Foundations of Special and Inclusive Education

SUBJECT CODE: TC 004

TOPIC OR LESSON 1: Understanding and Addressing Diversity
WEEK: Week 1
SUB-TOPIC/S: Diversity Models
Impairment, Disability, Handicap, Exceptionality, and At-Risk
Addressing Diversity through Special Education and Inclusion

OVERVIEW OF THE TOPIC

This module will help you obtain a better understanding of the meaning of diversity. You will
also gain understanding of the importance of recognizing exceptionality and disability as part of
diversity. Furthermore, this module shall allow you to look at the progress and changes in the
perspective of the community towards people with exceptionality. Lastly, this module will help
you understand Special Education and its goal — Inclusion.

This module aims to give the learners a better understanding of diversity.

At the end of this module you will be able to:

● discuss the meaning and significance of diversity;

● demonstrate the use of Loden’s Wheel of Diversity;
● define disability, impairment, handicap, exceptionality;
● differentiate terms and use it appropriately; and
● discuss the goal of Special Education and Inclusion
Activity 1: Circles of My Life

1. Place your name and/or picture in the center circle.

2. In each of the satellite circles, write an identifier or descriptor that you feel is important
in defining you. This can include anything — Asian, Filipino, 18 years old, 6’3”, K-pop
— or any descriptor with which you identify.
3. Do you think your chart will look the same with your classmate? Justify our answer.

Activity 2: We are Alike and Different

Pick a classmate/friend, and share your “Circle of Life”. Complete the Venn diagram below by
drawing the things that make you different, and those that make you two similar. Count the
number of things that make you the same and make you different from each other. Write your
reflection about the Venn diagram you made.
 Diversity
● From the Latin word “diverte” which means to turn away, separate or oppose.
● The state or quality of being different or varied.
● The inclusion of people of different races, genders, religions, etc. in a group
● People’s differences which may relate to their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation,
language, culture, religion, mental and physical ability, class, and immigration status.
(UNESCO, 2017).

Loden’s Diversity Wheel

● Pointed to the significance of our social characters and the ways in which people
develop their identity when they are able to establish a connection with a specific
group of people.
● Has two dimensions which gives emphasis on the effect of the differences in
beliefs, expectations, and life experiences.

Dimension One or the Primary Dimension are

in the inner circle. These are the characteristics a
person is born with or established by significant
experiences we had or people we interact with.

Dimension Two or the Secondary Dimension

are in the outer circle. These characteristics are
also part of our social identity, but they can
change or be discarded as our life experiences
may impact us.
Ability and Disability as a Dimension of Diversity

● Disability is the umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations, and participation
restrictions, referring to the negative aspects of the interaction between an individual
(with a health condition) and that individual’s context factors (environmental and
personal factors) (W.H.O, n.d)
● A person with a disability is defined as a person who has a physical or mental impairment
that substantially limits one or more major life activity. (ADA, 1990)
● Disabilities may affect one’s senses or mobility; may be static or progressive, congenital
or acquired, formal or functional, visible or invisible (Couser, 2005)
● A person’s disability makes him/her a unique individual who is at times shunned by the
society. However, they must be viewed as people with distinct abilities.

Models of Disability

To better understand disability one should consider some of the ways that disability has been
thought of in the past. In this part of the module you are going to look at several models of
disability. As you do this, think about what each model ‘says’ about the person with an
impairment. This will help you to understand – and respond to – traditional beliefs about
disability.

