. T

hey a

re d

isadvanta

ged t

wic

e o

ver! A

ttendin

g local school

is t

he m

ain

way o

f ensuri

ng t

hat

all c

hildre

n a

re i

nclu

ded i

n s

ocie

-

ty.

Childre

n’s le

arn

ing does not

just

take pla

ce in

schools

. T

hey

learn

fro

m t

heir

fam

ilie

s,

thro

ugh c

onta

ct

wit

h p

eers

and f

riends,

and t

hro

ugh p

art

icip

ati

on i

n a

ll t

he d

ivers

e a

cti

vit

ies t

hat

occur

in

com

munit

ies.

But

att

endin

g school

help

s to

pro

mote

th

ese oth

er

form

s o

f le

arn

ing a

s w

ell.

Th

rou

gh

Ed

uca

tion

for

All,

it s

hou

ld b

e p

oss

ible

to e

na

ble

all h

um

an

bein

gs

– i

nclu

din

g t

he d

isa

ble

d –

to d

evelo

p t

heir

fu

ll p

ote

nti

al,

to c

on

trib

ute

to s

ocie

ty a

nd

, a

bove a

ll,

to b

e e

nri

ch

ed

by t

heir

dif

fere

nce a

nd

not

deva

lued

. In

ou

r w

orl

d c

on

stit

ute

d o

f d

iffe

ren

ces

of

all k

ind

s, i

t is

not

the d

isa

ble

d b

ut

socie

ty a

t la

rge t

ha

t n

eed

s sp

ecia

l

ed

uca

tion

in

ord

er

to b

ecom

e a

gen

uin

e s

ocie

ty f

or

all.

Fed

eric

o M

ayor,

Form

er

Dir

ecto

r-G

en

era

l of

UN

ESC

O

??

Can

you

th

ink o

f oth

er r

eason

s w

hy

ch

ildren

wit

h s

pecia

l n

eeds s

hou

ldatt

en

d o

rdin

ary s

ch

ools

?

“F

ull P

articip

atio

n a

nd

E

qu

ality

”

Teach

ers

have a

part

icu

lar

resp

on

sib

ilit

y f

or

en

suri

ng t

hat

all

ch

ild

ren

part

icip

ate

fu

lly i

n s

ocie

ty a

nd

th

at

they h

ave e

qu

ali

ty

of

op

port

un

ity i

n e

du

cati

on

.

Overv

iew

of

the G

uid

e1

1

A t

eacher’s job is n

ot

easy.

You m

ay h

ave b

ig c

lasses o

f 4

0 a

nd m

ore

pupils –

all o

f th

em

indiv

iduals

! H

avin

g c

hildre

n w

ith d

isabilit

ies o

r

from

dis

advanta

ged b

ackgro

unds i

n y

our

cla

ss o

ften m

eans m

ore

work

but

it n

eed n

ot

be s

o.

You c

an m

anage d

iffe

rences a

mong t

he

childre

n i

f:

!You c

an r

ecognis

e c

hildre

n’s s

trength

s a

nd w

eaknesses a

nd

pla

n y

our

lessons a

ccord

ingly

;

!You k

now

how

childre

n’s l

earn

ing c

an b

e a

ffecte

d b

y d

isabili-

ties a

nd d

epri

vati

on a

nd y

ou u

se t

eachin

g s

trate

gie

s f

or

over-

com

ing t

hese d

iffi

cult

ies;

!You h

ave c

onfi

dence i

n y

our

ow

n a

bilit

ies a

s a

teacher

to p

lan

lessons f

or

indiv

iduals

and a

dapt

the c

urr

iculu

m t

o s

uit

the

needs o

f all c

hildre

n;

!You g

et

help

and s

upport

fro

m c

olleagues,

pare

nts

and o

ther

pro

fessio

nals

, such a

s c

om

munit

y a

nd h

ealt

h w

ork

ers

.

!You b

elieve t

hat

all c

hildre

n h

ave t

he r

ight

to e

ducati

on a

nd

that

all c

an l

earn

.

1.

To p

rovid

e t

eachers

wit

h k

ey f

acts

about

vari

ous i

mpair

ments

and d

epri

vati

ons a

nd h

ow

to o

verc

om

e t

he m

ost

com

mon learn

-

ing d

iffi

cult

ies t

hat

result

fro

m t

hem

.

2.

To i

nfo

rm t

eachers

what

they c

an r

easonably

do t

o a

dapt

the

cla

ssro

om

and s

chool

envir

onm

ent

to o

verc

om

e t

he b

arr

iers

to

learn

ing f

aced b

y c

hildre

n w

ith i

mpair

ments

.

3.

To d

escri

be s

trate

gie

s t

eachers

can u

se t

o r

espond t

o t

he d

iver-

sit

y o

f childre

n i

n t

heir

cla

ssro

om

s a

nd s

how

som

e i

deas h

ow

the c

urr

iculu

m c

an b

e a

dapte

d t

o i

ndiv

idual

needs.

4.

