INTRODUCTION
This study has been possible due to the foresight of the President of Anoopam Mission, PUJYA JASHBHAI SAHEB. He has always had a positive attitude towards any venture undertaken by the Anoopam Mission Institutions. His words of advice, 'Think positive and rest will follow" gives one an immense feeling of confidence, which makes a difference for any challenge one takes. NGOs like us undertook the challenge of "INCLUDING THE EXCLUDED" in our mainstream school and found POSITIVE OUTCOME in the initiative undertaken.
India has witnessed a phenomenal expansion of educational opportunities in the post-independence period. The disabled children, however, have not benefited substantially from this growth in educational facilities. The scenario in rural and urban India with regard to educational facilities for children shows a lot of dissimilarity. In rural India, we find a very positive attitude towards the disabled. Almost all the children, irrespective of their special needs, are included up to the primary school level. This gives them an opportunity for social interaction with their peers. While in urban India, many special schools have opened for the disabled children in the last twenty years. The educationists felt that these children should be given special education and should be taught everyday living skills in the schools.
*The Theme of the Paper presented on the subject INCLUDING THE EXCLUDED at the lnternational Special Education Congress 2000 held at the University of Manchester (UK). It is based on A Study of Six Children in an Indian setting conducted by the team members of Mitra Rehabilitation Centre.
** The author of this paper is the Director, Mitra Rehabilitation Centre, [A Centre for Children with Special Needs], Anoopam Mission, Brahmajyoti, Mogn 388 345 Gujarat. India
The National Policy of Education in 1986 gave food for thought. It gave a different direction to the way we looked at the disabled children at large. The policy recommended that the nation should provide equal educational opportunities to all the children and the term "Integrated Education", came into existence.
The mark of a civilized society lies in its support to its weakest members rather than in only supporting its strongest. If we believe that, children having learning difficulties should take their rightful place in the community, then they should be entitled to the same choices, opportunities and status as the rest of us enjoy. It seems to make very little sense for us to allow the creation of experiences and environments during their childhood and school years, which they find abnormal, by segregating them from other children.
Mao Tse-Tung had said that, "The longest journey begins with the first step", and this is an undeniable truth. The journey becomes considerably longer when one discovers that the step taken has been entirely in the wrong direction. The first step lays a firm foundation for the future. It is the step, which ensures that everyone would be journeying together in the same direction.
Thankfully, due to the policy introduced in 1986 and due to the vision of some of the educational planners and health authorities, the development of a new generation of human services has been on the rise. The nation has now started taking into consideration the need to include people with special needs in the mainstream of daily life.
The principles of normalisation are beginning to bring about fresh understanding of the way in which human services should now be delivered. In the past ten years, mainstreaming in India has been gathering momentum gradually but definitely for a better quality of life.
In 1992, Government of India came out with a definite scheme for integrating disabled children into the mainstream schools. Special attention is being given to achieve the goal of education for all. With the broad objective of integrating the disabled children at all levels as equal partners, so as to enable them to face life with courage and confidence, and get entitled to the same choices, opportunities and status that the rest of us enjoy. This not only means that opportunities will be available for access but also for the success of the efforts put in.
Two things need to be kept in mind while including the disabled children in the normal educational schools. One is the "mainstreaming" and the other is a movement towards "normalisation". Anticipating the positive outcomes of this great movement, Mitra Rehabilitation Centre decided to give good thought to the idea of including some of their children from their special school into the mainstream school of 'Gyanyagna Vidyalaya' which shares the same premises with us.
The beginning
The mainstream school, GYANYAGNA VIDYALAYA, started in the year 1989 and a special school known as 'Mitra' was opened for the children with special needs in 1993. Children in the mainstream school and those of the special school shared the same school timings. There was integration taking place in the school corridors, on the playground and in many common school programmes such as annual functions, annual sports meet, etc. Having a special school and a mainstream school in the same premises has made a lot of difference. The staff of the mainstream school already had some background of special education and understood the educational needs of the children with special needs.
By 1995, we felt the need to have an inclusion programme for some of the children of Mitra". There can be very little doubt that just about everyone who cares for the education of children holds a strong view on the subject of integration. It is largely the parents, teachers, special teachers. However, everybody agreed on certain things for children.
- Quality education for all children.
- Equal opportunities for all children.
- Efficient use of resources.
- A flexible system of service delivery.
- More choices within our education system.
In order to meet satisfactorily the special educational needs of the integrated children, we held a long discussion with the head of the mainstream school, teachers of preprimary and primary school, as well as special teachers. The broad criteria were identified for the inclusion of children with special needs in to the mainstream school.
The criteria were
We found that six children were ready to be included in the mainstream school. The readiness was assessed through constant observations we made while working with them. Three were at the pre-primary level, i.e. 3-6 years of age, and three were at the primary level, ie.7-1 0 years of age. Their inclusion was made in six different classes.
