Education for Children with Disabilities: The Special Educators Perspective

Enable Eductaion organised a webinar featuring special educators Mrs Kala Negi and Mrs Kanchan Negi from Saksham, an NGO dedicated to supporting students with diverse needs on 3 August 2024.

They shared their experiences and insights on inclusive education. While acceptance and inclusion for children with disabilities has begun in both private and government schools, challenges remain, especially for students with intellectual disabilities. Acceptance on a wider scale is crucial and is still lacking to a large extent. Saksham primarily focuses on students with visual impairment, they work on children with multiple impairments as well. Agencies such as the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has been instrumental in helping students with multiple disabilities, access higher education. A child not being able to thrive in a school setup is because the has a one size fits all approach and is not catering to the learning capacities of the child. It is a systemic failure on the part of the education system, something the child is not responsible for.

Special schools carry a certain level of stigma, as parents of children with disabilities feel that children who go to special schools never amount to much in life. It is imperative for parents to understand that their children will amount to something, with their understanding and support. Children with intellectual disabilities and impairments may need some additional individual attention and some of them may be able to thrive in an inclusive school setup thereafter.

Children with locomotor disabilities are assessed through several activities meant for different age groups, to help educators understand what kind of a curriculum will help the child thrive best and integrate better with the world around them. For example, as far as children with locomotor disabilities are concerned, the kind of mobility aids that would work best for them and the skills required to gain independence in day-to-day tasks as assessed. Resource centres provide the know how and the resources needed to help students with disabilities. They provide the additional support that children who are in an inclusive setup need along with individual guidance. Educators in a resource centre setup also face a plethora of issues, when it comes to assessment of these children. Sometimes, the tools and assessment manuals they are asked to use do not fit into the Indian context, hence making it difficult of both the educator and the child to use them. Often, parents are unable to bring the child to the centre regularly and that makes it difficult for the educator to reconnect with the child and establish a rapport. Technological aids play an important role in the education of children with disabilities.

The webinar highlighted ongoing efforts and challenges in inclusive education. The insights from Kala and Kanchan Negi underscored the need for continued advocacy, parental support, and collaborative efforts to create an inclusive educational environment. It also highlighted the need to develop an understanding of inclusion, to make it a reality for al children with disabilities