Abstract
In the framework of the development of the Programme of Children with Special Educational Needs integrated to the Common School which place in Peru since 1992, favourable situations have been produced reflect on the traditional way of giving attention to the pupils of the Special Schools mainly segregated and discriminatory. This reflection gave us opportunity that the professionals of these schools become aware of the importance of a sustained and gradual closeness to the Common Schools.
(1) The programme started with the participation mainly of the teaching staff of the Common Schools and a reduced number of the professionals of Special Education who on a voluntary basis decided to participate, organising themselves as the Supporting Team. They are responsible for the psychopedagogic evaluation of the integrated children and also of giving advice to teachers of the integrated classrooms.
(2) As the events developed , it was evident the existence of the great need of attention to be paid to the 'hidden population' in the Common Schools, unknown and unattended until that moment. The situation previously stated, added to the demand to consolidate the school integration experience that was being developed, motivated that all the Special Schools were committees at a national level to constitute the Service of Attention to the Diversity, SAD's for short. They do not require any extra staff or infrastructure. These teams are constituted by qualified teachers and psychologists of the same Special Schools who give the necessary support to teachers, pupils and parents of the Common Schools at different times.
The support given to the SAD's is backed up by specific regulations that at the same time encourage the participation of the Educational authorities.
As a consequence of this process, the execution of the integrated actions and of the reflection of their own teaching performance, the teaching staff of the Special Schools and the Common Schools began to consider favourable perspectives of progress from the children of the integrated classrooms to the Common Schools and have assumed their responsibility to achieve the learning in all their pupils.
This situation has motivated that the Common Schools as well as Special Schools accept a relationship of collaboration and transference of knowledge that will result in attitudes of acceptance and favourable readiness to pay attention to the diversity of their students.
(1) Programme developed with the technical assistance from UNESCO and
supported by DANIDA.
(2) Those classrooms of the common schools where there
are more than two children integrated.
Peru is located in west central of South America and it is a developing country with a population of twenty four million, the majority with a low social and economic status. Two thirds of the population are children and young people. I want to share with you the experience of integration of children with disabilities in ordinary schools in my country: Peru and how this experience has influenced the development of inclusive education. The experience of integrated education began in Peru in 1992 with a project with the technical support of UNESCO, funded by DANIDA and implemented by the Ministry of Education. Also during this time, the Ministry of Education undertook a curricular reform designed a flexible curriculum and implemented a National Plan of Teacher Training which contemplates responding positively to pupils differences. The project began by selecting four regions of the country and by setting up a simple structure to make the project work. At the level of the Ministry of Education, an interdisciplinary team was set up to direct the experience at national level. In each region where the project was taking place, a local co-ordinator was appointed. New regions were incorporated in the second stage of the project. In addition, other regions joined the project, with their own initiatives.
STRATEGIES:
The peruvian integration project applied different strategies such as:
SENSITISATION:
The sensitisation to the special and ordinary schools staff, authorities and supervisors from the Ministry of Education was a fundamental strategy to obtain the acceptance of the children with disabilities in the schools and the support of the special schools to the ordinary schools. We also obtained the support from the authorities to implement the actions and to consolidate the experience. It was accomplished through workshops to change attitudes towards people with disabilities and through testimonies of people with disabilities or their families. The sensitisation was also directed to the families of the integrated children and to the parents of the classroom peers of the integrated children . As for the parents with a low social and economic status, it was not necessary to develop sensitisation actions because the acceptance of the children integrated in the school emerged spontaneously and naturally. In general, it was not necessary to sensitise the peers of the children with disabilities because contrary to what we tend to believe, children are not cruel. The children of the integrated schools received the children with disabilities as any other child with whom they can play and share. The integration experience offers the opportunity for children to develop values such as solidarity and respect to individual differences.
SELECTION OF TEACHERS AND CHILDREN
One of the criterions for selecting schools and teachers to participate in the first stage of the project was that they showed interest in the project. The professionals from the special schools were selected in the same way. These professionals constituted the support teams were in charge of evaluating the children and of giving advice to the teachers who had children with disabilities integrated. The selection of the children to be integrated depended on the presence of minimum conditions .that would guarantee their success during their integration. With the purpose of demonstrating that the integration was possible, the experience began with children with mild disabilities. The evaluation of the children also considered the evaluation of the family and the social context. The result of the evaluation was transmitted to the teachers in the form of a report of the children needs. It did not include IQ, Mental Age nor classifications.