A. The Moral/Religious Model

● Sees disability as either a blessing or a curse (ex. People with chronic illness were
referred as unclean; People with mental problems were considered as demonically
possessed.)
● Characterized by notions of charity and caretaking
● The primary concern is to protect the persons with disability for their vulnerability and
the economic and social order which might be destroyed by “deviant members” of the
society.
● Mystical Narrative: Disabilities may impair some senses yet heighten others. (ex. A
person who can’t see, hears well)
● Establishing institutions away from town centers

B. The Biomedical/Individual Model

 ● Persons with disability were seen as persons who are ill and meant to be treated or
“made more normal”
● This model highlights on the notion of that those “without disabilities” are
superior than those with disability, and that they have a primary responsibility
over the welfare of the disabled
● Disability was seen as a medical problem. Thus, the intervention focuses on the
cure of the condition to the greatest extent possible.
● This model suggests habilitation, which refers to the help given to those with
disabilities in order to maximize function.
● Most interventions are thus devoted to making sure that the PWD catches up with
his or her peers.

C. The Functional/Rehabilitation Model

● People started to realize that not all disabilities are inborn.

● This model also sees persons with disability having deficits. Thus, it justifies the
need for rehabilitative interventions such as therapies, and counseling.
● This model suggests rehabilitation, which is the assistance given by professionals
to those who have acquired disability in the hope of gaining back one’s
functionality.

D. The Social Model

● This model suggests that disability occurs as a result of the society’s lack of
understanding of individual differences.
● Persons with disability are seen disabled not because of their deficiency but
because the society “insists” that they are deficient and disadvantaged.
● This model heavy relies on one’s perception of the “norms”

E. The Rights-Based and Twin Track Approach

● The Rights-Based model emphasizes on the human dignity of persons with

disability. (Defener, 2017)
● It addresses the PWDs vulnerability by upholding and safeguarding their
identities and rights as human beings.
● The Twin Track Approach is a combination of the social model and the rights-
based model principles.
Impairment, Disability, and Handicap: What’s the Difference?

In recent years, more and more professionals have started to distinguish impairment from
disability.

Impairment

● Any temporary or permanent loss or abnormality of a body structure or function, whether

physiological or psychological.
● A disturbance affecting functions that are essentially mental (memory, consciousness) or
sensory, internal organs (heart, kidney), the head, the trunk or the limbs. (WHO, 2001)

Disability

● A restriction or inability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range

considered normal for a human being, mostly resulting from impairment. (WHO, 2001)
● Result of conditions or impairments. (Smith & Tylers, 2010)

Handicap

● This is the result of an impairment or disability that limits or prevents the fulfillment of
one or several roles regarded as normal, depending on age, sex and social and cultural
factors (WHO, 2001)
● The challenges and barriers imposed by others. (Smith & Tylers, 2010)

Exceptionality

● Physical, mental, or emotional conditions, including gifted/talented abilities, which

require individualized instruction and/or other educational support or services. (Smith,
2008)
● The big umbrella where Impairment, Disability, and Handicap belongs

At-Risk
 ● Includes students who are experiencing learning, socialization, and maturational
difficulties. (Heward, 1996)
● Established Risk: medical disorder of known etiology and predictable prognosis
or outcome;
● Biological Risk: Post-natal conditions and developmental events that heightened
the potential for later atypical or aberrant development
● Environmental Risk: Children are biologically typical but their life experiences or
environmental conditions are limiting or threatening that the likelihood of delayed
development exists.

To better understand the difference and relationship between the terms defined, let’s look at
the table below:

Impairment Disability Handicap Exceptionality

(body) (activity) (society)

Inability to see Blindness

Loss of vision - difficulty in using
public transportation

- challenge in mobility

Orthopedic
Loss of upper - inability to write difficulty in taking a Impairment
extremities bath
- inability to wear
clothes independently

Autism
Receptive inability to identify difficulty in engaging
processing social cues in conversation
 Addressing Diversity Through Special Education and Inclusion

Special Education

Individually planned, systemically implemented and carefully evaluated instruction to help

exceptional children achieve the greatest possible personal self-sufficiency and success in
present and future environments. (Heward & Orlansky, 1998)

It can be differentiated from regular education by its curriculum. - Some children need intensive,
systematic instruction to learn skills that typically developing children acquire naturally.

The individual needs the child to dictate the curriculum. Individualized programming is the core
of Special Education.

