Each morning our day started with cramming into a tuk-tuk and weaving through the traffic and sights of Phnom Penh. Child Centred Pedagogy, Creative with Reflective Teachers UNESCO, along with other UN agencies, a number of international organisations have been working towards achieving the goal of inclusion adding to the efforts made at the country level. UNICEF have prioritised disabled children and are holding the first global meeting of disabled children and young people in New York in June. But, as far as Special Education is concerned, the United States serves as a model for other countries. Here are some best practices to ensure all employees can work remotely without barriers. Many countries have carried out inclusive education whose impact is growing day by day, and have achieved good results. What instructional models worked best to improve classroom instruction and reading outcomes among learners with disabilities? The project will also examine the following sub-questions across all five questions: how does the method/model work, why does it work, how costly is it, in which contexts is it likely to work best, and how sustainable (both in terms of capacity and financial resources) is it? In fact, it challenged me to check my assumptions in a very meaningful way. Cross-National Differences in Special Education. We will assess if these interventions improve learning for students in these classrooms, comparing the outcomes to control groups that have not yet started to work in these areas. 8. Were there any unintended consequences of the activity? To further advance the global evidence base, IDP will also produce targeted policy briefs and how-to-guides following the evaluation and will share these and the evaluation results via USAID’s Office of Education website—Education Links—and at global conferences, through journal publications, and through other means. e) Speech & Communication impairment (Facilitated communication, augmented communication [high and low tech], social use of language switching, talkers, information grids.) Though this pilot will not address all of the challenges in Ghanaian classrooms, it is our hope that these interventions will make it easier for all children with disabilities to one day be included in the classroom with their peers without disabilities. Secondly, as the world moves closer to all children being in school the decreasing minority still out of school will not be funded. (2014) ‘Implementing the Three-Block Model of Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Effects on teachers’ self-efficacy, stress, and job satisfaction in inclusive classrooms K-12.’ International Journal of Inclusive Education, doi:1 0(1080/13603116). Likewise, other disabilities (e.g., low vision or hearing challenges) and external factors (e.g. As researchers and advocates for inclusive education, we make IDP’s Cambodia research team. REB and Soma Umenye are piloting a UDL approach to Kinyarwanda instruction throughout the 2020 schoolyear, providing training and support to 25 schools (P1 teachers and head teachers) in Gicumbi District. 12. http://www.unicef.org/disabilities/files/Take_Us_Seriously.pdf In a landscape filled with international donors, non-government organizations, and government stakeholders providing inputs and developing projects to advance inclusion, there remains little coordination between stakeholders, and limited preparedness from teachers to accommodate the diverse needs of students in their classroom (Hayes & Bulat, 2018). To end the lesson, the head teacher (i.e., the principal), who was also observing the lesson, thanked the students at the end for doing such a great job learning. The conceptualization of “light” disabilities reinforced by trainings and policies limits real diversity and inclusion in a classroom. This will require teachers to be familiar with and able to make accommodations for: Austria, which had developed moves to inclusion a decade ago is criticised for lacking continuing momentum in this process. We were told all adults and children were required to do the same each day. General Comment No. Instead, promoting a more inclusive approach, with low-cost and replicable teaching strategies, that serves all learners would be more realistic. Although understanding prevalence rates of disability can be helpful to countries as they plan for services and budgets, the main reason students are identified as having a disability is to receive the supports they need to reach their full potential. Indeed, some teachers are still struggling to master the use of foundational literacy methods using a scripted lesson plan from the project’s teachers’ guide. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0017/001778/177849e.pdf 3. Cambodia finds itself in the position of actively advancing its efforts on inclusive education, and we were eager to observe this more closely during our trip. The following practices must not occur: 1) Segregated, self contained programs or classes for students with learning or behavioural challenges, either in school or in community based learning opportunities. Domestically the struggle for inclusion must continue. But cases of Dorothee and her actively engaged head teacher help to challenge these narratives, and demonstrate clearly what is possible when the right combination of willpower, hard work, and training and experience come together. Going into this work, I recalled some popular international rhetoric that already overburdened teachers are not ready to take on more work for inclusion, that this is an issue which needs to wait until teachers are more prepared and supported. Under the inclusive model, ... on Education for All (1990) set the goal of Education for all. This discussion highlights an interesting debate that is taking place in other countries all over the world. c) DeafBlind-Language (Use of interpreters, tactile environment, aids and appliances, orientation.) Despite the perceived advantages of an inclusive model of education for students with disabilities, significant issues remain unresolved. These are the types of problems that will not be resolved today or tomorrow, yet these teachers understand the ethos that inclusion cannot wait. 7. Our week-long “inception trip” was packed full of meeting with the many project stakeholders. Where else can you drink your morning coffee while viewing wild African elephants, have a video conference interrupted by a close encounter with a mischievous baboon, and almost trip over four large warthogs fast asleep directly outside your hotel door? The Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is an international treaty that promotes the rights of all individuals with disabilities. Are disability labels needed before teachers can support children to learn? Aro, T., & Ahonen, T. The school director was prepared for our visit and gave us a warm welcome. (Eds.). ), Handbook of Special Education. Send All My Friends to School (www.sendmyfriend.org) has a free pack for schools, to work with pupils in KS1, 2 and 3 pupils this term on raising their awareness of this important issue. After several false starts, Tanzania is now working towards a more system wide approach to inclusion of CWD. This arbitrary classification has the potential to reinforce segregation under the guise of inclusion. Copyright © 2014 World of Inclusion Ltd. All rights reserved. of education, including special education and the movement towards inclusive education, from that of other countries. This project will conduct research on identification and support to students with learning difficulties in the early grades. The students we had the opportunity to meet typically had conditions that did not impact learning, such as a student with dwarfism, a student with a mobility disabilities impacting only one arm, a student with a skin condition, a student with a cleft pallet and one child who “had trouble memorizing and performing.” Although not all teachers received training on inclusion, many had naturally considered how to modify learning for the children who needed help, such as repeating information several times, being more patient and trying to stop other children from bullying these children perceived as different. It cannot wait for systems to be perfect, for schools to be well-resourced, for specialist support staff to be available to each child. cause for concern, and yet on the other end inclusive education is about the transformation of the education system. Our research team was tasked with observing 15 P1 (equivalent of first grade) classroom teachers on how they are applying UDL and inclusive education strategies following a training provided by Inclusive Development Partners in partnership with UNICEF in September. We even spent a full day planning how to implement our research country-wide with the support of the very knowledgeable and supportive Cambodian Disabled People’s Organisation (CDPO). Firstly, that as the pressure to marketize education increases and more businesses view education services as a means of profit, rather than a public good then those who are seen as difficult or different from the norm will become an inconvenient truth and as the currency of the market becomes standardised test scores those who achieve differently or at a different pace will be squeezed out and old models of segregation will re-assert themselves. 2. http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/TBSearch.aspx?Lang=en&TreatyID=4&DocTypeID=5 As stakeholders move forward in promoting inclusive education and supporting emerging education systems, we must look to create a vision and goals where every child can receive an inclusive education. b) Deaf & Hearing-Impaired pupils/students (Sign Language taught & use of interpretation, oral/finger spelling, hearing aid support, visual and acoustic environments.) 2. Company Registration 07207792. Teachers in Ghana are eager to do what they can within the constraints they currently experience, and they should serve as an inspiration to the broader international community that assumptions about teacher preparedness for inclusion need to be re-examined. This is a challenge we have been trying to address in the Inclusive Development Partners (IDP) project in Ghana that is supported by UNICEF. There have been big advances in many countries in getting millions of children into school, but the nature and quality of that schooling has not been adequate with a recent survey of 350,000 pupils in East Africa (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda) showing only 15% achieved expected literacy and numeracy levels . In March 2014 the Human Rights Council passed a resolution urging more to be done to implement the right to inclusive education . When students with learning