Special
Education and the Inclusive Nation
Introduction
In this
paper, among many issues, the concept of disability and its related terms are
discussed; the causes and categories of disabilities are analyzed and finally; the
Screening tests and the reasons to create an inclusive nation are taken into
account.
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| Albinism disability |
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| Mult-sensory disability-deaf-blind |
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Disability
Disability is defined as difficulty in doing something considered
normal. Disability has got three ranges in degrees, that is, mild, moderate,
severe and profound. There are different types of disabilities such as visual
impairment, hearing impairment, cognitive disability or intellectual
impairment, speech and language disorder, deaf-blindness, learning
disabilities.
Impairment
It is a condition of missing or having defective body part. It is
the lack of body limb or an organ that can cause personal limitations to
perform certain tasks in daily lives.
Handicap
The social or physical disadvantage created by an existence of
disability. Sometimes handicap can be a
result of social attitudes; a person can be physically and mentally fit but due
to the belief of the concerned society a person can be led to handicapped
conditions.
Isolation
This is the society’s negative attitudes and rejection towards
people with disabilities. Isolation ranges in terms of social, economic,
political and cultural backgrounds of the particular society.
Special needs
These are the particular needs of a person that require unique
attention in provision of services to an individual having disability in
relation to special needs. These services go beyond the education to include
all facilities that enable a person to survive accordingly.
Special Education
Special education is a broad term that
describes the education of students who have hearing impairment, visual
impairment, and speech impairment, intellectual, physical, behavioral or
emotional disabilities. Special education involves specially designed
instruction that is provided at no cost to parents to meet the unique needs of
children with a disability.
Inclusive society
This is the type of society which is consisted with different
people having different personalities, abilities and relies on the concept of
human diversities. And these people cooperate in all matters regardless of
their existing varieties of diversities.
Causes
of Disability
Disability, as it is defined as strangely way of doing things
considered normal under the influence of impairment, is fundamentally caused by
any of the two factors. These factors are NATURE and NURTURE. Nature involves inheritance from
parents and/or the lineage of the family. It is controlled by human genes
(genes deformity). Nurture on the
other hand, involves the environments. It deals with all facts that surround
us. Under nurture, there are two sub-categories of congenital - the disability formed or present before birth, and the
acquired – the disability formed
after the child is born. These causes of disabilities can be well understood when
are studied under each category of disability.
Categories of Disabilities
Principally, there are thirteen
different categories of disabilities which are recognized by IDEA 2004
(Individual Disability Education Act of 2004). If children experience
difficulties that fall within one of the thirteen categories and their
education is significantly affected as a result of their disability, then they
may qualify for special education and related services.
The specific categories of
these types of disabilities are: Autism, Visual Impairment, Deaf-Blindness,
Intellectual or Cognitive Disability, Hearing Impairment and Deafness. Others
are Multiple Disabilities, Traumatic Brain Injury, Speech or Language
Impairment, Orthopedic Impairments, Other Healthy Impairments, Specific
Learning Disability, and Emotional Disturbance.
Reasons
for illuminating for these categories of disabilities
Primarily, the reasons for
this classification are academically and healthy services oriented. All these
reasons are done under the notion so-called “Intervention services-doing something to
lessen the effects of disability on someone’s life”. One of the goals
in education is to include children with special needs in the regular education
classroom as much as possible. Therefore, children with special needs will most
likely have ongoing contact with regular education teachers, and these teachers
may not have experience in working with children who have a particular
disorder. Usually, a psychologist or school psychologist conducts an assessment
and diagnoses a child to determine which diagnostic category best describes the
child's problems.
SCREENING
TESTS
Screening procedures are an
important part of the assessment process in schools, hospitals and/or other
relevant places to identify children and youth who have disabilities or are at
risk and are likely to develop disability. Such procedures must be used with
care; however, as they provide only a preliminary sign that a child has a
disability. Additional testing is required to affirm or disprove the presence
of a handicapping condition. If a disability is identified during follow-up
assessment, the focus shifts to providing the student with an appropriate
education program.
Possible personals to conduct screening test
to classify disabilities
Currently, the screening
tests can be done at home by parents using local methods before referring their
child to further stages. Others are specialist teachers, psychologists and
physicians at schools and hospital/health centers respectively. Each disability
has its own ways and styles of assessment in which it can be conducted.
Why
screening tests?
Screening tests discover
type of disability and determine the services to be provided to the clients.
These services are educational such as IEP (Individualized Education Program) and
other social services like healthy matters and rehabilitation. Generally, screening
test directs towards discovery of disabling factors to human life and the
appropriate programs designed to support that person according to the type of
disabling factor.
Conclusion
From the term disability
where different definitions are enumerated, causes of disabilities are
determined and how screening tests are conducted; it is obvious that the nation
can be led to the side effects of classes based on abilities. The most affected
by these classes are the people with disabilities who end up being neglected
and marginalized by the society’s social governing systems.
It is from this notion that
we need the revised conventions which will eagerly motivate all people think
positively about people with special needs. It facilitates the idea of bringing
back to the system all those who were casted into the shadows of hopeless
states, who were previously regarded as the immigrants of their own country. There
is therefore, a need to have joint hands raised up, voices shouted out and the
eyes seeing beyond the scene to CREATE an INCLUSIVE NATION for its people.
Think Inclusively ~~~ Act Inclusively ~~~
Create an Inclusive Nation