To e

ncoura

ge t

eachers

to w

ork

wit

h f

am

ilie

s a

nd w

ith o

ther

per-

sonnel

in h

ealt

h a

nd s

ocia

l serv

ices a

nd i

n t

he c

om

munit

y.

He

lp

fo

r T

ea

ch

ers

Th

is G

uid

e is

des

ign

ed t

o h

elp

you

do a

ll t

hes

e.

Aim

s o

f th

e G

uid

e

Th

e G

uid

e h

as

fou

r m

ain

aim

s:

Un

der

stan

din

g a

nd

Res

pon

din

g t

o C

hild

ren

’s N

eed

s in

In

clu

sive

Cla

ssro

om

s1

2

Her

e so

me

the

vie

ws

of

teach

ers

from

ord

inary

sch

ools

wit

h e

xper

ien

ce

of

teach

ing c

hil

dre

n w

ith

ext

ra n

eeds.

I to

ok in

clu

sion

a

s a

ch

allen

ge fo

r im

pro

vin

g m

y ow

n w

ays

of

tea

ch

ing.

Hu

ng

ary

We w

an

t ou

r ch

ild

ren

to k

now

th

at

it i

s O

K t

o b

e d

iffe

ren

t. A

fter

all w

e a

re p

rep

ari

ng t

hem

for

life

an

d s

ocie

ty.

Sou

th A

fric

a

Inte

gra

tion

is

socia

lly b

en

efi

cia

l to

th

e w

hole

sch

ool

inclu

din

g t

he

sta

ff.

It f

ost

ers

an

atm

osp

here

of

tea

mw

ork

am

on

gst

th

e s

tud

en

ts

an

d i

dea

lly b

etw

een

sta

ff.

Norw

ay

Wh

en

stu

den

ts o

bse

rve t

ha

t th

eir

tea

ch

ers

are

accep

tin

g a

nd

su

p-

port

ive o

f th

ose

wh

o c

ou

ld b

e t

erm

ed

‘d

iffe

ren

t’,

they t

oo b

ecom

e

more

accep

tin

g.

Jord

an

Tea

ch

ers

in

ru

ral

are

as

incre

ase

d t

heir

sta

tus

wit

hin

loca

l com

-

mu

nit

ies

beca

use

in

m

an

y ca

ses,

th

ey w

ere

p

rovid

ing th

e on

ly

serv

ices

ava

ila

ble

to c

hild

ren

wit

h d

isa

bilit

ies.

Ind

ia

A l

ot

of

ch

ild

ren

are

ha

vin

g t

heir

need

s m

et

wh

o b

efo

re w

ou

ld

ha

ve j

ust

been

pu

shed

alo

ng o

r ig

nore

d.

Tea

ch

ers

are

ad

dre

ssin

g

the w

hole

sit

ua

tion

dif

fere

ntl

y b

y w

ork

ing t

ogeth

er.

Can

ad

a

Alt

hou

gh

th

e f

ocu

s is

on

ch

ild

ren

wit

h e

xtr

a n

eed

s; y

ou

wil

l d

is-

cover

that

most

of

the s

uggest

ion

s are

ab

ou

t good

teach

ing a

nd

they a

re e

ffecti

ve w

ith

ALL c

hil

dre

n.

Overv

iew

of

the G

uid

e1

3

Th

e G

uid

e is

a

rra

ng

ed

in

to

fo

ur U

nit

s.

Th

ese

a

re

:

Un

it 1

: Every C

hil

d i

s a

n I

nd

ivid

ual

This

U

nit

covers

: Barr

iers

to

le

arn

ing ari

sin

g fr

om

bodily im

pair

-

ments

and dis

abilit

ies;

childhood illn

esses;

socia

l dis

advanta

ge;

childre

n’s r

ights

; te

acher’s a

ttit

udes t

o d

isabilit

y; exam

ple

s f

rom

dif

-

fere

nt

countr

ies.

Un

it 2

: A

ssessin

g N

eed

s

In t

his

Unit

we d

eal

wit

h p

hysic

al, v

isual, h

eari

ng a

nd i

nte

llectu

al

impair

ments

. W

e d

escri

be t

he w

arn

ing s

igns t

hat

childre

n m

ay h

ave

an im

pair

ment;

outl

ine possib

le causes and descri

be th

e acti

ons

teachers

can t

ake t

o o

verc

om

e learn

ing d

iffi

cult

ies. A

fra

mew

ork

for

adapti

ng t

he c

urr

iculu

m i

s o

utl

ined.

Un

it 3

: R

esp

on

din

g t

o D

iversit

y

Unit

3 o

utl

ines n

ine g

old

en r

ule

s t

o a

ssis

t te

achers

to d

eal

wit

h a

cla

ss o

f childre

n w

ho h

ave d

ivers

e n

eeds.

Pra

cti

cal

tips a

nd s

ug-

gesti

ons

are

giv

en

for

dra

win

g

up

indiv

idual

educati

on

pla

ns,

pre

pari

ng l

essons,

pro

vid

ing o

ne-t

o-o

ne h

elp

for

pupils a

nd m

an-

agin

g b

ehavio

ur. T

he i

ssue o

f exam

inati

ons a

nd t

he u

se o

f specia

l

cla

sses a

re d

iscussed.