The special teachers agreed to work for some hours as assistant teachers in the mainstream school. Most of the mainstream class teachers are not used to working with another adult, some find it more threatening than taking on the special needs of the child. So, from the very beginning it was understood that the special teacher would not be merely a visiting specialist teacher but be an assistant teacher ready at hand to help in the smooth running of the classroom activities.
The special teacher had to play many roles such as an assistant teacher, a supportive guide for the parents and also a stimulator for the integrated child. The parents had to be counseled time and again. Some of them had their own doubts about the integration programme and all were rather worried about their child being ridiculed in the classroom.
The teachers in whose classroom the children were integrated became familiar with the child before he/she was admitted to the class. The class was also informed of the newcomer and about his/her disability. The multi-disciplinary team had a thorough discussion with the teachers in the mainstream school to understand their child with special needs.
INCLUSION PROGRAMME
Our six children took a small step towards the invisible divide of the mainstream school like astronauts. We wondered if our comprehensive education system would allow access to the six little children without illogical fears and prejudices on the part of those working within the system, gives the normality the other children were granted. Given below are the details of the inclusion of these children in the mainstream school and the outcome of this process.
1. NEEL
Neel is a bubbly eight-year-old child with cerebral
palsy. When he was four years old his parents came to get him admitted to the
special school. Although Neel seemed to be having more spasticity in the lower
extremities, he seemed to be at par with the four-year-old preschoolers
intellectually. He was given admission to the junior class of the pre-school. A
child is a child. His classmates had no hang-ups about accepting Neel. They
were eager to wheel him to the toilet and to the playground.
The special teacher visited his class only for a few months. The support was withdrawn gradually. His class teacher often felt threatened even to take him out for games. One day Neel told his mother that his class teacher felt scared of taking him out and that he did not want to be in that class. The situation was soon resolved ensuring pleasurable preschool days for Neel then onward.
When Neel was promoted to primary school, the sitting arrangement was entirely different from what it had been during pre-school days. Three children shared the bench. The class teacher thought that Neel would be uncomfortable if he were to sit with the other two classmates. So, she provided him a separate table and chair. Neel felt deeply insulted at being segregated from the other children and he voiced it out to his parents. When his class teacher came to know of his response, to her initiative, she realized her mistake and the school designed a bench where he would be able to share with the other two children. The bench had a backrest for him and an extension for keeping his bag. He accepted this change and was happy to be with his classmates once again.
Neel's handwriting was not very legible in the beginning but now both his handwriting and reading skills have improved. He is now studying in Form Ill. His classmates do not make any fuss over him and there is a strong bond between him and his classmates. His parents have been very co-operative and have given him the boost to be at par with his classmates. His class teacher, the special teacher and parents together monitor his progress closely and he seems to be sailing very well indeed. He has been attending the mainstream school for the last three years which itself shows that the inclusive education has been successful.
2. MIHIR
Mihir is a very quiet nine-year old boy. He has a
twin sister. At the age of four, they were both enrolled in the pre-primary
school close to their home. The sister seemed to be doing well in the classroom
but Mihir could never sit in one place. He was destructive and, hence, he was
referred to our special school. Mihir has a history of slightly delayed
milestones.
One year of the special schooling quietened him down. His behaviour problems showed reduction, he could concentrate on the work given to him, and his special teacher felt that he was ready to be integrated into the senior kindergarten section of the mainstream school. In the kindergarten he was accepted well both by the children and the teacher of the mainstream school.
He was highly attached to his special teacher. She was very supportive to him for quite a few months. He was then promoted to primary section in Form I. The first six months of Form I went off well. The visits of the special teacher also reduced to once in two months. After the first term, when the academic work became more demanding, Mihir started feeling less confident in his school work. The demands at home also increased and one fine morning he simply refused to go to the school. He used to cry extensively before he left for school. In the school, he became very quiet. The clinical psychologist also intervened but excessive crying and refusal to go to the school became a daily routine with him with the result that his parents finally stopped sending him to school.
The class teacher and the special teacher tried to coax him back to school. The special teacher took one whole year to build a rapport with him, and finally he agreed to come back to the special school.
For the last two years he has been in the special school. He is doing well in functional academic work but arithmetic computations and written work are not his cup of tea.
After these two years, his parents have reported that they are happy to have brought him back to the special school again. This makes one wonder how carefully an integration programme has to be monitored. Now Mihir is as cheerful as he was before.
3. KETUL
Ketul is a cheerful, mischievous sixteen-year-old
teenager. He has cerebral palsy, which is of Athetoid type. He has a lot of
incordinated body movements. His speech is extremely strainful and leaves him
exhausted.