disabilities are left unidentified, then there is a risk that they may not receive the services they need to reach their academic potential. Knowing that parents would be reluctant to pay fees for extra lessons, he waited until struggling learners were demonstrating academic success as a result of the weekend classes, and then parents voluntarily contributed after they could see the benefits of this education. One teacher, who was teaching a language arts lesson, was like an actor on the Broadway stage. In countries like Ghana, where there are compounding factors including stigma, poor understanding of disability, and limited resourcing for services, identification must be addressed carefully and thoughtfully. About the authors: We are a group of three researchers working to evaluate USAID’s inclusive education programming in Cambodia. However, this mandate is often not adhered to by many countries, and as a result, they establish policies and practices that further embed and strengthen segregation. While we are clearly still wrapping our minds around all of the roles that each of the partners play in the inclusive education landscape of Cambodia, we know there is a lot of interest in making sure that inclusive education and disability rights are not simply an “add-on” to other projects currently underway. OVERVIEW: USAID is partnering with Inclusive Development Partners (IDP) through the Long-Term Assistance and Services for Research (LASER) mechanism led by Purdue University to conduct a three-year, $3.585 million evaluation of three new USAID inclusive education activities in Cambodia, Malawi, and Nepal. Lesotho National Disability Situational Analysis, National Council on Disability Report on Disability and Foreign Affairs, United Nations Baseline Study on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. UNESCO (2009). IDP is excited to partner with Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International to implement USAID’s Arithmetic and Inclusive Education project, which will build on the Tusome Pamoja’s current work supporting the mastery of early grade reading, writing, and arithmetic in Tanzania. The simple answer is no. But, it is really the start of a really great collaborative project that spans Cambodia, Malawi, and Nepal. In the classroom, it is more important to know what a particular child needs to be successful and often a disability label is insufficient in providing an academic roadmap. IDP will leverage this unique opportunity to derive lessons about what works to sustainably advance teaching and learning outcomes for children with disabilities in varying contexts.   Critiques of applying UDL in low-resource environments sometime center around fears that already overburdened teachers cannot manage to add another skillset to their sometimes limited repertoire. Where could you see a woman with her own infant wrapped to her back, in a classroom without electricity, teaching a lesson that involves 40 students discussing content in small groups while the teacher actively checks for student understanding? There are many reasons. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0017/001778/177849e.pdf KEY MESSAGES AND CHALLENGES..... 57. “6.2.2 . Moreover, he is a level I expert in the field Global Partnership for Children with Disabilities http://www.unicef.org/disabilities/index_69776.html Including Students with Special Needs: A Practical Guide for Classroom Teachers (Eighth ed.). g) General Cognitive Impairment (Pictograms, small steps curriculum, easy read, scaffolding, Makaton, use of symbols & information grids, using concrete objects.) The purpose of the Arithmetic and Inclusive Education activity, which will be implemented from October 2019 to December 2020, is to expand the current project’s goals to include mastery of early grade arithmetic and an increase in the inclusivity of primary education. (2011). f) Specific Learning Difficulty (Coloured overlays & background, Easy Read, tapes and text to talk, spell-checkers, concrete objects.) In the north, there was one superstar teacher who has been a volunteer teacher, meaning not on the Ghana Education Service payroll, for 15 years, and delivered an inclusive lesson packed with UDL principles, that would have impressed even the most seasoned inclusive educator with tons of resources at their fingertips. Children with disabilities face multiple forms of discrimination which leads to their exclusion from society and school. UNESCO (2009). There is an urgent need for all teachers pre-service and in-service, to get twin-track training on including children with disabilities. Over the course of a week-long workshop with them discussing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Response to Intervention (RTI) strategies to introduce in first grade classes, they made it very clear that this is an issue they are motivated and prepared to take on in their own communities. Part of Embracing Diversity: Toolkit for creating inclusive , learning-friendly environments. The observations of the CRPD Committee on the first 13 Country Reports also demonstrate a wide variation in practice, for example China is criticised for only integrating those with physical and mild visual impairments and for an expanding programme of special school building. The Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights have issued guidance to countries that they must consider disabled children when reporting on progress in establishing human rights . IDP will leverage secondary data collected by implementing partners through early grade reading assessments (EGRAs); classroom observations; and knowledge, attitude, perception, and behavior surveys (KAPB) in addition to collecting primary data through additional classroom observations, household surveys amongst families of learners with disabilities, teacher training observations, pre-and post-training tests of teacher knowledge, and key informant interviews and focus group discussions. So as more children are successfully enrolled in school, the proportion of those out of school who are disabled, are rising. 