Un

it 4

: W

orkin

g T

og

eth

er

The fi

nal

Unit

revie

ws w

ho i

s a

vailable

to h

elp

. It

descri

bes h

ow

teachers

can w

ork

wit

h p

are

nts

, healt

h p

rofe

ssio

nals

, com

munit

y

work

ers

and d

isable

d p

ers

ons’ org

anis

ati

ons t

o t

he b

enefi

t of

their

pupils.

Exam

ple

s are

giv

en of

this

happenin

g fr

om

aro

und th

e

worl

d.

The guid

e dra

ws on th

e experi

ences of

teachers

m

ain

ly in

pre

-

school and p

rim

ary

educati

on b

ut

the g

uid

e s

hould

pro

ve h

elp

ful to

secondary

teachers

, as w

ell.

!T

he U

nit

s a

re p

resente

d a

s s

elf

-stu

dy,

‘open l

earn

ing’ m

ate

ri-

als

. H

ow

ever, t

he m

ate

rials

are

als

o i

nte

nded t

o b

e u

sed w

ith

Co

nte

nts

Fo

rm

at o

f th

e G

uid

e

Un

der

stan

din

g a

nd

Res

pon

din

g t

o C

hild

ren

’s N

eed

s in

In

clu

sive

Cla

ssro

om

s1

4

gro

ups o

f te

achers

, fo

r exam

ple

wit

hin

work

shops o

r as p

art

of

a t

rain

ing c

ours

e.

Hence s

uggesti

ons f

or

gro

up l

earn

ing

acti

vit

ies a

re a

lso i

nclu

ded.

You h

ave a

lready s

een e

xam

ple

s

of

these o

n p

age 7

and 9

.

!Topic

s a

re s

uggeste

d f

or

indiv

idual

refl

ecti

on,

dis

cussio

n,

pro

ble

m-s

olv

ing s

o a

s t

o e

ncoura

ge a

cti

ve l

earn

ing f

rom

the

readers

.

!Each U

nit

begin

s w

ith a

lis

ting o

f le

arn

ing o

utc

om

es w

hic

h

teachers

should

be a

ble

to d

em

onstr

ate

aft

er

stu

dyin

g t

he

Unit

.

!Each U

nit

conta

ins e

xam

ple

s o

f case s

tudie

s a

nd f

urt

her

deta

ils o

f part

icula

r to

pic

s.

Th

e m

ain

m

essa

ge

s o

f th

e G

uid

e

are

sim

ply

sta

te

d:

!T

he e

xtr

a n

eeds o

f childre

n w

ith d

isabilit

ies o

r vari

ous d

isad-

vanta

ges c

an u

sually b

e m

et

in o

rdin

ary

cla

ssro

om

s w

ith

means t

hat

are

available

to t

eachers

in e

very

countr

y o

f th

e

worl

d.

!A

ll p

upils g

ain

when t

eachers

adapt

the c

urr

icula

and t

heir

teachin

g s

tyle

s t

o s

uit

the r

ange o

f div

ers

ity t

hat

is f

ound

am

ong c

hildre

n i

n a

ny c

lass.

Usually t

hese a

dapta

tions r

equir

e

litt

le e

xtr

a e

quip

ment

but

lots

of

cre

ati

vit

y.

!It

is i

mport

ant

for

teachers

to f

org

e p

art

ners

hip

s w

ith o

ther

pro

fessio

nal

work

ers

where

they a

re a

vailable

so t

hat

they c

an

be s

upport

ed i

n t

heir

eff

ort

s.

!Lik

ew

ise,

clo

se l

inks n

eed t

o b

e f

org

ed a

mong s

chools

in a

dis

tric

t and w

ith o

ther

gro

ups i

n t

he c

om

munit

y s

o t

hat

chil-

dre

n’s n

eeds a

re a

ddre

ssed o

ut

of

school

as w

ell a

s w

ithin

it.

Ke

y M

es

sa

ge

s

Overv

iew

of

the G

uid

e1

5

The G

uid

e h

as b

een d

esig

ned f

or

self

-stu

dy.

In e

ach U

nit

we a

sk y

ou

to r

efl

ect

on k

ey q

uesti

ons o

r to

undert

ake s

om

e a

cti

vit

ies.

Ple

ase

do n

ot

skip

these

. T

hey a

re d

esig

ned t

o a

ssis

t your

learn

ing.

How

ever

teachers

will

benefi

t m

ore

if:

!A

gro

up o

f te

achers

stu

dy t

he g

uid

e t

ogeth

er

so t

hat

they c

an

share

ideas a

nd c

oncern

s w

ith o

ne a

noth

er. T

his

could

be a

gro

up o

f te

achers

wit

hin

the o

ne s

chool

or

dra

wn f

rom

neig

h-

bouri

ng s

chools

who h

ave c

hildre

n w

ith s

pecia

l needs i

n t

heir

cla

sses.

Or

it c

ould

be a

gro

up o

f stu

dents

takin

g i

nit

ial

or

in-

serv

ice t

eacher

train

ing c

ours

es.