Some children with exceptionality are taught certain skills to reduce the handicapping effects of
the disability.

The Special Education movement supports the proposition that children with exceptionalities
need to be included in regular educational services to the extent that is reasonable.

Goal of Special Education

● Eliminate or reduce the obstacles that might keep a child or an adult with exceptionality
from full and active participation in the society.

Inclusion

Inclusion is the main goal of Special Education. It is an educational practice that places students
with disabilities in the general education classroom along with typically developing children
under the supervision and guidance of a general education teacher (Del. Corro-Tiangco 2014).
It is anchored on the philosophy that every child has an inherent right to be educated quality with
his peers, no matter how different he or she may appear to society.
The global arena has been consistently vocal in its stand on children, persons with disabilities,
and education. In as early as 1948. there have already been worldwide declarations on children
and their right to be educated (Universal Declaration of Human Right 1948; United Nations
Convention on the right of Child 1989). In 1990, many countries banned together for the world
declaration of Education for All (EFA) which stated that all children must have access to
complete, free, and compulsory primary education.
Soon after, the UN Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for person with
Disabilities (1993) was affirmed. It is also in this directive that the importance of providing
education integrated and general school settings was first specified. This mandate was
immediately followed by the landmark policy on special education. The Salamanca Statement
and Framework for action on special for Action on Special Needs Education (1994), which
reiterated that schools should accommodate all children, including the disabled, the gifted, and
the marginalized.
These groundbreaking directives eventually formed the foundation for other initiatives: the
World Education Forum Framework for Action and the Millennium summit of the United
Nations, both of which happened in 2000; the EFA Flagship on the Right to Education for PWDs
in 2001; of Persons with Disabilities in 2006; and the Education 2030 Framework for Action
following the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. All of these were created with the
same goal in mind: Inclusion.
The Guidelines for Inclusion (2005) published by UNESCO enumerates four key elements:

1. inclusion is a process, that is, "a never-ending search to find better ways to respond to
diversity."
2. inclusion involves a preventive dimension, specifically in identifying and removing
potential barriers. to this process through "collecting, collating, and evaluating
information" for improving policy and practice.
3. inclusion is all about the "presence, participation, and achievement" or learning outcomes
of all types of student; and
4. inclusion puts "particular emphasis on learners who may be at risk of marginalization,
exclusion, or underachievement," and therefore, they must be consistently monitored and
represented in the inclusive process

Inclusion in Education Involves:

1. Valuing all students and staff equally

2. Increasing participation of students in; and reducing their exclusion from; cultures,
curricula, and communities of local schools.
3. Restructuring the cultures, policies, and practices in schools so that they respond to the
diversity of students in the locality.
4. Reducing barriers to learning and participation for all students, not only those with
impairments or those who are categorized as "having special educational needs"
 5. Learning from attempts to overcome barriers to the access and participation of particular
students to make changes for the benefit of students more widely.
6. Viewing the difference between students as resources to support learning, rather than
problems to be overcome.
7. Acknowledging the right of students to an education in their locality
8. Improving schools for staff as well as for students
9. Emphasizing the role of schools in building community and developing values, as well as
in increasing achievement
10. Fostering mutually sustaining relationships between schools and communities.
11. Recognizing that inclusion in education is one aspect of inclusion in society

Seatwork: Case Analysis

Read each case. Identify the impairment, the disability, and give 3 handicaps. Explain how the
handicaps could be removed or lessened.

Case 1: David’s legs are stiff, tight, and difficult to move. He cannot stand or walk.
Impairment Disability Handicap

Case 2: . Stevie Wonder was born 6-weeks premature, with this the growth of the eyes is aborted
and causes the retinas to detach; he became blind.
Impairment Disability Handicap

Case 3: . Lucas is a 6 y.o boy with reduced hearing/ hearing problem

Impairment Disability Handicap

Assessment Task 1:
A. Answer the following questions in not less than five sentences each.

