Inclusive and Special Education

• Inclusive Education


  About including all learners, respecting their diverse needs, abilities and characteristics and eliminating all forms of discrimination in their learning environment (UNESCO, 2009)
• Inclusion


  The process of addressing and responding to the diversity of needs of all learners through increasing participation in learning, cultures and communities, and reducing exclusion within and from education
• Inclusion involves changes and modifications in content, approaches, structures, and strategies, with a common vision which covers all children of the appropriate age range and a conviction that it is the responsibility of the regular system to educate ALL children (UNESCO, 2017)
• DepEd Order 21, series of 2019, also known as the Policy Guidelines on the K to 12 Basic Education Program, states that Inclusive Education is the key standard and core principle of the K to 12 curriculum, and as an inclusive curriculum, it is learner-centered, developmentally-appropriate, culture-sensitive, relevant, gender-responsive, and contextualized
• Teachers shall be considered as the primary implementors of Inclusive Education as they address the diverse needs of the learners
• Special Education (SpEd)


  Classes or instruction designed for students with disabilities, giftedness, and talents
• Special Education Needs (SEN)


  A term used in some countries to refer to children with impairments that are seen as requiring additional support (UNESCO, 2017. p.7)
• Mainstreaming


  The practice of educating students with learning challenges in regular classes, in the least restrictive environment, based on their skills
• Integration


  Refers to the creation of spaces such as regular classroom, special education classrooms or pull-out services for diverse learners
• Segregation


  The separation of individuals with special needs from the mainstream education system
• Integration


  Involves including individuals with special needs in regular classrooms with support
• Inclusion


  Aims to fully integrate individuals with special needs into all aspects of school life
• Exclusion


  Individuals with special needs are prevented (left out) from accessing an educational setting at point of entry
• Philippine Inclusive Education was then defined as: A process where all types of learners with diverse needs are given equal opportunities for meaningful life in non-discriminatory environments. These environments foster belongingness through culturally or spiritually sensitive, learner-centered curriculum, learning process, delivery modes, and settings (Bustos, et al., 2014. p.19)
• Differences between Inclusive Education and Special Education

  • Inclusive Education tends to be more cost-effective as it involves integrating students with disabilities into mainstreams classrooms with additional support services
  • Special Education requires separate facilities and specialized resources which can be more expensive
• Differences between Inclusive Education and Special Education

  • Inclusive Education involves diverse students, mix of students with and without disabilities
  • Special Education focuses solely on students who require individualized attention
• Differences between Inclusive Education and Special Education

  • In Inclusive Education, all learners, regardless of the condition, participate in a mainstreamed classroom alongside their age peers
  • In Special Education, the learners with disabilities, giftedness, and talents are accommodated in a special class along with other learners of the same condition
• Differences between Inclusive Education and Special Education

  • In Inclusive Education, all students simply require good instruction, but different teaching strategies may be employed to those with low or very high education needs
  • In Special Education, the learners with disabilities, giftedness, and talents are given specialized and intensive instruction anchored on their curriculum
• Differences between Inclusive Education and Special Education

  • In Inclusive Education, teachers possess strong collaboration and differentiation skills to meet the needs of all the learners
  • In Special Education, teachers are trained specifically to work with students who have disabilities
• Differences between Inclusive Education and Special Education

  • In Inclusive Education, the general education teacher oversees the learning of students and in some cases, with the help of the a shadow teacher or a special education teacher
  • In Special Education, the special education teacher oversees the learning of the learners with disabilities, giftedness, and talents with the collaborative partnerships of other professionals listed in the Individualized Education Plan/Program (IEP)
• Differences between Inclusive Education and Special Education


  • Inclusive settings emphasizes diversity and acceptance while promoting academic achievement for all the students
  • Special Education focuses on meeting the unique needs of each student through personalized instruction
• Differences between Inclusive Education and Special Education

  • In Inclusive Education, the curriculum is designed to accommodate a wide range of learning styles and abilities
  • In Special Education, the curriculum is tailored to address specific learning challenges faced by students with disabilities
• Differences between Inclusive Education and Special Education

  • In Inclusive Education, learners adhere to a prescribed curriculum and methodology with some accommodations, adaptations and modifications to meet the needs of learners with disabilities, giftedness, and talents
  • In Special Education, a special curriculum is structured on the learners' condition (e.g. intellectual disability, visual impairments) but is based on the regular curriculum
• Differences between Inclusive Education and Special Education

  • In Inclusive Education, students typically follow the same curriculum as the regular class and may require additional support outside of regular scheduled class hours
  • In Special Education, students often have shorter school days or modified schedules to accommodate their learning needs
• Differences between Inclusive Education and Special Education

  • Ideal number of learners in Inclusive Education: 30-35, for one-on-one: 1, for group: 3-4, for resource group: 5-10
  • In Special Education, classrooms are equipped to support a diverse range of learners, and SpEd settings may have specialized resources such ads adaptive technology or sensory rooms
• The terms LSEN (Learners with special education needs), SWAN (Students with additional needs), CSN (Children with special needs), SEN (Students with special education needs), and SEND (Children with special education needs and disabilities) are used, but it is preferable to use LEARNERS with DISABILITIES according to Bustos (2018) since the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs) are fundamental human rights and are NOT special rights
• The term "disability" is not a derogatory term, while the term "special" might be