Can

you

recru

it s

om

e o

ther t

each

ers a

nd a

gree t

o m

eet

regu

larly

to s

tudy t

ogeth

er?

!T

hey h

ave a

more

experi

enced c

olleague t

o g

uid

e a

nd a

dvis

e

them

. T

his

could

be a

resourc

e t

eacher

wit

hin

your

school; a

teacher

from

a s

pecia

l school

or

a l

ectu

rer

in a

teacher

train

-

ing c

ollege.

Do y

ou

kn

ow

of

som

eon

e w

hom

you

cou

ld a

sk? Y

ou

r h

ead

teach

er m

igh

t b

e a

ble

to a

dvis

e.

The G

uid

e d

oes n

ot

have a

ll t

he a

nsw

ers

. H

ow

ever

there

is a

gro

w-

ing ra

nge of

bookle

ts,

books,

train

ing re

sourc

es,

and vid

eo pro

-

gra

mm

es th

at

support

develo

pin

g m

ore

in

clu

siv

e schools

. T

hese

are

lis

ted i

n t

he fi

nal

secti

on.

UN

ESC

O

has

als

o

pro

duced

a

seri

es

of

Guid

es

for

Specia

l

Educati

on

(see b

ox).

We w

ill

refe

r to

them

thro

ughout

the g

uid

e.

Sin

gle

copie

s a

re a

vailable

fre

e-o

f-charg

e f

rom

:

Inclu

siv

e E

du

cati

on

, D

ivis

ion

of

Basic

Ed

ucati

on

,

UN

ESC

O,

7,

pla

ce d

e F

on

ten

oy,

75

35

2 P

aris

07

-SP,

Fran

ce.

Som

e o

f th

em

can b

e d

ow

n l

oaded t

hro

ugh t

he I

nte

rnet

htt

p:/

/w

ww

.un

esco.o

rg

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ucati

on

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ucp

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e

Stu

dy

G

ro

up

s

Fu

rth

er In

fo

rm

atio

n

UN

ESC

O G

uid

es f

or S

pecia

l Ed

ucati

on

"Ed

ucati

on

of

Deaf

Ch

ild

ren

an

d Y

ou

ng P

eop

le

"Teach

ing V

isu

all

y I

mp

air

ed

Pu

pil

s in

th

e O

rdin

ary

Cla

ssro

om

"C

hil

dre

n w

ith

Severe

Cere

bra

l Pals

y:

An

Ed

ucati

on

al

Gu

ide

"G

uid

e t

o C

om

mu

nit

y B

ase

d R

eh

ab

ilit

ati

on

Serv

ices

"C

hil

dre

n a

nd

You

ng P

eop

le w

ith

Sp

ecifi

c L

earn

ing D

isab

ilit

ies

"Ed

ucati

on

of

Ch

ild

ren

an

d Y

ou

ng P

eop

le w

ith

Au

tism

Assis

tiv

e a

ids

an

d d

ev

ice

s

Co

mm

un

ity

Ba

se

dR

eh

ab

ilit

atio

n

Cu

rric

ulu

m

Div

ersit

y

In

clu

sio

n

In

clu

siv

e

ed

uca

tio

n

Un

der

stan

din

g a

nd

Res

pon

din

g t

o C

hild

ren

’s N

eed

s in

In

clu

sive

Cla

ssro

om

s1

6

You w

ill

com

e a

cro

ss n

ew

term

s a

s y

ou r

ead t

he G

uid

e.

The c

om

-

mon o

nes a

re e

xpla

ined b

elo

w. You c

an r

efe

r back t

o t

his

secti

on a

s

you r

ead t

he U

nit

s.

These a

im t

o r

educe t

he d

isabilit

ies, w

hic

h c

om

e f

rom

im

pair

ments

.

Heari

ng a

ids a

nd m

agnifi

ers

are

obvio

us e

xam

ple

s b

ut

it c

an a

lso

inclu

de s

pecia

l chair

s t

o h

elp

childre

n s

it a

t ta

ble

s;

trolleys t

o h

elp

them

move a

round o

r specia

l fr

am

es t

o c

hildre

n s

tand.

There

are

als

o aid

s to

com

munic

ati

on such as pic

ture

board

s and sym

bol

chart

s.

This

term

covers

serv

ices p

rovid

ed t

o d

isable

d p

ers

ons a

nd t

heir

fam

ilie

s i

n t

heir

ow

n c

om

munit

y o

r hom

e r

ath

er

than i

n c

entr

es,

hospit

als

and i

nsti

tuti

ons.

Specia

lly t

rain

ed w

ork

ers

or

volu

nte

ers

may v

isit

the f

am

ily h

om

e o

r m

eet

the c

hildre

n a

nd f

am

ilie

s in local

centr

es t

o g

ive a

dvic

e a

nd s

upport

.

We t

ake t

his

to m

ean a

ll t

he o

rganis

ed e

xperi

ences t

hat

schools

pro

-

vid

e to

help

childre

n le

arn

and develo

p.

