Model 1:
Understanding
Special & Inclusive
Education
Table of
Contents! The Process of
Special Education
Challenges in
Inclusive Education
Module 2: Historical
& Legal Foundations
Models of Disabilities of Special &
Inclusive Education
History of Special and
Inclusive Education
01
Challenges in
Inclusive
Education
Challenges in Inclusive Education
1. Physical Environment
2. Teachers’ Competency
3. Lack of Awareness
02
Models of
Disabilities
Models of Disabilities
1. Medical Model of Disability
disability is conceptualized as a pathological impairment in a
bodily system or function. From this standpoint, the objective is
to restore the system or function to a state that closely
approximates the state of normal.
individuals who have received specialized training are
considered the “experts” in disability such as doctors.
This model is occasionally observed in the domains of
healthcare, mental well-being, and education. The central idea
of this model means that the child with a disability is “deficient”
(Thompson, 2010).
Models of Disabilities
2. Social Model of Disability
The social model of disability views “disability” as a result of
societal expectations, attitudes, inaccessible environments, and
lack of accommodations instead of the person’s impairment.
The social model discards the idea that disability is primarily a
result of a person’s bodily dysfunction and introduces the view
that it is the society that makes them “disabled” and not the
individuals themselves.
This view challenges the social norms, stereotypes, and
discrimination against persons with disabilities by empowering
learners with disabilities as differently abled individuals capable
of doing things on their own with the right accommodations and
support.
03
The Process of
Special
Education
1. Which student might need special
education?
Prereferral intervention is a
collaborative process designed to
identify and address a student's
academic or behavioral needs
within the general education
setting whenever possible that
happens before the conduct of a
special education evaluation.
Often, schools conduct a more
systematic and formal prereferral
intervention called Response to
Intervention (RtI), multi-tiered approach
used in schools to identify and support
students with learning and behavioral
needs. Regardless of the type of
prereferral intervention used, its aim is
to provide an immediate and valuable
baseline data for planning and
evaluating for special education and
support services.
2. Is the student eligible for special
education programs and services?
RA 11650
AN ACT INSTITUTING A POLICY OF INCLUSION AND
SERVICES FOR LEARNERS WITH DISABILITIES IN
SUPPORT OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION, ESTABLISHING
INCLUSIVE LEARNING RESOURCE CENTERS OF
LEARNERS WITH DISABILITIES IN ALL SCHOOL
DISTRICTS, MUNICIPALITIES AND CITIES, PROVIDING
FOR STANDARDS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
2. Is the student eligible for special
education programs and services?
RA 11650, schools are mandated to perform a
multidisciplinary assessment for learners who are at
risk or manifests a disability in order to determine the
eligibility of the child for special education support and
services. The multidisciplinary evaluation team, in this
case, must use a variety of assessment tools and
strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental,
and academic information, including information
provided by the parent, that may assist in determining
the eligibility of the child.
2. Is the student eligible for special
education programs and services?
RA 11650
Section 1. Short Title: This Act shall be known as the
“Instituting a Policy of Inclusion and Services for Learners with
Disabilities in Support of Inclusive Education Act”.
3. What specific educational needs result
from the child's disability?
If the assessment team concludes that a child has a
disability that is negatively impacting his/her academic
progress, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is
created.
The IEP is a legal document that outlines the special
education services, accommodations, and supports
that a student with a disability will receive in school.
3. What specific educational needs result
from the child's disability?
It is developed by an IEP team composed of the
parents, special education teacher, general education
teacher, a specialist who can interpret the instructional
implications of evaluation results, and others.
The IEP team is responsible for determining the
learning goals and objectives, specialized instruction
and related services, teachers and related-service
providers, and frequency of specialized instruction and
related services for a child's special education program
4. What specialized methods of instruction, accommodations,
modifications, related services, and/or supplementary
supports are necessary to meet those needs so the student
can achieve increased levels of academic achievement and
functional performance to thrive in the school community?
Instructional and Accommodations, Modifications
• Accommodations are changes that the teachers do to allow
learners with disabilities to access the general education
curriculum and demonstrate their understanding without
changing the content, academic standards, or curriculum.
• Modification involves altering the content, academic
standards, or curriculum by lowering the level of difficulty or
complexity to aid the learning of learners with disabilities.
Collaboration and Teaming
Special education follows a collaborative approach to
planning and teaching. As a crucial component for the success
of special education, collaboration involves various
stakeholders working together to support students with
disabilities and ensure their educational needs are met
effectively.
Forms of Collaboration:
Coordination- requires continuous communication and
collaboration with other stakeholders to ensure the correct and
continuous implementation of relevant services for learners with
disabilities.
Collaboration and Teaming
Forms of Collaboration:
Consultation- happens when an IEP team member provides
expertise to the rest of the team. For instance, a general
education teacher seeking advice to a special education teacher
on the appropriate accommodations to use in his inclusive
classroom with diverse learners with disabilities.
Teaming - is a more complex type of collaboration which requires
the group to work together for the benefit of learners with special
needs.
Least Restrictive Environment
Least Restrictive Environment is a guiding principle that
requires a learner with disability must be educated alongside
their non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate.
“Least restrictive” means that the placement where the learner
with disability will receive their education does not hinder their
opportunities towards their full participation.
To meet the unique needs of learners, the IEP team must
decide on the “least restrictive environment” for each student
with IEP.
6. Is special education helping? If not, what
changes should be made in the student’s
program?
Progress Monitoring, Annual Review, and Reevaluation
Progress monitoring is the ongoing process of collecting data to
measure a student's progress toward achieving their annual IEP
goals. This is done through various methods of collecting data
such as assessment tools, observations, and feedback from
parents on their child's behavior.
6. Is special education helping? If not, what
changes should be made in the student’s
program?
Progress Monitoring, Annual Review, and Reevaluation
Progress monitoring is the ongoing process of collecting data to
measure a student's progress toward achieving their annual IEP
goals. This is done through various methods of collecting data
such as assessment tools, observations, and feedback from
parents on their child's behavior.
6. Is special education helping? If not, what
changes should be made in the student’s
program?
Progress Monitoring, Annual Review, and Reevaluation
A reevaluation is a comprehensive reassessment of a student's
needs and eligibility for special education services. The
reevaluation process involves reviewing existing data, conducting
assessments as needed, and determining if the student continues
to be eligible for services and what services are appropriate
based on their current needs.
“ TEACHING SPECIAL
EDUCATION ISN’T
ABOUT FIXING A CHILD;
IT’S ABOUT EMBRACING
AND EMPOWERING
THEM.”
—IEPFOCUS. COM