1. Inclusive Education Presented by Miss Indu Goswami

2. “I live in a cocoon of social making Peeping out at the world from behind a curtain.” Asha Hans (Hans & Patri, 2003: 5)

3. Inclusive Education in Gurukuls

4. Constitutional Provision  RTE – Free & Compulsory Education of all up to 14 yrs.  Persons with Disabilities Act 1995 provides access to free education in an appropriate environment for children with disabilities till they attain the age of 18yrs.

5. International Provisions  The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) which sets out children’s rights in respect of freedom from discrimination and in respect of the representation of their wishes and views.  The UNESCO Salamanca Statement (1994) which calls on all governments to give the highest priority to inclusive education.  The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) which calls on all States Parties to ensure an inclusive education system at all levels.

6. Inclusive education is a human right it's good education and it makes good social sense. Ten Reasons For Inclusion

7. 1.Inclusive Education & Human Rights 1.All children have the right to learn together. 2.Children should not be devalued or discriminated against by being excluded or sent away because of their disability or learning difficulty. 3.Disabled adults, describing themselves as special school survivors, are demanding an end to segregation. 4.There are no legitimate reasons to separate children for their education. Children belong together - with advantages and benefits for everyone. They do not need to be protected from each other.

8. 2. Inclusive Education & Good Education 4. Research shows children do better, academically and socially in integrated settings. 5. There is no teaching or care in a segregated school, which cannot take place in an ordinary school. 6. Given commitment and support, inclusive education is a more efficient use of educational resources.

9. 3.Inclusive Education & Good Social Sense 8. Segregation teaches children to be fearful, ignorant and breeds prejudice. 9. All children need an education that will help them develop relationships and prepare them for life in the mainstream. 10. Only inclusion has the potential to reduce fear and build friendship, respect and understanding (Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE) Bristol, United Kingdom )

10. Governments Initiatives Revised Plan for Inclusive Education of Children & Youth with Disabilities 1.Modify the existing physical infrastructure and teaching methodology to meet the needs of all children including children with special needs. 2.3% seats reserved in all Institutions receiving funds from Government. 3.By 2020 all schools in the country will be made disabled friendly and have barrier free access (including hostels, libraries, laboratories & buildings) 4.Availability of study material for the disabled & talking text books, reading machines, computers with speech software along with adequate number of Braille books. 5.Changes in Curriculum & Pedagogy. 6.Need to sensitize the teachers to the requirement of children with special needs by including it as a component of Regular In-service Training of Teachers in Inclusive Education.

11. What is Inclusive Education? Inclusive education is a process of removing barriers and enabling all students, including previously excluded groups, to learn and participate effectively within general school systems.

12. INCLUSION: A DEVELOPMENTAL APPROACH IN EDUCATION Inclusive education means that “… schools should accommodate all children regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions. This should include disabled and gifted children, street and working children, children from remote or nomadic populations, children from linguistic, ethnic or cultural minorities and children from other disadvantaged or marginalised areas or groups.” (The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education, paragraph 3)

13. In its broadest, all encompassing meaning inclusive education as an approach seeks to:  Address the learning needs of all children. Youth & adults with special focus in those who are vulnerable to marginalization reclusion.  It implies all learners young people with or without disabilities being able to learn together through access to common pre-school previous schools and community educational setting with appropriate network of support services.  A flexible educational system that assimilates the needs of a diverse range of learners and adapts itself to meet these needs.  Aims at all stake holders in the system (learners, parents, community, teachers, administrators, policy makers) to be comfortable with diversity and see it as a challenge rather than a problem.  Supports & welcomes diversity among all learners – providing the necessary support for growth & development is the responsibility of the government.

14. EDUCATION THROUGH THE INCLUSION LENS Seeing education through the inclusion lens implies a shift from seeing the child as a problem to seeing the education system as the problem that can be solved through inclusive approaches

15. UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS OF INCLUSION (Steps from Exclusion to Inclusion)

16. Main Features of Inclusive Education  All students can learn and benefit from education.  Schools adapt to the needs of students, rather than students adapting to the needs of the school.  Individual differences between students are a source of richness and diversity, and not a problem.  The diversity of needs and pace of development of students are addressed through a wide and flexible range of responses (so long as those responses do not include removing a student with a disability from a general education classroom).