It in

clu

des th

e subje

cts

taught

as w

ell a

s t

he t

eachin

g t

hey r

eceiv

e; th

e s

chool envir

onm

ent

and o

ther

acti

vit

ies t

hat

take p

lace o

uts

ide o

f th

e c

lassro

om

.

This

term

means t

he v

ari

ati

ons a

nd d

iffe

rences f

ound a

mong a

ny

gro

up o

f childre

n o

r adult

s.

Childre

n w

ho a

re p

erc

eiv

ed ‘dif

fere

nt’ b

ecause o

f th

eir

im

pair

ment,

eth

nic

backgro

und, la

nguage, povert

y, e

tc. are

oft

en e

xclu

ded f

rom

or

marg

inalised i

n s

ocie

ty a

nd l

ocal

com

munit

ies.

Their

inclu

sio

n

means c

hangin

g t

he a

ttit

udes a

nd p

racti

ces o

f in

div

iduals

, org

ani-

sati

ons a

nd a

ssocia

tions s

o t

hat

they c

an f

ully a

nd e

qually p

art

ici-

pate

in a

nd c

ontr

ibute

to t

he lif

e o

f th

eir

com

munit

y a

nd c

ult

ure

. A

n

inclu

siv

e s

ocie

ty is o

ne in w

hic

h d

iffe

rence is r

especte

d a

nd v

alu

ed,

and w

here

dis

cri

min

ati

on a

nd p

reju

dic

e is a

cti

vely

com

bate

d in p

oli-

cie

s a

nd p

racti

ces.

This

refe

rs t

o s

chools

, centr

es o

f le

arn

ing a

nd e

ducati

onal

syste

ms

that

are

open t

o A

LL c

hildre

n.

For

this

to h

appen,

teachers

, schools

and s

yste

ms m

ay n

eed t

o c

hange s

o t

hat

they c

an b

ett

er

accom

-

modate

the d

ivers

ity o

f needs t

hat

pupils h

ave a

nd t

hat

they a

re

inclu

ded

in all aspects

of

school-life

. It

als

o m

eans a pro

cess of

indenti

fyin

g a

ny b

arr

iers

wit

hin

and a

round t

he s

chool

that

hin

der

learn

ing,

and r

educin

g o

r re

movin

g t

hese b

arr

iers

.

Ke

y T

erm

sIn

te

gra

tio

n

Op

en

le

arn

ing

Ord

ina

ry

sch

oo

ls

Re

fe

rra

l

Re

so

urce

te

ach

er

Sch

oo

l cu

ltu

re

Se

lf-s

tu

dy

Sp

ecia

l n

ee

ds

Sp

ecia

lsch

oo

ls

Sp

ecia

l u

nit

s/

sp

ecia

l cla

sse

s

Overv

iew

of

the G

uid

e1

7

Used m

ain

ly w

hen c

hildre

n w

ith d

isabilit

ies a

ttend o

rdin

ary

schools

that

have m

ade fe

w if

any changes to

accom

modate

th

e pupil.

Rath

er

the p

upil i

s e

xpecte

d t

o a

dapt

to t

he p

resent

arr

angem

ents

.

Mate

rials

th

at

are

available

to

every

one in

tere

ste

d in

th

e to

pic

.

There

are

no c

ondit

ions laid

dow

n f

or

who c

an a

nd c

annot

stu

dy t

he

mate

rials

.

These in

clu

de pre

-school, pri

mary

and secondary

schools

. A

s a

gro

up t

hey a

re a

lso r

efe

rred t

o a

s m

ain

str

eam

or

reg

ula

rschools

to d

isti

nguis

h t

hem

fro

m s

pecia

l schools

(see b

elo

w).

When a

pers

on s

uch a

s a

teacher

sends a

pupil t

o a

specia

list

work

-

er

such a

s a

docto

r, t

his

is k

now

n a

s a

refe

rral. R

efe

rrals

are

usual-

ly d

one b

y lett

er

wit

h b

rief

deta

ils o

f th

e p

upil a

nd t

he c

oncern

s y

ou

have a

bout

the p

upil.

A m

em

ber

of

sta

ff w

ith e

xperi

ence o

r tr

ain

ing w

ho i

s a

vailable

to

advis

e a

nd a

ssis

t oth

er

teachers

.

The t

radit

ions,

beliefs

and w

ork

ing p

racti

ces o

f a s

chool

are

cov-

ere

d b

y t

his

term

. O

ther

term

s inclu

de s

chool eth

os o

r th

e v

alu

es o

f

the s

chool.

The t

rain

ing m

ate

rials

are

pro

duced f

or

readers

to s

tudy o

n t

heir

ow

n.

It i

s n

ot

just

a m

att

er

of

readin

g.

The r

eader

is a

lso e

xpecte

d

to c

om

ple

te a

cti

vit

ies.

This

could

be t

hin

kin

g a

bout

an issue o

r car-

ryin

g o

ut

an a

cti

vit

y w

ith c

hildre

n i

n c

lass.

This

is

a genera

l and ra

ther

contr

overs

ial

term

fo

r childre

n w

ho

need s

om

e f

orm

of

extr

a h

elp

and a

ssis

tance.

