Development of SPED and Inclusive Under this scheme, the child is enrolled in

Education in the Philippines the regular school program but goes to a

resource room to use the specialized
Special Education -a form of instruction
equipment either in a tutorial situation or
that is designed to meet the needs of
in a small group. The resource room
students with disabilities, so that they can
teacher functions both as an instructor
learn the same skills and information as
and as a consultant. The usual procedure
other children in school.
is for the trained resource room teacher
Inclusive Education -means all children in to serve the area of exceptionality.
the same classrooms, in the same schools. It However, occasionally, in small
means real learning opportunities for groups communities, necessity may dictate that
who have traditionally been excluded – not the resource room teacher serves children
only children with disabilities, but speakers of with a variety of learning disabilities
minority languages too.
 Itinerant teacher plan
LEGAL BASIS
Under this plan, an itinerant or traveling
• Legislations of the Presidential Decree teacher serves one or more regular
No. 603 of 1974, The Child and Youth schools depending on how many pupils
Welfare Code. This Decree codified laws need special help. The teacher gives
on the rights and responsibilities of direct and consultative services to
children below 21 and of parents, as well children and in addition, observes,
as substantive and procedural provisions diagnoses, makes referrals and evaluates
for children with respect to the home, the performance.
community, education, and the state.
 Special class plan (Self-contained with
BACKGROUND OF SPED provision for mainstreaming)