3. http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/25/L.30 25th March 2014 New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. Education management model in overseas is inclusive class oriented and community-base rehabilitation. 1. What was most powerful about watching these master teachers work their magic was that they embody the resourcefulness, resilience, and creativity these teachers have developed over time out of necessity. The principles to enable a child friendly educational environment outlined by UNESCO are: The path that lies ahead for these participants in applying what they learned to their real world classroom situations is tremendously challenging.  . If “light” disabilities only consider those children who do not need additional supports in the classroom, can education for all ever be attained? OVERVIEW OF THE ACTIVITIES: The objective of each of the three country activities is virtually the same: to improve early grade reading and learning outcomes of learners with disabilities in early primary grades. Indeed, during the workshop, participants were quick to mention the neglect and abuse of children with disabilities, beliefs about disability being a curse, and even known cases of infanticide of children with disabilities in their communities. Assessment of learning disabilities: Cooperation between teachers, psychologists, and parents. Of all three of the project countries, Cambodia was the first to begin. When it comes to children with disabilities, as they are known internationally, the numbers in school in most developing countries, though there are no accurate figures, is likely to be less than 10% and numbers completing primary education is less than 1%. Having as a target to incorporate both special education and the pupils to whom it refers in the mainstream school, the two authors above suggest two full inclusive models: the Collaborative Teaching Model (CTM) and the MELD one (Zigmond and Baker 1997). Immediately, I noticed some distinguishing features of this school as compared to the other primary schools I had visited in the same week. Another teacher, teaching a math lesson on number lines, had his 50 students moving in and out of small groups, working with recycled bottle caps and plastic straws for manipulatives, and was hopping alongside his students on a number line he drew on the floor to show concepts of single-digit subtraction. In 2012, there were about 28.9 million primary teachers working in classrooms around the world. If identified as having challenges with vision or hearing, access to assistive devices—even glasses—is often not available, especially in the poorer rural areas. In these significantly under-resourced schools, we don’t hear facilitators saying, “We don’t have resources to do inclusion.” Instead, we are seeing them do so much with so little, and do it so well. One of these trends being reinforced by many countries worldwide is to develop inclusive education policies that allow for students that are perceived to have “light” or “mild” disabilities to attend inclusive schools, but all other students with disabilities are required to attend a segregated school. 2 Inclusive Education in Low-Income Countries The remaining chapters then focus on inclusive education approaches within schools. Aside from this teacher putting students into small collaborative groups, she was using large handmade phonics/letter flashcards that each group of students had at their desks, she was writing in large print on the board, and the students were regularly doing “turn and talks” in their small groups (the list of best practices could go on forever). Irrespective of whether students have had a proper diagnosis of disability, a teacher who uses instructional methods to cater to various learning needs will be to facilitate the most essential building blocks of inclusive education.   As I watched Dorothee’s lesson unfold over the next hour, I experienced a mixture of joy and astonishment. Further, the research has consistently found that academic and social outcomes for children in fully inclusive settings are without exception better than in the segregated Stimulating and Interesting Multi-Sensory Learning Environment   I was astonished to see the students’ textbooks in a near-new condition, despite the fact that they had been distributed more than a year before. This said, there are many examples of teachers developing the above expertise and including children with disabilities successfully. 2 1. 10. Boyle, C. A., Boulet, S. B., Schieve, L. A., Cohen, R. A., Blumberg, S. J., Yeargin-Allsopp, M., Visser, S. & Kagan, M. D. (2009). 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