17. Benefits to the students without Special Education Needs (SEN) The benefits of inclusion for students without SEN are as follows:  Students without SEN have a variety of opportunities for interacting with peers of their own age who experience SEN, in inclusive school settings.  They may serve as peer tutors during instructional activities.  They may play the role of a special “buddy” for the children with SEN during lunch, in the bus, or on the playground.  Children without SEN can learn a good deal about tolerance, individual difference, and human exceptionality by interacting with those with SEN.  Children without SEN can learn that students with SEN have many positive characteristics and abilities.

18. Continue…..  Children without SEN have the chance to learn about many of the human service professions, such as, special education, speech therapy, physical therapy, recreational therapy, and vocational rehabilitation. For some, exposure to these areas may lead their making a career in any of these areas later on.  Inclusion offers the opportunity for students without SEN to learn to communicate, and deal effectively with a wide range of individuals. This also prepares them to fully participate in a pluralistic society when they are adults (Ryndak and Alper, 1996).  Inclusive education ensures that a school responds to the educational needs of children in the neighbourhood. It brings a school closer to the community (Jha, 2002).  To sum up, inclusive education results in improved social development and academic outcomes for all learners.

19. Role of the School in Inclusive Education The school can make inclusion happen by playing a proactive role in terms of the following actions:  Removing physical barriers posed by stairs, doorways, toilets, water faucets, and other architectural aspects imperative to accessing facilities in the school.  Removing the barriers of the teaching system, by providing facilities for accessing information related to the curriculum, by the use of modern technology like computers using specialized software by providing awareness, sensitivity and solutions for teachers.  Removing the barriers of the examination system by providing means of free and fair evaluation of the students knowledge irrespective of his/her sensory/physical status.  Removing the barriers of attitude developed due to lack of awareness.

20. Role of the Teacher in Inclusive Education The Open File on Inclusive Education (UNESCO, 2001) suggests that the following demands be placed on teachers from the perspective of inclusive curricula:  They have to become involved in curriculum development at the local level, and they have to be skilled in curriculum adaptation in their own classrooms.  They have to manage a complex range of classroom activities.  They have to know how to support their students’ learning without giving them predetermined answers.  They have to work outside traditional subject boundaries and in culturally sensitive ways.

21. In terms of specific competencies, research says that the teachers in an inclusive classroom should have the:  ability to problem-solve, to be able to informally assess the skills a student needs (rather than relying solely on standardised curriculum);  ability to take advantage of children’s individual interests and use their internal motivation for developing required skills;  ability to set high but alternative expectations that are suitable for the students. This means developing alternative assessments;  ability to make appropriate expectations for each student, regardless of the student’s capabilities. If teachers can do this, it allows all students to be included in a class and school; and  ability to learn how to value all kinds of skills that students bring to a class, not just the academic skills. In doing this, teachers will make it explicit that in their classrooms they value all skills (Chadha, A. 2001).

22. Also the teachers must be able to:  recognise and respond to the diversity of students in their classrooms;  accommodate to students’ different learning styles and rates of learning by employing a range of teaching methods, including cooperative group learning, peer tutoring, team teaching and individualised instruction;  be aware of the rights of students with education support needs  locate appropriate material, equipment or specialists; and  identify and overcome barriers to learn.  consult with and develop partnerships with parents/caregivers and colleagues;  use appropriate forms of assessment;  adapt their instruction to the prior knowledge and beliefs of students;  create an inclusive community that extends beyond the walls of the school; and  seek to enhance the self-esteem of all students

23. Teaching Strategies (Examples of Teaching Strategies)  Observe carefully and plan interventions for students at risk  Let the light fall on your face and not behind you. This would be helpful in lip reading  Audio visual presentations are helpful for all students  Assist the visually impaired with good colour schemes; put posters and displays in the classroom at eye level of students  Signing helps in communicating with children who cannot understand the language of instruction well  Adapt curriculum materials when required to suit the needs of different students  Use hands-on approach that maximizes the use of all senses  Expose students to real objects and meaningful experiences in natural environments at naturally occurring times of the day  Let all students experience success  Collaborate with experts to teach learning strategies and study skills to students

