On a sultry winter afternoon, while the class was brimming with energy, the students chatting amongst themselves and the textbook turned to a fresh new chapter, our teacher walked into class and made an announcement. “Students!” She exclaimed, “We are to have a special programme where you are to interact with and escort specially-abled children through the school premises for one whole day.” Naturally, as sixteen-year old somethings, we were quite skeptical of the idea, not knowing what to expect. Before long, the day arrived. A bright yellow bus made its way to our school parking lot and out came a group of children much unlike us (or so we thought at the time). A few of us volunteers escorted them into the school premises, where we had organized games, activities, and a grand feast for them. Little by little we began talking to them, the ice was broken and we felt ourselves becoming part of an experience that taught us a key lesson of life: As humans, we are much more similar than different to one another. The day ended in revelry and merriment and after we bid them a tearful farewell and returned to our class, our teacher said, “It was for you to realize today that difference, in any form, is to be celebrated and not feared!” This sentence still rings in my mind today- differences are to be celebrated and not feared, yet we do fear them. Why is that?
The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) at the elementary level, along with the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) at the secondary level, makes provisions for children with special needs (CWSN), among other components.
The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is the main programme for the universalization of elementary education for all children between 6-14 years of age. Its overall goals include universal access and retention, bridging of gender and social category gaps in education coupled with enhancement of learning levels of children. SSA focuses on providing inclusive education to CWSN, wherein children with and without disabilities participate and learn together in the same class. The major interventions for the education of CWSN are identification along with functional and formal assessment, appropriate educational placement, preparation of Individualized Education Plan, provision of free aids and appliances, transport and/or escort support, teacher training, the appointment of resource teachers, therapeutic support and barrier-free access. India has even signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities.
So then why is inclusive education so difficult to implement in schools?
Barriers to implementation of inclusive education in schools:
Now imagine a world in which children learn, play, and grow together. A world in which ability does not stand in the way of making friends. Inclusion is not a set of strategies or a placement issue. Inclusion is about belonging to a community- a group of friends, a school community, or a neighborhood. But inclusion isn’t necessarily about being there. We all know the experience too well: We walk into a room full of people and we feel like we don’t belong. Inclusion lays down the promise of belonging- a feeling which is mandatory for the overall well-being of the child.
So in this regard, how may inclusive schools benefit children across the learning spectrum?
Well, for one, as opposed to general belief, children with disabilities do experience a sense of belonging. In fact, mainstreaming has shown that inclusion has helped students perform well academically as opposed to exclusion practices. It allows students to get a better understanding of the world around them and feel happy about being part of the community. Inclusion has also been shown to foster better social skills in non-disabled as well as specially-abled children. This also helps children develop a positive understanding of other people with disabilities. The children of the regular school learn to appreciate diversity, when they attend the classes with the other children, as we all may acknowledge: the school is a microcosm of the society at large.
It has been observed through a lot of individual case studies that children on the autism spectrum especially benefit a lot in their social behaviour. It also helps in improving their communication just by being with the other children in a regular school. Even the non-verbal children express their feelings and thoughts through some form of gestural communication and they also feel happy when their peers are able to understand what they are trying to communicate. The children of the regular school learn to appreciate diversity when they attend the classes with the other children. They can assist students with special needs in various ways in the classroom as a scriber, as a helper, reader, and also to move the wheelchair around the school- a practice in empathy, one of the most important social skills our children might acquire throughout their life.
The day that the yellow bus arrived at our school gates has been till date one of the most pivotal experiences in my life. It taught me the value of empathy, compassion, and understanding. How I wish I could have got to know those children better now. How I wish I had the opportunity to study alongside them perhaps learning a thing or two more about those wonderful children than was learnt in that one day.
If you think, your child needs special education, please contact-
https://www.adityabirlaintegratedschool.com/contact
Author: Shruti Chowdhury,
Teaching Faculty - Senior, The Aditya Birla Integrated School
Also read:
https://www.adityabirlaintegratedschool.com/blog/looking-for-top-special-schools-in-mumbai