At the age of ten Ketul came to us to get admission to the special school. Till then he was studying in the mainstream school. The mainstream school referred him to us with the observation that he had severe mental retardation and could not cope up with the academic studies at the school. Although Ketul had the problem of coordination and looked very abnormal in his physical appearance also, he had brightness in his eyes. His mother kept on saying that her child was not retarded, and that he was labeled wrongly as one. After a thorough evaluation, we were also amazed to find out that he was an intelligent child. With all his physical difficulties, he was trying to prove himself. This was a challenge to us. We felt that he had to go back to the mainstream school, or it would be an insult to his intelligence.
The inclusion in the mainstream school had to be monitored well. Ketul's handwriting was not legible, and his speech was unintelligible. It was decided that Ketul would attend the mainstream school for a few hours and also get help in the special school. The special teacher, occupational therapist and the speech therapist worked extensively on his problems.
By the end of six months, his handwriting improved a lot. He was taught to write big letters but his speed was so slow that it was not enough to write examination papers. His younger sister had to become a writer for him in Form V examination. Only his mother, sister and the special teacher could understand what he spoke. The special teacher and the class teacher formulated many strategies to help him in his academic progress and social development so as to help him gain confidence in the mainstream school. Their positive attitude also had an impact on his classmates. He is now accepted well in his class. In fact he acted in a play last year which came up to the state level competition. To prove himself, he accepted the role of a mentally challenged child and got a prize for it.
He has now improved in his written expression but still needs time in the written examination. His speech is still not very clear but he tries to communicate as well as possible. He is extremely good humoured and sharp-witted, and this quality of his is admired by his classmates. His mother is very supportive but his father still feels that it is a waste of time.
Hopefully he will appear for the State Board examination next year.
4. BITEN
Biten, bubbly, eight-year-old, cheerful boy came to
get admission to our special school. He was wheel chair bound. He had muscular
dystrophy. Biten attended one year of pre-primary school but had to discontinue
because of his progressive muscular dystrophy. When we gave him admission to
our school, he was extremely happy to see the environment of a school after
five years. Biten had a lot of potential for academic learning but he was not
exposed to formal learning. In the special school, efforts were made to make
him feel comfortable in the school atmosphere by making changes in the physical
facilities of the classroom and by giving him a programme to upgrade his
learning potential. He was placed in a group of mentally challenged children,
though their academic standards could not match his. He was very happy to have
a peer group. Many a times he helped them with their reading and writing
difficulties.
At the end of two years, we found that Biten was ready for integration into the mainstream school. He was enrolled in Form Ill. The class teacher observed Biten in the special school for about three months. Biten's classmates were also briefed about Biten's condition. Children did not show their readiness to socially integrate with him in the beginning because they thought that he was mentally challenged. They were scared to interact with him. Some children gave him too much attention and fussed over him to wheel his chair to wherever he wanted to go.
Intervention of the special teacher made a world of difference to the attitudes of his classmates. The special teacher worked as an assistant teacher constantly for a month and by then Biten showed good progress and was almost at par with his classmates in almost all of the academic areas. He was very eager to prove himself as an intelligent child. He studied in the mainstream school for two more years but unfortunately died of cardiac arrest in November 1999.
5. RAJ
Raj is a very happy child. He has 80 to 90 % hearing
impairment. Although he makes sounds while communicating, he does not speak. He
uses gestural language most of the time. Raj is now seven years old. He came to
our special school at the age of four years and he was referred for speech
therapy and special education by the mainstream pre-primary school close to his
house. His parents were unaware of his hearing impairment.
After the assessment was done in the special school, we found that he had indeed a profound hearing loss. Hearing aids were availed for him and he was enrolled in the junior kindergarten of the mainstream school. He also attended special school for speech therapy. Socially, he improved in the pre-school but because of his severe hearing loss he lacked behind in the activities related to cognitive development and, hence, he had to be helped in this area by the special teacher.
The special teacher and speech therapist had an intensive training programme for him and this year he has been promoted to Form I. His friends are very happy to see him back. Although he speaks very few words now and can listen but has yet to acquire listening skills. He tries to cope up with school curriculum. His class teacher is very supportive but more supportive are his peers. He does not like the special teacher to come and support him in the classroom, though the class teacher and special teacher together evaluate his progress. He still attends speech therapy sessions.
Inclusion in the mainstream school has given him confidence. This year he participated in the most of the difficult sports meant for his age in the annual sports meet.
6. HENA
Hena is a sixteen-year-old teenager. When she was one
month old, she started having convulsions, and at the age of three, she had a
fall from second floor of her house. Her epileptic seizures continued till the
age of 11 years. Hena was integrated into the primary school in Form I at the
age of eight years. She had behaviour problems like throwing things around when
she got irritated or pushing children or whoever was in her vicinity. The
special teacher and the class teacher helped her to overcome her behaviour
problems with the result that she picked up academic learning very fast after
that she was almost at par with her classmates. Once her behaviour improved,
her classmates also accepted her. She has her difficulties in written
expression but has a good command over computational skills.