It i

s n

ot

possib

le t

o

giv

e a

pre

cis

e d

efi

nit

ion a

s t

heir

needs c

an v

ary

so m

uch.

Som

e

exam

ple

s o

f specia

l needs a

re g

iven o

n p

. 9

and i

n U

nit

1.

These

schools

are

usually

for

childre

n

who

have

a

part

icula

r

impair

ment

or

dis

abilit

y. F

or

exam

ple

, in

many c

ountr

ies t

here

are

schools

sole

ly f

or

deaf

childre

n;

those w

ith v

isual

impair

ments

or

those w

ith i

nte

llectu

al

dis

abilit

y.

An o

rdin

ary

school m

ay s

et

asid

e a

num

ber

of

cla

ssro

om

s e

specia

l-

ly f

or

childre

n w

ith s

pecia

l needs.

These p

upils m

ay r

eceiv

e s

om

e

or

all o

f th

eir

teachin

g i

n t

he U

nit

.

Sp

ecia

l te

ach

ers

Sp

ecia

list

Te

ach

ing

stra

te

gie

s

Un

der

stan

din

g a

nd

Res

pon

din

g t

o C

hild

ren

’s N

eed

s in

In

clu

sive

Cla

ssro

om

s1

8

We u

se t

his

term

to r

efe

r to

teachers

who w

ork

in s

pecia

l schools

or

in o

rdin

ary

schools

wit

h p

art

icula

r re

sponsib

ilit

ies f

or

childre

n w

ith

‘specia

l needs’. T

hese t

eachers

usually h

ave o

bta

ined s

om

e e

xtr

a

train

ing.

We a

re u

sin

g t

his

term

to m

ean p

eople

who h

ave a

part

icula

r expert

-

ise in d

ealing w

ith c

hildhood illnesses a

nd d

isabilit

ies. T

his

inclu

des

docto

rs b

ut

als

o t

hera

pis

ts,

psycholo

gis

ts a

nd s

ocia

l w

ork

ers

.

Acti

ons t

hat

teachers

can t

ake w

hen p

resenti

ng lessons o

r in

tera

ct-

ing w

ith c

hildre

n t

o a

ssis

t th

eir

learn

ing.

We

hop

e you

fin

d t

he

Gu

ide

use

ful

an

d i

nfo

rmati

ve.

Hap

py r

eadin

g!

UN

IT 1

#

Every

Ch

ild

is a

n I

nd

ivid

ual

19

Every

Ch

ild

is a

n I

ndiv

idu

al

Afte

r w

ork

ing

th

ro

ug

h th

is U

nit

, y

ou

w

ill

kn

ow

:

1.

Barr

iers

to c

hildre

n’s l

earn

ing t

hat

com

e f

rom

im

pair

ments

and

depri

vati

on.

2.

Ways o

f re

ducin

g l

earn

ing d

iffi

cult

ies t

hat

childre

n m

ay e

xperi

-

ence i

f th

ey h

ave d

isabilit

ies.

3.

Com

mon d

epri

vati

ons t

hat

childre

n e

xperi

ence a

nd h

ow

they

can

be

overc

om

e

thro

ugh

nutr

itio

us

food,

healt

hy

envir

on-

ments

, lo

ve a

nd a

ttenti

on.

4.

The r

ights

to s

ocia

l in

clu

sio

n a

nd t

o e

ducati

on a

s e

xpre

ssed i

n

vari

ous i

nte

rnati

onal

decla

rati

ons.

5.

The im

plicati

ons f

or

teachers

in t

heir

every

day p

racti

ce in d

evel-

opin

g m

ore

inclu

siv

e s

chooling.

In s

chool, c

hildre

n h

ave t

o l

earn

many d

iffe

rent

thin

gs.

Som

e c

hil-

dre

n s

eem

to learn

quic

kly

; oth

ers

are

slo

wer. In c

ert

ain

subje

cts

, a

child m

ay d

o b

ett

er

than o

thers

. For

exam

ple

, som

e p

upils c

an b

e

good a

t re

adin

g b

ut

poore

r at

math

s.

Oft

en w

e d

o n

ot

know

why

this

happens.

Vari

ous e

xpla

nati

ons a

re g

iven.

For

exam

ple

:

UN

IT 1

Un

it 1

: O

ve

rv

ie

w

Ba

rrie

rs

to

L

ea

rn

in

g

Un

der

stan

din

g a

nd

Res

pon

din

g t

o C

hild

ren

’s N

eed

s in

In

clu

sive

Cla

ssro

om

s2

0

There

may b

e s

om

e t

ruth

in t

hese t

hre

e e

xpla

nati

ons.

But

there

are

oth

ers

you n

eed t

o c

onsid

er.

Sim

ply

this

: th

ey s

uggest

acti

ons

whic

h m

ight

to b

e t

aken t

o o

ver-

com

e t

he c

hild’s d

iffi

cult

ies.