TEACHERS TRAINING
The training was directed to groups composed by professionals of regular and special education (psychologists, teachers, social workers) in different positions (head people, teachers, supervisors). The training included workshops using UNESCO's Special Needs in the Classroom - Resource Pack, workshops of curricular adaptations, formulation of school projects and also visits to the special and integrative schools. Professionals learning groups were formed. They consisted of small groups of professionals who read, analysed and debated topics of importance.
WORK WITH FAMILIES
In regards to the work with families, this has consisted mainly on change the attitude of the parents with relation to their children with disabilities. This implied giving them positive information about the real learning possibilities of their children and making them understand the vital importance of their effective collaboration with the teacher. The parents of the integrated children had the opportunity to participate in workshops to train them to support their children in their homes. The result obtained from the work that parents do with their children at home was the improvement in their socialisation skills and in their academic achievement. On the contrary, in those cases in which the participation of the family was not seen, the advances were limited.
SUPPORTING TEACHERS OF ORDINARY SCHOOLS
The support team constitutes a very important strategy to reach the success in the integration of the children with disabilities to the ordinary schools, since the integrative teacher requires support to develop their work with the integrated child and other children in the classroom that also require additional support. It is important to point out that being Peru a country of few resources, professionals cannot be designated in each integrative schools. For this reason, support teams with professionals from special schools were constituted who dedicated some days to visit the integrative classroom. In order to improve better relationships among the integrative teacher and the support team, they participate together in the training actions. The result was that the ordinary school teachers were not threatened. Actually, the support team are called "Attention to Diversity Services" because the support teacher does not only help the integrated child but other children of the classroom that also require support. They can give, in some instances, direct support to the pupils (compensatory techniques) and orientation to the families.
RESULTS
In conclusion, the experience of the integration of children with disabilities changed the characteristics in the special and ordinary schools:
At the beginning of this experience, in1992, the characteristics of the special schools were segregated schools and contained by themselves, without contact with the rest of the educational system, retaining their students the biggest possible time. The special schools worked with a different curricular programme, with clinical evaluation centred in the disability. Besides, parents did not participate in the education of their children. The integrative experience in Peru has provoked a revolution in the theory and practices of the special education in the country. Gradually, it has transformed the segregated and isolated school to a school committed with integration approximating to the regular educational system to guarantee the acceptance of the children integrated This experience has also CONTRIBUTED TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THE ORDINARY SCHOOLS SO THAT THESE BECOME MORE INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS.
At the beginning of this experience, in1992, the characteristics of the special schools were segregated schools and contained by themselves, without contact with the rest of the educational system, retaining their students the biggest possible time. The special schools worked with a different curricular programme, with clinical evaluation centred in the disability. Besides, parents did not participate in the education of their children. The integrative experience in Peru has provoked a revolution in the theory and practices of the special education in the country. Gradually, it has transformed the segregated and isolated school to a school committed with integration approximating to the regular educational system to guarantee the acceptance of the children integrated This experience has also CONTRIBUTED TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THE ORDINARY SCHOOLS SO THAT THESE BECOME MORE INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS.
In regards, to the ordinary schools, in 1992, they did not receive the children with disabilities if they had mild problems but also the children that presented learning difficulties for different causes (linguistic, emotional, etc). In general, the ordinary school teachers did not worry about knowing their pupils, their previous experiences, their familiar and social context, their individual educational needs neither of adapting their teaching. The school was unable to give suitable answers to all its pupils. The integrative experience has also generated a attitude of change in the ordinary school teachers. They are interested to know their pupils, to seek new methodology, to be facilitators and guides in the construction process of learning of ALL THE PUPILS. They are adapting their educational answers to the individuals needs of the pupils and facing the problems of some of their pupils and seeking solutions.
Now, the educational system (special and ordinary schools) recognise the importance of a WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE FAMILY, identify the parents as sources of valuable information and also as support resources. The parents of the integrated children left their pessimistic attitude that was paralysing them, becoming important agents in the learning of their children.
The result of having lived together is the good relationships among the integrated children and their peers. In addition to develop values, they are learning in a collaborative way, supporting each other in their learning. The children with disabilities also work in collaborative way increasing their self-esteem. In the long run these children will constitute and adult generation without prejudices, that will RECOGNIZE THE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AS HUMAN BEINGS WITH WEAKNESSES AND STRENGTHS AND WITH RIGTHS TO THE SAME OPPORTUNITTIES.
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