QUESTION: “My daughter has mild mental retardation but I was able to enroll her in a public school that has SpEd program. I am hoping she will be mainstreamed soon so she will experience how it is like to go to school with regular kids. How do I prepare her for mainstreaming and what are the possible  problems that she might encounter? Is there anything I can do at home to help her adjust in the regular classroom setting later on? Thanks.”

Teacher Genevieve says: In the  past, children with special needs were educated in self-contained or segregated classrooms and institutions.

Today, these children can now be found in regular education classrooms learning alongside children without disabilities.

In a developing country such as ours, with the teacher-student ratio in some public schools reaching numbers as high as 1 teacher: 70 students, including children with special needs in the regular school classroom can be quite a challenge. It remains to be a controversial issue among parents, teachers, school administrators, and policy makers whether or not including children with special needs is the best placement option for children with disabilities given the constraints of the Philippine public school system.

There is a lack of classrooms even for typically-developing children, a shortage of teachers with training in special education, less than 100 percent compliance to school accessibility features, and attitudinal barriers among teachers and the rest of the community to successfully carry out inclusive education.

However, all these constraints have not prevented parents of children with special needs like you from asserting their child’s basic right to education in an inclusive environment.

REDEFINING DISABILITY

The new definition of disability states that disability is not inherent in the individual, but stems from attitudinal and environmental barriers that prevent a child with special needs from accessing opportunities and freely enjoying full participation in society without discrimination.

In other words, ALL OF US ARE SPECIAL, being good in some areas and weak in others, but it is the negative attitudes of people and discriminating restrictions of institutions that render children with special needs disabled.

In the school setting, there are many schools which refuse admission to children with special needs.

Generally speaking, there is a lack of preparedness to promote diversity in our schools and teachers are not ready to differentiate instruction and the curriculum to accommodate for the unique learning needs of children with disabilities. Nevertheless, these problems and issues should challenge parents and inclusion advocates to continue pushing for equality in our schools instead of losing hope that a barrier-free and disability-friendly society is possible for our children with special needs.

BUILDING RESILIENCY IN CHILDREN

As a parent, you have high hopes for your child and no challenge is big enough to deter you from wanting what you believe is best for your daughter.

The best way to prepare your daughter for mainstreaming in the regular education classroom is to build a positive self-image and bank on her innate resilience in the face of difficulties as she encounters everyday challenges, but survives each one with her head held high.

Once the child has been mainstreamed, there are many conditions and situations that would be beyond your control.

In line with the new definition of disability, it is not up to your child to adjust to the regular classroom, but up to the regular classroom to adjust to the unique needs of your child. It is up to the teacher to adjust her teaching style and pace to help your child keep up with the demands of being included in the regular class, prepare your child’s classmates to support your child in an accepting learning environment, and provide the necessary accommodations to make sure that your child optimizes her potential amidst the challenges of being special.

On your part, simply believe that your child is as good as any other child so that she may grow up knowing in her heart that anything is possible for anyone who believes that the best is yet to come.

Genevieve Rivadelo is the executive director of ALRES-PHILS. and the chairperson of the SPED Department of Miriam College. A pediatric physiotherapist and special educator, she is pursuing her doctorate studies majoring in Special Education at UP Diliman. She was part of the technical working group and lead facilitator on Education in the 1st National Disability Summit hosted by the National Council on Disability Affairs and remains to be a staunch advocate for children with special needs.