For

insta

nce,

encoura

gin

g t

he p

are

nts

to h

elp

childre

n w

ho a

re s

low

at

learn

ing w

ith t

heir

hom

ew

ork

. O

r

if y

ou s

uspect

a c

hild m

ay h

ave p

roble

ms w

ith h

eari

ng,

then m

ake

sure

she s

its a

t th

e f

ront

of

the c

lass.

This

way o

f lo

okin

g a

t pro

ble

ms i

s m

ore

help

ful

for

childre

n,

fam

ilie

s a

nd t

eachers

. W

hy?

It t

ells u

s w

hat

needs t

o b

e d

one t

o h

elp

the c

hildre

n t

o o

verc

om

e t

he b

arr

iers

to l

earn

ing.

We c

an g

roup c

hildre

n’s d

iffi

cult

ies into

tw

o b

road t

ypes. T

hose

whic

h a

rise f

rom

bodily i

mpair

ments

and t

hose w

hic

h c

om

e f

rom

dep

riva

tion

. R

em

em

ber,

som

e

childre

n

may

be

dis

advanta

ged

because o

f com

bin

ati

on o

f dis

advanta

ges.

In a

ddit

ion, any c

hild c

an e

xperi

ence b

arr

iers

to learn

ing d

uri

ng

a p

eri

od o

f ti

me.

These t

em

pora

ry d

iffi

cult

ies m

ay o

ccur

because,

for

exam

ple

, th

e c

hild i

s w

orr

ied a

bout

pro

ble

ms a

t hom

e;

she h

as

not

sle

pt

pro

perl

y b

ecause h

er

sis

ter

or

bro

ther

is i

ll a

nd c

ryin

g a

ll

the n

ight;

she h

as b

een w

ork

ing a

lot

in t

he fi

eld

s a

nd i

s t

oo t

ired

to concentr

ate

on le

arn

ing,

etc

. A

lthough th

ese dif

ficult

ies w

ill

pro

bably

be overc

om

e as ti

me goes by,

it

is

im

port

ant

that

the

teacher

is s

ensit

ive a

nd s

upport

ive,

and h

elp

s t

he c

hild t

o c

atc

h u

p

whate

ver

she h

as m

issed d

uri

ng t

his

peri

od.

??

Can

you

see w

hat

is d

iffe

ren

t ab

ou

t th

e l

ast

set

of

exp

lan

ati

on

s?Sh

e c

an

not

hear a

s w

ell

as o

ther

ch

ild

ren

wh

en

sh

e s

its

at

the b

ack

of

the c

lass

His

paren

ts h

elp

him

wit

h h

is

hom

ew

ork

Th

e f

am

ily i

s p

oor

an

d t

hey d

o n

ot

have

en

ou

gh

food

Th

ey a

re

more i

nte

llig

en

tSh

e d

oes

not

pay a

tten

tion

in c

lass

He t

akes

aft

er h

is f

ath

er!

UN

IT 1

#

Every

Ch

ild

is a

n I

nd

ivid

ual

21

Childre

n w

ho have physic

al, sensory

or

inte

llectu

al

impair

ments

can experi

ence m

any dif

ficult

ies in

le

arn

ing and part

icip

ati

ng in

com

munit

y l

ife.

For

exam

ple

, a c

hild m

ay h

ave l

ost

a l

imb a

s t

he r

esult

of

acci-

dent;

have w

aste

d legs f

ollow

ing p

olio o

r been b

orn

wit

h d

efo

rmed

lim

bs b

ecause o

f cere

bra

l pals

y (

see U

nit

3).

Oft

en t

hey a

re c

alled

‘dis

able

d’ in

that

they a

re u

nable

to w

alk

or

to c

lim

b s

tair

s. But

more

import

antl

y th

is dis

abilit

y oft

en hold

s th

e child back in

vari

ous

ways.

As t

he c

hild c

annot

move a

round t

he h

ouse o

r neig

hbour-

hood a

s o

ther

childre

n d

o,

then …

!his

opport

unit

ies t

o j

oin

in c

om

munit

y l

ife a

re a

lso f

ew

er

– h

e

cannot

go a

s e

asily t

o m

ark

et

or

fam

ily g

ath

eri

ngs.

!she m

ay b

e a

sham

ed o

f her

body;

have l

ack o

f confi

dence a

nd

try t

o a

void

pla

yin

g w

ith o

ther

childre

n.

As y

ou r

ead b

ack o

ver

the l

ist

of

conse-

quences;

you w

ill

see t

hat

it i

s n

ot

the

impair

ment

that

should

concern

teach-

ers

or

how

it

was c

aused, but

rath

er

it is

red

ucin

g

the

conseq

uences

that

the

impair

ment

bri

ngs t

o t

he c

hild’s l

ife a

nd

the b

arr

iers

that

it p

resents

to c

hildre

n’s

learn

ing.

Som

e p

eople

thin

k t

hat

the s

olu

tion

to a

ll t

hese p

roble

ms i

s t

o r

em

ove t

he

impair

ment

so th

at

the child can w

alk

again

. M

edic

al

cure

s are

oft

en sought.

Im

pa

irm

en

ts

Can

you

th

ink

of

an

y o

ther c

on

seq

uen

ces f

or c

hil

dren

wit

h p

hysic

al

dis

ab

ilit

ies?

(Here

’s a

clu

e:

ima

gin

e h

ow

you

r life

wou

ld b

e d

iffe

ren

t if

you

cou

ld

no l

on

ger

wa

lk!)

" " "

If o

nly

we c

ou

ld

make t

he c

hil

d w

alk

ag

ain

th

en

all

th

ese

prob

lem

s w

ou

ldd

isap

pear

Un

der

stan

din

g a

nd

Res

pon

din

g t

o C

hild

ren

’s N

eed

s in

In

clu

sive

Cla

ssro

om

s2

2

“Perh

aps t

he d

octo

rs c

ould

opera

te o

n t

heir

legs”

or

“specia

l exer-

cis

es c

ould

be p

rescri

bed t

o m

ake t

heir

legs w

ork

norm

ally”.

These

can c

ert

ain

ly h

elp

wit

h s

om

e p

eople

but

what

if t

hey d

on’t w

ork

or

if t

hese o

pti

ons a

re n

ot

available

to c

hildre

n a

nd f

am

ilie

s w

here

you

live.

Do w

e j

ust

giv

e u

p?

Not

at

all.

There

are

ple

nty

of

thin

gs t

hat

can b

e d

one t

o r

educe t

he n

eg-

ati

ve c

onsequences e

ven t

hough w

e c

annot

cure

the i

mpair

ment.

Here

are

som

e i

deas –

perh

aps y

ou w

ill

be a

ble

to a

dd o

thers

.

!W

e c

an t

each t

he p

ers

on t

o w

alk

usin

g c

rutc

hes o

r sti

cks.

!W

e c

an g

et

the p

ers

on a

wheelc

hair.

!W

e c

an m

ake s

ure

that

there

are

no s

teps u

p t

o b

uildin

gs.

!W

e a

dapt

the t

oilet

so t

hat

the p

ers

on c

an m

ove f

rom

a w

heel-

chair

on t

o i

t.

!W

e m

ake s

ure

that

his

bro

thers

and s

iste

rs p

lay w

ith t

he c

hild.

This

way o

f th

inkin

g p

laces a

responsib

ilit

y o

n e

ducato

rs a

nd t

he

com

munit

y. If

we f

ail t

o d

o a

ny o

f th

e t

hin

gs lis

ted t

hen t

he c

hildre

n

will

be m

ore

dis

able

d.

Hence i

t is

not

the i

mpair

ment

that

hold

s

back t

he p

ers

on b

ut

the w

ay i

n w

hic

h s

ocie

ty t

reats

the p

ers

on!

That

is w

hy s

om

e p

eople

pre

fer

to b

e c

alled ‘dis

able

d p

ers

ons’

because t

hey f

eel

that

socie

ty,

and t

he e

nvir

onm

ent

in w

hic

h t

hey

live,

has d

isa

ble

dth

em

. T

hro

ughout

the w

orl

d t

his

socia

l vie

wof

dis

abilit

y i

s b

ecom

ing m

ore

accepte

d.

All c

hildre

n learn

thro

ugh t

heir

inte

racti

ons w

ith o

ther

people

– p

ar-

ents

, sib

lings a

nd p

eers

– a

nd t

hro

ugh t

he e

xperi

ences g

ain

ed i

n

the v

ari

ous e

nvir

onm

ents

in t

heir

liv

es –

hom

e,

neig

hbourh

ood a

nd

school.

This

is j

ust

as t

rue f

or

childre

n w

ith i

mpair

ments

. But

this

is

oft

en f

org

ott

en a

s t

hese c

hildre

n w

ere

seen a

s ‘

dif

fere

nt’.

Indeed

their

lack o

f le

arn

ing o

r slo

w d

evelo

pm

ent

was p

ut

dow

n t

o t

heir

impair

ment

rath

er

than t

o t

he r

estr

icti

ons t

hey e

xperi

enced in inte

r-

acti

ng w

ith o

thers

and t

o p

art

icip

ati

ng i

n d

iffe

rent

envir

onm

ents

.

So

cia

l V

ie

w o

f D

is

ab

ility

An

im

pair

men

t n

eed

not

hold

ch

ild

ren

back! D

isab

ilit

y n

eed

n

ot

be a

han

dic

ap

!

We

have

not

cure

d t

he

imp

air

men

tb

ut

we

have

chan

ged

th

e en

vir

on

men

t fo

r th

e ch

ild

so t

hat

the

effe

ct o

f th

e im

pair

men

t is

les

s m

ark

ed.

UN

IT 1

#

Every

Ch

ild

is a

n I

nd

ivid

ual

23

Many o

f th

e d

isabling e

ffects

of

impair

ments

can b

e r

educed if

chil-

dre

n h

ave t

he o

pport

unit

y:

!to

inte

ract

wit

h p

eers

and a

dult

s i

n t

heir

com

munit

y

!to

experi

ence a

range o

f envir

onm

ents

whic

h m

inim

ise t

he

impact

of

their

im