24. Continue…..  Provide extra time if required to complete assignments  Provide small group tutoring or individual tutoring in or outside the class  Maintain high expectations for all  Provide leadership opportunities  Teach appropriate social skills  Use a pleasant tone of voice  Never make fun of any child  Provide opportunities to use language  Promote positive interdependence in the class- make children with disabilities sit with a competent peer  Teach life skills  Keep directions brief and clear  Give examples  Have interclass and within class groupings  Provide reinforcements  Ensure success for all

25. Examples of Curricular Modifications  Multi Level Curriculum Instructions refers to teach a diverse group of learners within a shared activity in which students have individually appropriate learning outcomes within the same curricular area. For example, in a science class while majority of students may be working on what makes objects float or sink students with special needs may be understanding the concept of sinking and floating and the difference between them.  Curriculum overlapping happens when students have individually appropriate learning outcomes from different curricular areas but work on these in a shared activity. For example, when students are working in groups some may be achieving the learning outcomes for social studies while students with special needs may be working on development of communication skills.  Students with Physical Disabilities– may require adaptations to the physical environment of the school like ramps, proper toilets etc.  Students with severe visual impairments –may require adaptations in the equipment and the materials like reading material in Braille.  Students with intellectual challenges –may require modification in the curricular content to provide less complex information and learning of functional and vocational skills.

26. Continue………  Students with hearing impairments may require the teacher to use short sentences, look at the student often while talking and ask the peers to help as much as possible.  Finally, Johnson (1993) has suggested to explore the following alternatives in relation to content, teaching materials, responses expected from the child and methods of assessment:  Modification; for example, computer responses instead of oral responses;  Substitution; for example, Braille for written materials;  Omission; for example, omitting very complex work for children with intellectual disabilities; and  Compensation; for example, self care skills, vocational skills.

27. CBSE Relaxation for Disabled Children  The persons with disabilities (Dyslexic, Blind, Spastic and Candidate with Visual Impairment) have the option of studying one compulsory language as against two. The language opted by them should be in consonance with the overall spirit of the Three Language Formula prescribed by the Board. Besides one language they can offer any four of the following subjects –Mathematics, Science and Technology, Social Science, Another Language, Music, Painting, Home Science and Introductory Information Technology.  From the 2002 Examination, alternate questions in lieu of questions requiring special skills based on visual inputs have been provided in Mathematics and Science for Secondary School Examination (Class X).  Blind, Physically Handicapped and Dyslexic students are permitted to use and amanuensis. The amanuensis must be a student of a class lower than the one for which the candidate is taking the examination.  The visually handicapped students appearing from Delhi were provided questions papers with enlarged print for 2003 Examination.  Disabled candidates are allowed additional one hour (60 minutes) for each paper of external examination.

28. Continue…….  Board does not give relaxation in minimum marks prescribed by it.  Exemption from Examination in the Third Language.  The Board considers the Physiotherapic exercises as equivalent to Physical and Health Education course of the Board.  Centre Superintendents have been instructed to make arrangements for the conduct of the examination of such candidates on the ground floor as far as possible.  Physically challenged children will specifically indicate their category and also state whether they have been provided with a Writer in the columns provided in the main answer book. Answer books of such candidates are evaluated by the Regional Officers at one Nodal Centre.  The Centre Superintendents have been requested to send the answer books of such candidates in a separate envelope to the Regional Officer concerned.  Separate question papers in Science and Mathematics at Secondary (Class X) level have been provided for blind students w.e.f. 2003 Examinations.  Assistant Superintendents for the blinds are teachers from the schools where the blinds are studying. As far as possible, teachers of the same subject are not allowed to be appointed on the day of examination. One invigilator is from outside the school.

29. Fundamentals Inclusion is aboutInclusion is not about making provisions for all about providing for some children and not excluding any about providing for some welcoming and celebrating diversityAbout considering diversities as a burden Improving quality of education for allImproving quality of education for some Enabling all children dignity and confidence to learn Ridiculing children and having low expectations Making all realise their basic right to educationDenying some groups this right to education Selecting inclusive learning tasks and pedagogical practices Selecting inclusive learning tasks and pedagogies not accessible to all Non exclusionOnly inclusion of disabled Removing physical, social, attitudinal barriersConsidering some children to be inferior to others and not capable of learning