• 1907 was the establishment of the This plan is aimed at children with more
Insular School for the Deaf and the severe problems which make it difficult
Blind, a residential school located in for them to learn in a regular classroom
Pasay City, Metro Manila by M. Delia setting. At times, they may be with their
Delight Rice, an American educator. normal peers, but are usually not in an
academic situation.
• Reorganized in 1970 into two separate
government special schools: the  Special education center
Philippine National School for the This adopts the “school-within-a-school”
Blind and the Philippine School for the concept. The Center is administered by a
Deaf. principal and operated according to the
• Special schools were first set up for rules and regulations that govern a
people with: mental retardation and regular school. The Center functions as a
physical disabilities in 1927, cerebral Resource Center to support children with
palsy in 1953, and behavior problems special needs in regular schools, assists in
and chronic illness in 1962 the conduct of school-based INSET,
produces appropriate teaching materials,
• In 1956, a more formal training of and conducts continuous assessment of
teachers for children with mental CSNs.
retardation, hearing impairment and
visual impairment was offered at  Special day school
Baguio Vacation Normal School. This type of school serves specific types
• Enactment of Republic Act 5250 of children with moderate to severe
which established a 10-year training disabilities. A comprehensive array of
programs for teachers in 1968 and led to medical, psychological and social
the admission of children with disabilities assessment and the presence of a trained
into regular public schools. special educator are services that this
school offers.
SPED PROGRAMS
 Hospital instruction
• Educational services for children with
special needs (CSNs) come in several This type of instruction is for the severely
forms. These include: emotionally disturbed, the profoundly
retarded who are bed-bound, the crippled,
 Resource room plan those with chronic and/or serious health
disabilities, and recovering patients.
 Services include both bedside tutoring Provision of instructions to children with
and group instructions. When a patient special needs confined in hospitals is
has recovered and returned home, he/she made available in coordination with the
is enrolled in a regular school. DepEd. Special education teachers are
assigned to the UP-PGH (University of the
 Community-based delivery system
Philippines-Philippine General Hospital)
CBDS is for children with special needs Medical Center for such special education
who reside in distant communities and program.
cannot avail themselves of existing
 Community-based Special Education
special education programs. They are
Program
reached by teachers, para-teachers or
volunteers who were trained to teach the Basically aimed at providing equity of
basic 3 Rs and self-help activities to access to quality education, the
prepare them for useful and independent community-based SPED program was
living. piloted in 3 regions. The primary goal of
this program is to provide basic literacy,
SPED programs got a boost in October
numeracy and livelihood skills to out-of-
1993
school handicapped children ages 6-15
• Expand the enrolment of CSNs in years through community services and
regular classes, but assisted by SPED resources.
teachers;
 Vocational Program
• Establish more SPED centers
Training for livelihood skills for the adult
nationwide based on needs, in
mentally retarded can be done through
consultation with leaders of disabled
apprenticeship program. This on the job
sectors; and
training under the supervision of trained
• Review the possibility of providing personnel who understands the nature of
incentives to SPED teachers to mental retardation and other disabilities.
discourage brain drain. Training on vocational skills is also
conducted by the non-formal education in
the Social Reform Agenda (SRA) AS the elementary level.
significant development during the
mid-1990s Public Policy Support for Inclusive
Education
• which has one of its foci the
disadvantaged sectors including the • The Philippine Constitution of 1987
disabled as priority beneficiaries, reflects the educational effectiveness
drawing together all efforts to improve of the United Nations Convention on
access to quality education by children the Rights of the Childs that it signed
with disabilities. in 1990. In Article XIV, Sec. 2, it is
provided that the “State shall…
Alternative Educational Models for establish and maintain a system of
Children with Special Needs free public education in the
 Home-based Instruction. elementary and high school levels”
with elementary education being
Has been conceptualized to reach more compulsory for all children. The
children with special needs who cannot Constitution also mandates the State
be served in a school-based or center- to “encourage non-formal, informal
based program. This scheme utilizes and indigenous learning system, as
parents as a primary means in well as self-learning, independent and
intervention strategy for early and out-of-school study programs, and to
compensatory measure of education and provide adult citizens, the disabled
rehabilitation of the mentally retarded. An and out-of-school youths with training
offshoot of this program is the continuing on civics, vocational efficiency and
parent education that improved family’s other skills.”
involvement in the education of the
retarded member, while enhancing his • The Philippines adopted the policy on
opportunities in experiencing success in inclusion education after the World
an educational program. Conference on Special Needs
Education held in Salamanca, Spain in
June 1994. This conference gave rise
to the Salamanca Statement and
 Hospital-based Instruction.
Framework of Action on Special Needs
 Education that subscribes to the quality education and ample
fundamental principle that “all opportunities to develop their skills,
children should learn together, (ii) take appropriate steps to make
wherever possible, regardless of any such education accessible to all
difficulties or differences they may disabled persons, and (iii) take into
have.” consideration the special requirements
of disabled persons in the formulation
• The integration and mainstreaming of
of education policies and programs. It
children with special needs into the
also mandates the State to encourage
regular school system in the country
learning institutions to take into
actually commenced in the 1970s
account the special needs of disabled
legislative, policy and program persons with respect to the use of
initiatives related to special needs school facilities, class schedules,
education physical education requirements and
other pertinent considerations.
• Adoption of the Philippine Plan of
Action for the Asian and Pacific • The adoption of inclusion education,
Decade of Disabled Persons: 1993- in effect, provided a synthesizing force
2002, the preparation of a Handbook for past and current efforts as well as
on Policies and Guidelines on Special a common platform for new initiatives
Education in 1987, and the Child and directed at children with disability and
Youth Welfare Code (PD 603) which is those requiring special education.
replete with specific provisions
SUMMARY OF PHILIPPINE LAWS RELATED
intended for the welfare of exceptional
TO INCLUSION EDUCATION
children. As cited in Article 3, Rights of
the Child, the emotionally disturbed or Law, Children with
socially maladjusted child shall be Administrative Disabilities
treated with sympathy and Order
understanding, and shall be entitled to
treatment and competent care; and
the physically or mentally 1. Child and Youth Free primary and
handicapped child shall be given the Welfare Code high school
education and care required by his (1974)
particular condition. Equally important
is Article 74, which provides for the 2. Education Act Re-structuring
creation of special classes. The Article of 1982 elementary
reads: Where needs warrant, there education
shall be at least one special class in
every province, and if possible, special 3. Magna Carta Right of entry to
schools for the physically for Disabled any educational
handicapped, the mentally retarded, Persons (1992) institutions;
the emotionally disturbed and the provision of
specially gifted. The private sector quality services in
shall be given all the necessary health, welfare
inducement and encouragement. and employment
Other important laws in support of
4. Philippine Plan Universal access
inclusion education: the Education
of Action for to free primary
Act of 1982 and the Magna Carta for
Children (1992- and secondary
Disabled Persons of 1992 (Republic
1998) education
Act 7277).
• The Education Act provides for a multi- 5. Handbook on Operational
sectoral thrust in the implementation Policies and guidelines for
of inclusion education by mandating Guidelines on teachers and
the schools to provide for the Special Education educational
establishment of appropriate bodies (1997) institutions
that would discuss issues and promote
their interest. The Magna Carta for 6. Philippine Plan Unifying all
Disabled Persons on the other hand, of Action for the government
likewise provides that the State shall Asian and Pacific efforts to provide
(i) ensure that disabled persons are Decade of education and
provided with adequate access to Disabled Persons welfare for
(2003-2012) children with
disabilities