Till the primary level, she needed very little support of the special teacher but when she went to the secondary level she could not cope up with the school curriculum. The visits of special teacher were already reduced in the primary school. Having different teachers for different subjects was threatening for her and her demand for a special teacher increased. Later on, she stopped going to the mainstream school.
Her parents requested to put her back in the special school. One wonders what went wrong with the inclusion programme and why this happened at the secondary school level. Some commented that she had reached the plateau. This seemed to be ridiculous. She has grown up. The gap has widened and one needs to give a good thought to this. The inclusion programme has definitely changed her whole personality and her behaviour is normal like that of any other teenager.
In the special school, she is trying to equip herself for the examinations for National Open School and now she has also been trained for functional academic work.
Evaluating the experience
Most of the children in the
inclusive classes are coping fairly well with their school curriculum. While
evaluating our experience with the inclusive programme, certain factors need to
be considered.
1] The credit goes to the class teacher, the special teacher and the other members of the multi-disciplinary team who have been sensitive enough to see to their special needs in the daily routine of the school.
2] Their acceptance in the mainstream school has come easily because both the schools are in the same premises. Integration in a variety of arrangements like inclusion in the classroom, in the campus, on the playground, attending school functions etc. gave to their presence in the school as a whole a broader outlook.
3] The children do not seem to have suffered many disadvantages educationally and socially in being placed in the mainstream school. Considerable social benefits have occurred from their interaction with other children and all of them have shown evidence of developmental progress.
4] A need to provide staff training as a part of in-service training was felt in order to make the mainstream class teacher understand the children's special needs.
5] A genuine reciprocal friendship has developed between the children with special needs and the rest of their schoolmates. One does feel that they do not have the prejudices, which apparently beset adults. Several children demonstrated a sense of responsibility and of caring but not due to sentimentality or pity but with a sense of proper concern for their fellow human beings.
6] The parents were worried in the beginning of the inclusion of their children in the mainstream school. They had a feeling that the child would be mocked or ridiculed and that they would not be able to cope up with others are all delighted with the way things have turned out. They are now confident about their children and have faith in other human beings. They do not have any feeling now that they are on the edge of a precipice.
7] Parents of classmates in the mainstream school also seem to be positive about their children being in the class along with a child having special needs.
8] The teachers of the mainstream classes who were apprehensive about the inclusion programme are themselves surprised at how positive they have become about it. For them another adult in the classroom was difficult at first but then they found out that an extra person is particularly helpful in working with other children. Hence they came to an understanding that team work, careful preparation, and proper groundwork has to be ensured to make the inclusive programme successful.
9] Some children were happy to be invited for the first time to their friend's birthday party. There was always a first time for so many things they did.
10] It can be seen that inclusion programme was designed for the children at preprimary and primary level. One is very optimistic that the children will be through with the academic education now. Amongst the six children, who enjoyed the inclusion programme, one had to discontinue at the secondary level and come back to the special school. There arise so many 'ifs' and 'how abouts' in one's mind. The secondary level schools are so organised that one teacher only no longer teaches the students.
Conclusion
To have a successful programme one needs a strong structure of likeminded people who celebrate the achievements and encourage others to join en the network support. This means that people from all walks of life need to be made aware of the underlying philosophy in recognising that everyone belongs. Here everyone, therefore, has a role to play. It is like adding cement to the bricks when parents share their experiences with other parents and support each other in their quest to obtain what they want for their children. It is also essential for them to make their feelings known to the educational authorities through those in their children's school.
Hence, for those of us, who are engaged in planning and making provisions for human services, it is necessary that we come to an understanding that whilst some of the needs of some people may be regarded as special, the people themselves are not special at all. We can unwittingly restrict severely the experience and opportunity of whole population, who simply become prisoners of our provision and vision of our charity.
Very few children have now been included at our level in the mainstream school and only at the pre-primary and primary level. One really wonders about the experience with the inclusion of children at the secondary level and about all the children with learning difficulties being dissimilar to the one at pre-primary and primary levels. The education of young children is meant to equip them to live together in their adult lives in a way that will build a peaceful, caring and prosperous future for each new generation that is to come. If we really believe in the pursuit of equal opportunity in our schools and in our society and if there is to be a commitment to the underlying merits of a comprehensive education system, then everyone should belong.
Credit line: Our special thanks are due to Mr Sunil Pandya of Gyanyagna Vidyalaya, Mr Majmudar of Mitra Rehabilitation Centre and Dr Javed Khan of S P University for their help in this Study.
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