1. How important are models of disability? How can they affect students and the different
stakeholders of special needs and inclusive education?
2. Is it possible for medical practitioners to embrace a social perspective of disability? How
can they marry two seemingly opposing concepts?
3. How can paradigm shift from a medical standpoint to a social perspective happen?

B. Study the case of Manuel and Julian below. Answer the question that follows.

MANUEL AND JULIAN

Manuel was born in 1925 in a small barangay in Manila. He was the third of four children. As a
baby, he displayed extreme behaviors. He would be silent for most of the day but when he
started crying, he could last for hours. He learned to walk at fourteen months and by the time he
was three, his parents sensed that he might have some developmental concerns. He exhibited
delays in speech and seemed to have difficulty with comprehension as well. Relatives thought he
was deaf. But a visiting pediatrician from the United States who saw Manuel at ten years old said
he might have some form of mental retardation based on his brief assessment and his
observations.

Manuel eventually did learn to talk but could not express himself beyond short sentences. His
understanding of the things around him is simplistic and he is assisted in most of his chores at
home. Manuel grew up not being able to go to school. He was ridiculed for most of his life
because of the way he would speak and behave. There were also rumors of his family being
cursed by a nuno sa punso, his mother being a victim of kulam and of him being pinaglihi sa
asong ulol because whenever Manuel got frustrated, he would scratch his ears until they bled,
and then he would cry loudly and howl endlessly. At eighteen, his daily contribution at home
was to gather soiled clothes, throw the trash, and set to the table.

Julian, on the other hand, was born in 2001. Like Manuel, he manifested extreme behaviors as an
infant and language delays as toddler. At a year and a half, his pediatrician identified several red
flags. Julian was referred to a developmental specialist, who suspected him to have intellectual
disability (what used to be known as mental retardation) and immediately advised him to go
through occupational therapy (OT). By two years old, he was receiving once a week OT sessions
and early intervention in a special education (SPED) school. He remained in the SPED school for
four years following an individualized program created specifically for his needs. He eventually
learned to talk in short sentences though he would tend to mispronounce words.
Recommendations to undergo speech therapy also followed.

At six, he was recommended to enroll in a small school where the student-teacher ratio was only
5:1. All of his classmates were typically developing and his teacher. Teacher Jan, who was
SPED-trained, always made sure he would be able to participate in class activities. Teacher Jan
realized that shortening some of the instructions and lessening some of the items in Julian's paper
helped him to focus on his work more. Julian also started to gain confidence in himself and
gained friends. His vocabulary eventually grew and both his receptive and expressive language
skills improved.
Julian's diagnosis of intellectual disability was confirmed at eleven years old. Despite him
gaining success during his preparatory and first two years in elementary, the reality of having an
intellectual disability eventually started to weigh him down. Julian was not able to go beyond
third grade but now at eighteen, he is enrolled in a transition class where his functional skills are
maximized. His current school sees the possibility of him being employed in a small cafe given
his abilities he was able to develop throughout the years.

Question: Drawing from lessons you have learned from the previous chapters as well as this,
what factors do you think led to Manuel and Julian's different experiences and life trajectories?
Goodley, D. (2011). Disability Studies: An Interdisciplinary Introduction. UK: Sage
Publication.

Halal, C., Yuzon, M., Padilla, C., & Ligon, C. (2020). Foundations of Special and Inclusive
Education. Manila, Philippines: Rex Books Store.

Inciong, T. G., & Capulong, Y. T. (2007). Vision, Policy, Goal and Objectives of SPED. In
Y. S. Quijano (Ed.), Introduction to Special Education (1st ed., pp. 12-20). Manila,
Philippines: Rex Book Store.

Mercado, M. A. (2009). Introduction to Special Education. Handout Compilation.

Smith, D. D., & Tyler, N. C (2010). Introduction to special education: Making a

difference. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Prepared by: