Inclusive

Different ways of Mainstreaming

Meaning of Mainstreaming

— The term mainstreaming was first used in the 1970s and describes classrooms where students with disabilities and students who do not have disabilities are together.

— Mainstreaming is the belief which involves an educational placement procedure and process for exceptional children based on the conviction that each such child be educated in the least restrictive environment in which his educational and related need s can be satisfactorily provided.

— May be defined as temporal, instructional and social integration of eligible exceptional children with normal peers based on an on-going, individually determined, educational planning and programming process.

— Means bringing a child with a disability into the mainstream of society. It is a major push to ensure that children with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in activities and educational experiences with children who has no disabilities.

— Mainstreaming is an educational method that includes many different kinds of learners in the same classroom, instead of separating students according to their learning abilities. In a mainstreamed classroom, all kids, including gifted kids and children with disabilities, learn together in the same classroom. 

— This practice differs from inclusion, where children with disabilities are included in the regular classroom and receive support through comprehensive programming, though the terms are often used interchangeably. Children who are mainstreamed are enrolled in the existing programs and participate in activities appropriate for their developmental activities. For example, a child might go with his class to music, lunch and gym but go to another class for math, spelling, and other academic subjects.

Mainstreaming in SSA

— For out of school children and Child with Special Need (CWSN), after their identification, they are given special training (ST) for mainstreaming them into an age appropriate class.

— The first 15-20 days are crucial for any child entering school and may be devoted to ‘nonacademic’ work and the following activities may be undertaken, irrespective of the mode in which the ST is delivered, residential or non- residential, duration etc.

— Understanding the child: The teacher should collect information about each child- his/her background, family support, previous working conditions etc. in a non-threatening manner through talking and discussion.

— Building a trusting relationship and the ST Centre as a ‘safe’ space: To reduce fear (of authority and punishment, fear of academics etc.) and to introduce children to an unfamiliar routine, the days should not be too regimented and discipline should not be demanded. Time needs to be spent just talking and mingling, between teachers and children and with other school children. Organization of cultural activities, games and sports, shared MDM etc may be emphasized.

— Creating the desire to learn: Often first time learners or dropouts are full of apprehensions, yet they have a desire to study. During the initial phase, the children should see the classroom activities and get drawn into the learning environment. It is common that within two weeks’ time, children begin to demand that they are taught to read and write as they grow in confidence and develop a sense of security. All children will not start to read and write on the same time and no attempt should be made to force or compel them to read and write.

— Readiness for school: A child who comes to school for the first time feels that every aspect of the school is new and alien. A child has to ‘make herself over’ in order to succeed in school or even ‘unlearn’ aspects her own cultural and social world. Sensitivity to their context will reduce the alienating impact of schooling

— Integration: In order to guard against isolation and `labeling’, conscious efforts must be made to integrate them into the school environment through participation in sports, extra curriculum activities, meals etc.

— Involvement of parents and community: Parents and community members who have been responsible for motivating the children to come to the ST should be allowed access to the Centre until such time as they feel secure and comfortable. ST centers should have a culture of openness, where adults/community is welcome to participate in the activities.

Different ways of Mainstreaming.

Organizational commitment:

— This individual commitment is key. However, if we rely on this alone mainstreaming will always be vulnerable. To ensure mainstreaming efforts are sustained, the same level of commitment must be developed within the whole organization. This will allow the organization to move forward as a whole and prevent mainstreaming from fragmenting into individual actions or fading away altogether.

— Management support is essential

— Thus, the commitment of all the staff in the Schools as a whole is important for the success of mainstreaming

Sensitization:

— Sensitization refers to the process of building people’s personal engagement with, and commitment to, disability. This is the basis for whole-hearted participation in mainstreaming disability.

— Sensitization is more than just raising awareness of disability. Sensitization is about people becoming personally engaged with their organization's commitment to mainstreaming.

— It is crucial because mainstreaming starts with each of us – without our individual commitment, there can be no mainstreaming.

— This implies that all the stakeholders in the educational organization must be aware and personally engaged with their commitment as an organization to mainstreaming.

Classroom (work-place) mainstreaming:

— The easiest place to make practical, appropriate adjustments is in the classroom. Workplace/Classroom mainstreaming is about creating an inclusive, barrier-free classroom where disabled people can participate equally, whether as employees or volunteers.

— This includes physical access, accessible communications and school-related information, appropriate policies and procedures and ensuring that other students treat disabled people equitably, with dignity and respect.

— The following methods can be adopted for classroom mainstreaming:

— (a) Adoptive Classroom Structure:

— Some students will require an adapted classroom structure. This may entail strategies such as changing certain physical structures in the classroom (such as desks) to accommodate students with physical disabilities, adjusting the seating chart so that a student with auditory problems can lip read more easily, or structuring the classroom time so that students with behavioral or learning disabilities feel more secure.etc.

— The most important adaptation you can make to classroom structure, however, is to foster a feeling of inclusion and diversity as a positive ideal in your classroom. Never condone put-downs or discriminatory remarks, encourage students to work together in diverse groups, and allow each student to shine in his or her own way.

Adapting Teaching Methods

— In order to include all students in school, the teaching methods needs to be flexible according to the need of the students.

— For example, it may be important for you to incorporate cultural experiences of students into the curriculum, providing tactile manipulative whenever possible, and practice concepts frequently while making sure to provide enrichment for students who have already mastered those concepts.

— When students are given material to read, it may be required to pre-teach difficult vocabulary before reading or teaching about a topic. Write assignments or important points on the board, and provide extension activities for gifted students who finish reading earlier than their peers. The amount of reading exercise may also be varied according to the capabilities of the students

Adapting Class work and Homework

— Students with varying disabilities may need adaptations to their class work or homework. Possible strategies for adapting these types of work include pairing or grouping students with various disabilities with other students who can compensate, allowing students extra time to complete class work if possible, reducing the length of the assignment for students who cannot complete the entire task, and allowing some students to demonstrate their mastery through verbal responses rather than written ones.

Adapting Exams

— The examination system may be varied according to the requirement of children with special need.

— For example, if students’ reading or writing skills are weak due to their disabilities, the teacher may record classes as much as possible in order to allow students to study using auditory techniques. The teacher can also consider allowing these students to dictate their responses (especially those students with visual disabilities). In addition, the teacher can give some students additional time to complete exams, hold some students responsible for less material, and provide notes or outlines for those students who have difficulty taking their own notes.

PROGRAMME MAINSTREAMING:

— Programme mainstreaming is the process of ensuring that educational programmes and services are inclusive, equitable and non-discriminatory, and do not reinforce the negative effects of disability.

— For non-disability services and development programmes, programme mainstreaming involves changing service models to include disabled people on an equitable basis, in the same settings as non-disabled people.

— Programme mainstreaming means promoting the inclusion of disabled people in the educational setting as supporters of disabled students to the mainstreaming process.

The Rehabilitation Council Act, 1992 (RCI):

The RCI Act provided standards for rehabilitation professionals; one type of rehabilitation professional being special education teachers. This act is important because it establishes consequences for teaching without a license. Teachers without a license could face imprisonment for up to one year, be fined Rs 1000, or both.

The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) was set up as a registered society in 1986. On September, 1992 the RCI Act was enacted by Parliament and it became a Statutory Body on 22 June 1993, Public Law 102-569. Substantial adjustments are made in the principles, purpose, process, and outcomes of the Rehabilitation Program to support persons across the full range of type and extent of disability to attain and maintain employment outcomes appropriate to their interests and abilities. The Amendments are guided by the presumption of ability. A person with a disability, regardless of the severity of the disability, can achieve employment and other rehabilitation goals, if the appropriate services and supports are made available. Therefore, the primary responsibilities of the vocational rehabilitation system are to:

1.      Assist the individual with a disability to make informed choices about potential employment outcomes that result in integration and inclusion in the community.

2.      Develop an individualized rehabilitation program with the full participation of the person with a disability.

3.      Match the needs and interests reflected in the individualized programs with the appropriate services and supports including rehabilitation technology, supported employment and others.

4.      Proactively foster cooperative working relationships with other agencies and programs, including local education authorities, to unify the service system.

5.      Emphasize the quality of services and the accountability that service representatives have to honor the dignity. participation, and growth of persons with disabilities as their employment interests develop over time.

According to this act, the term "rehabilitation professionals" refers to:

·         Audiologists and speech therapists

·         Clinical psychologists

·         Hearing aid and ear mould technicians

·         Special educators

·         Vocational counselors, employment officers and placement officers working with persons with disability

·         Multi-purpose rehabilitation therapists, technicians or

·         Other categories of professionals that the Central government may include in consultation with the Council

The main aims of the Rehabilitation Council of India are:

1.          To regulate the training policies and programmes in the field of rehabilitation of persons with disabilities

2.          To bring about standardization of training courses for professionals dealing with persons with disabilities

3.          To prescribe minimum standards of education and training of various categories of professionals/ personnel dealing with people with disabilities

4.          To regulate these standards in all training institutions uniformly throughout the country

5.          To recognize institutions/ organizations/ universities running master's degree/ bachelor's degree/ P.G.Diploma/ Diploma/ Certificate courses in the field of rehabilitation of persons with disabilities

6.          To recognize degree/diploma/certificate awarded by foreign universities/ institutions on reciprocal basis

7.          To promote research in Rehabilitation and Special Education

8.          To maintain Central Rehabilitation Register for registration of professionals/ personnel

9.          To collect information on a regular basis on education and training in the field of rehabilitation of people with disabilities from institutions in India and abroad

10.      To encourage continuing education in the field of rehabilitation and special education by way of collaboration with organizations working in the field of disability.

11.      To recognize Vocational Rehabilitation Centres as manpower development centres

12.      To register vocational instructors and other personnel working in the Vocational Rehabilitation Centres

13.      To recognize the national institutes and apex institutions on disability as manpower development centres

14.      To register personnel working in national institutes and apex institutions on disability under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment 

Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992 providing guidance to employers, education authorities, rehabilitation service managers and providers, and others in how to support persons with disabilities. The Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992 support the actual service systems through which employers can find assistance and expertise in identifying and completing the reasonable and appropriate job accommodations. They establish a basis in the adult service system for accomplishing the transition preparation, planning, and implementation activities found. Finally, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments put the abilities and choices of persons with a disability first and challenge the services system and the greater community to support their efforts to work, live, and participate in the community. In the year 2000, the Rehabilitation Council of India (Amendment) Act, 2000, was introduced and notified consequently by the government of India. The amendment brought definitions and discussions provided within the earlier Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992, under the ambit of a larger act, namely, Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.

The Persons with Disabilities Act

The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 was enacted in 1995 to give effect to the Proclamation on the Full Participation and Equality of the People with Disability in the Asian & Pacific Region (Beiijing 1992). The aims and objectives of the Act are:

·         To spell out the responsibility of the state towards the prevention of disabilities, protection of rights, provision of medical care, education, training, employment and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities;

·         To create a barrier free environment for person with disabilities in the sharing of development benefits, vis-a –vis non disabled persons;

·         To counteract any situation of abuse and exploitation of persons with disabilities; and

·         To make special provision of the integration of persons with disabilities into the social mainstream.

Blindness and low vision has been included in the definition of disability. (Section 2 (b) (u)

The main provisions of the Act are:

Prevention and early detection of disabilities (Section 25)

·         Surveys, investigations and research shall be conducted to ascertain the cause of occurrence of disabilities

·         Various measures shall be taken to prevent disabilities. Staff at the Primary Health Centre shall be trained to assist in this work

·         All the Children shall be screened once in a year for identifying ‘at-risk’ cases

·         Awareness campaigns shall be launched and sponsored to disseminate information

·         Measures shall be taken for pre-natal, peri natal, and post-natal care of the mother and child

Education (Section 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)

·         Every child with disability shall have the rights to free education till the age of 18 years in integrated schools or special schools

·         Appropriate transportation, removal of architectural barriers and restructuring of modifications in the examination system shall be ensured for the benefit of children with disabilities

·         Children with disabilities shall have the right to free books, scholarships, uniform and other learning material

·         Special Schools for children with disabilities shall be equipped with vocational training facilities

·         Non-formal education shall be promoted for children with disabilities

·         Teachers’ Training Institutions shall be established to develop requisite manpower

·         Parents may move to an appropriate forum for the redressal of grievances regarding the placement of their children with disabilities

Employment (Section 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 47)

At least 3 percent of vacancies in every government establishment are to be reserved for persons with disabilities. Out of which 1 per cent each shall be reserved for persons suffering from blindness or low vision and the other 2 percent for persons with hearing impairment and loco motor disability or cerebral palsy. But the central government may exempt any establishment from the above requirements if the nature of work in such establishments is such that disabled persons are unable to work in such establishments.(Section 33)

If a vacancy cannot be filled up due to non-availability of a suitable disabled person, the vacancy is to be carried forward to the next recruitment year and if in that next recruitment year, a suitable person with disability is not found, the post is to be filled by an interchange of categories of disabled persons. Only if there is no suitable disabled person available for the job, can an able person be employed. (Section 37)

In order to ensure employment of disabled persons, schemes are to be formulated by the appropriate government for:

·         the training and welfare of persons with disabilities;

·         the relaxation of upper age limit;

·         regulating the employment;

·         health and safety measures and creation of a non-handicapping environment in places where persons with disabilities are employed;

·         the manner in which and the person by whom the cost of operating the schemes is to be defrayed; and

·         constituting the authority responsible for the administration of the scheme. (Section 38)

Government Educational Institutes and other Educational Institutes receiving grant from Government shall reserve at least 3% seats for people with disabilities.

No employee can be sacked or demoted if they become disabled during service,  although they can be moved to another post with the same pay and condition. No promotion can be denied because of impairment.

Affirmative Action (Section 42, 43)

Aids and Appliances shall be made available to the people with disabilities. Allotment of land shall be made at concessional rates to the people with disabilities for: house, business, special recreational centres, special schools, research schools, factories by entrepreneurs with disabilities.

Non-Discrimination (Section 44, 45, 46)

·         Public building, rail compartments, buses, ships and air-crafts will be designed to give easy access to the disabled people

·         In all public places and in waiting rooms, the toilets shall be wheel chair accessible. Braille and sound symbols are also to be provided in all elevators (lifts)

·         All the places of public utility shall be made barrier- free by providing the ramps

Research and Manpower Development (Section 48, 49)

Research in the following areas shall be sponsored and promoted

·         Prevention of Disability

·         Rehabilitation including community based rehabilitation

·         Development of Assistive Devices

·         Job Identification

·         On site Modifications of Offices and Factories

Financial assistance shall be made available to the universities, other institutions of higher learning, professional bodies and non-government research- units or institutions, for undertaking research for special education, rehabilitation and manpower development

Social Security (Section 56, 67, 68)

·         Financial assistance to non-government organizations for the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities

·         Insurance coverage for the benefit of the government employees with disabilities.

·         Unemployment allowance to the people with disabilities who are registered with the special employment exchange for more than a year and could not find any gainful occupation

Grievance Redressal

In case of violation of the rights as prescribed in this act, people with disabilities may move an application to the

·         Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities in the Centre, or

·         Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities in the State

The Right of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPWD) for providing inclusive set up.

Introduction

The world’s population lives with disability of 10% and 80% of these people with disabilities live is developing. The services for making the life of disability more meaningful and purposeful differ widely between the developed and developing countries. One of the services is education. Education is the tool that helps us builds knowledge; develop our abilities and skills in becoming a useful member in the society as well as the nation. It is the means which transform our ideas, knowledge and experiences to put into use in the positive and correct way. Providing education to all the children irrespective of their color, caste, sex, religion, class and section, disabilities or deformities is a must for the country’s growth economically and educationally. This is where inclusive education and inclusive school setup is needed. Inclusive education refers to the model of education wherein special needs of children spends time and gets education along with the general students. Inclusive education means that persons with disabilities or people who need special care can learn in schools together with people who do not have special needs. Special children like the general children are part of the society and as school is a miniature society, merging the special children along with the general students can help develop their personality and their adjustment and adaptation to their environment. So, providing educational environment where special children have the chance to get education and get along with the general students is a must.

In India, after independence, Government of India created several policies in terms of special education. Policy in India always leaned towards inclusion.  The evolution of the Disability Rights Movement (DRM) in India spans over four decades. The Government passed the Person With Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 (or PWD Act) which reserved three percent (comprising 1 percent reservation each for those with locomotors disability, hearing disability and visual disability) of government posts/services and educational institutions for those in the category of PWD when there was more and more petitions and protest from various groups and NGO’s. Different kinds of disability in the Act are classified based on medical grounds and not on social perception of disability. The PWD Act focused more on the rights; the provisions of the Act relate to prevention and early detection, education, employment affirmative action, non-discrimination/barrier free access, research and manpower development and institutions for persons with severe disabilities. So, we can say that the year 1995 became a benchmark year for the Disability Right Movement, which stands for the beginning of a new era altogether, which people suffering from disability found visibility in educational institutions and government services.

The Rights of Persons With Disability Act, 2016 (RPWD)

      In 2006, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; India also signed and ratified the convention in 2017, after that there was a demand for an increase in the reservation for the PWD category by various groups working on disability issues. By 2012, the Union Government of India came up with the disability bill and after some amendments in the original draft; the bill was tabled in the parliament the very next year. After a wait of over three years, the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2016 was passed by both the houses of the parliament. The Act into came on force on December, 2016.

The salient features of the Bill are:

1.      Disability has been defined based on an evolving and dynamic concept.

2.      The types of disabilities have been increased from existing 7 to 21 and the Central Government will have the power to add more types of disabilities. The 21 disabilities are given below:-

a)      Blindness

b)      Low-vision

c)      Leprosy Cured persons

d)     Hearing Impairment (deaf and hard of hearing)

e)      Locomotor Disability

f)       Dwarfism

g)      Intellectual Disability

h)      Mental Illness

i)        Autism Spectrum Disorder

j)        Cerebral Palsy

k)      Muscular Dystrophy

l)        Chronic Neurological conditions

m)    Specific Learning Disabilities

n)      Multiple Sclerosis

o)      Speech and Language disability

p)      Thalassemia

q)      Hemophilia

r)       Sickle Cell disease

s)       Multiple Disabilities including deaf, blindness

t)       Acid Attack victim

u)      Parkinson's disease

3.      Speech and Language Disability and Specific Learning Disability have been added for the first time. Acid Attack Victims have been included. Dwarfism, muscular dystrophy have has been indicated as separate class of specified disability. The New categories of disabilities also included three blood disorders, Thalassemia, Hemophilia and Sickle Cell disease.

4.      In addition, the Government has been authorized to notify any other category of specified disability.

5.      Responsibility has been cast upon the appropriate governments to take effective measures to ensure that the persons with disabilities enjoy their rights equally with others.

6.      Additional benefits such as reservation in higher education, government jobs, reservation in allocation of land, poverty alleviation schemes etc. have been provided for persons with benchmark disabilities and those with high support needs.

7.      Every child with benchmark disability between the age group of 6 and 18 years shall have the right to free education.

8.      Government funded educational institutions as well as the government recognized institutions will have to provide inclusive education to the children with disabilities.

9.      For strengthening the Prime Minister's Accessible India Campaign, stress has been given to ensure accessibility in public buildings (both Government and private) in a prescribed time-frame.

10.  Reservation in vacancies in government establishments has been increased from 3% to 4% for certain persons or class of persons with benchmark disability.

11.  The Bill provides for grant of guardianship by District Court under which there will be joint decision – making between the guardian and the persons with disabilities.

12.  Broad based Central & State Advisory Boards on Disability are to be set up to serve as apex policy making bodies at the Central and State level.

13.  Office of Chief Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities has been strengthened who will now be assisted by 2 Commissioners and an Advisory Committee comprising of not more than 11 members drawn from experts in various disabilities.

14.  Similarly, the office of State Commissioners of Disabilities has been strengthened who will be assisted by an Advisory Committee comprising of not more than 5 members drawn from experts in various disabilities.

15.  The Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities and the State Commissioners will act as regulatory bodies and Grievance Redressal agencies and also monitor implementation of the Act.

16.  District level committees will be constituted by the State Governments to address local concerns of PwDs. Details of their constitution and the functions of such committees would be prescribed by the State Governments in the rules.

17.  Creation of National and State Fund will be created to provide financial support to the persons with disabilities. The existing National Fund for Persons with Disabilities and the Trust Fund for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities will be subsumed with the National Fund.

18.  The Bill provides for penalties for offences committed against persons with disabilities and also violation of the provisions of the new law.

19.  Special Courts will be designated in each district to handle cases concerning violation of rights of PwDs.

The RPWD, Act 2016 contains XVII chapters with 102 sections. All these chapters are important to psychiatrists while chapters I, V, X and XI hold special importance as the provisions in these chapters are closely associated with the ethics of physical and mental health professionals.

Chapter I of the Act discuss about the name of the Act, changing from Persons With Disability to Right of Persons With Disability and make clarification about the meaning of  inclusive education, information and communication technology, persons with disability, high support, rehabilitation, registered organization, funds and the role government officers and authority etc. Standards of accessibility in physical environment, different modes of transports, public building and areas are to be laid down which are to be observed mandatorily and a 5-year time limit is provided to make existing public building accessible. Access to information and communication technology is to be ensured. Clearly clarifying the term like persons with disability and inclusive education what it means is very much important to prevent from future confusion.

Chapter II of the RPWD Act deals with the ‘Rights and Entitlements’ of the disabled persons. Under section 3(1) of the Act, the Government has to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy the right to equality, life with dignity and respect for his/her integrity equally with others. Section 3 (3) prohibits discrimination on grounds of disability unless it is shown that the impugned act or omission is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. Section 7(1) protects disabled person from all forms of abuse, violence and exploitation to prevent the same from happening to the disabled person, and section 6 (1) protects person with disability from being subjected to torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Living in the community for PWD is to be ensured and steps are to be taken by the government ensures reasonable accommodation for them. Special measures are to be taken to ensure women and children with disabilities enjoy rights equally with others. It is to be ensured that all PWD enjoy legal capacity on equal basis with others in all aspects of life and has the right to equal recognition everywhere as any other person before the law and have the right, equally with others, to own and inherit movable and immovable property as well as control their financial affairs under section 13.These are very essential for the success of inclusive education, and educating special children, preventing them from any forms of inhumane treatment and discrimination and providing equal treatment and equality in all forms is a must so that they can enjoy their rights.

Chapter III deals with ‘Education’ of the persons with disability. Section 16 deals with the fact that any Government and local authorities shall endeavor regarding prevention of discrimination in enrollment in educational institutions and making equal chance of opportunities in education, sports and recreation activities. Besides the campus of the school, buildings and facilities should be made accessible for them which are very important for the success of inclusive school set up. Giving the most effective and efficient education according to their level and degree of disability is the main aspects of this chapter. For ensuring effective educational programme, in the section 17 of chapter III, the Government and local authorities will and must set up teacher training institutions to train and guide the disability persons, conducting research and survey to improve learning, giving scholarships, train professionals and staff to support inclusive education at all levels of school education.  For conducting any research, free and informed consent from a Committee for Research on Disability to be constituted in the prescribed manner. These are very important for upliftment and development of inclusive education, for educational and economic upliftment and improvement of the country.

The list has also been expanded from 7 to 21 conditions and it now also includes – cerebral palsy, dwarfism, muscular dystrophy, acid attack victims, hard of hearing, speech and language disability, specific learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, chronic neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, blood disorders such as haemophilia, thalassemia, and sickle cell anemia, and multiple disabilities. The Act provides an elaborate definition of mental illness which is “a substantial disorder of thinking, mood, perception, orientation, or memory that grossly impairs judgment, behavior, and capacity to recognize reality or ability to meet the ordinary demands of life but does not include retardation of arrested or incomplete development of mind of a person, especially characterized by sub normality of intelligence.” Persons with at least 40% of any of the above disability Persons With Disability having high support needs are those who are certified such under section 58(2) of the Act.

Equal protection and safety in situations of risk, armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters are to be provided to the PWD. Children with disability are not to be separated from their parents except on the order of a competent court and information about reproductive rights and family planning to the PWD is to be ensured. The Bill provides for the access to inclusive education, vocational training and self-employment of disabled persons without discrimination and buildings, campuses and various facilities are to be made accessible to the PWD and their special needs are to be addressed. Necessary schemes and programs to safeguard and promote the PWD for living in the community are to be launched by the Government. These are highlighted in Chapter IV ‘Skill Development and Employment.’ This shows the necessity for inclusive education where special persons can be trained and developed theirs skills and in turn they have the chance of providing food and shelter and basic amenities for themselves.

Chapter IV speaks on topics relating to skill development, vocational trainings and self-employment schemes. The main aim of this chapter is to allow people with disabilities to make a living for themselves as well as to be accepted for jobs without such discrimination, where such a disability would not be a barrier.

Section 19 of the Act specifically talks about the duty of the government to formulate schemes and programmes for vocational training and self-employment and also provide loans at concessional rates in this regard.

Section 19 (2) speaks about some types of schemes which have been spoke about in section 19 (1). They are as follows:

1.      Inclusion of person with disability in vocational and skill development programmes:

2.      To ensure adequate support and facilities to avail specific training for such persons;

3.      Loans at concessional rates made including microcredit;

4.      Marketing products made by such persons with disabilities;

5.      Maintenance of data about progress made in these skill development programmes.

Section 20 to section 23 prevents discrimination against persons with disability in matters relating to acquiring employment or in the course of employment.

Section 20 states that no discrimination shall be made against persons with disability in matters relating to employment and also ensure reasonable accommodation and a barrier free conducive working environment to them. If the profile of the job does not suit such a person with disability, he shall be shifted to some other post with equal pay and benefits. Such an arrangement can function till the time there is an appropriate post for him or till his superannuation.

Section 22 speaks about maintaining of record of such persons with disability in employment exchanges. Section 23 speaks about the appointment of a Grievance Redressal Officer for every Government Establishment to address complaints regarding non-compliance of provisions u/s 20.

In Chapter V, appropriate healthcare measures, insurance schemes, rehabilitation programs for the PWD are to be undertaken by the Government. Cultural life, recreation and sporting activities are also to be taken care of to inculcate and instill to the PWD for development of their socialize skills and abilities to some extent.

Every child with benchmark disability between the ages of six to eighteen years shall have the right to free education in a neighborhood school, or in a special school of his choice. Government institutions of higher education and those getting aid from the Government are required to reserve at least 5% of seats for persons with benchmark disabilities. Four percent reservation for persons with benchmark disabilities is to be provided in differential quotas for different forms of disabilities. Incentives to employer in private sector are to be given who provide 5% reservation for persons with benchmark disability. These are given under Chapter VI of the Bill; they are very essential and utmost importance for inclusive education. Reserving seat for them will give them the sense and feelings of belongingness and have time to develop at least minimum level of their personality and skills.

The Central and State Advisory Boards on disability are to be constituted to perform various functions assigned under the Act. District level Committees are also to be constituted by the State Government. Chief Commissioner and two Commissioners for PWD are to be appointed by the central government at the central level for the purpose of the Act. Similarly, State Commissioners are to be appointed by the State Governments. National Funds for PWD are to be constituted at the central and state levels respectively by the appropriate Governments. These are given in Chapter XI, XIV and XV of the Act, which shows that education of PWD is given special importance and to ensure that working force is needed. The above said working force will ensure survey and research the condition of PWD in the state and nation level and will to improve and ensure the development of inclusive education.

Chapter XVI of the Bill prohibits any contraventions of the provisions of the Act have been made punishable by a fine of an amount unto ten thousand for first contravention and fifty thousand extendable up to five lakhs for subsequent contraventions. Atrocities on PWD have been made punishable with imprisonment of 6 months extendable to 5 years and with fine. Fraudulently availing of the benefits meant for PWD has also been made punishable.

Conclusion

So, we can say that the Union Government of India felt the importance of education the persons with disabilities as they constitute over 26.8 million people which is equivalent to 2.21 % of population according to 2011 census. To aware and acknowledge these disability population one of the means is education. So, the government is trying to make education inclusive as possible. 

Inclusive education can play great role in socializing and developing communication skills in the special children. Giving equal opportunities with others can help in their perceivement ability and thinking ability as well.  In spite of the many challenges regarding the success of inclusive education, we have to keep in mind that according to the severeness and degrees of disability of a person, inclusive education can be the answer; being isolated may hampers their growth and development to some extent.

RIGHT TO EDUCATION ACT 2009

INTRODUCTION

Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 i.e. Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act provides for free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act came into force from April 1, 2010. This was a historic day for the people of India as from this day the Right to Education is accorded the same legal status as the Right to Life as provided by Article 21A of the Indian Constitution. The Act is having seven chapters, one schedule and thirty seven sections. Every child in the age group of 6-14 years will be provided 8 years of elementary education in the vicinity of his/her neighborhood. He/she should be given admission to the class appropriate to his/her age. The State shall have the responsibility of enrolling the child as well as ensuring attendance and completion of 8 years of schooling and shall bear the whole expenditure. No child shall be denied admission for want of documents, no child shall be turned away even if the admission cycle in the school is complete and no child shall be asked to undertake an admission test. Children with disabilities will also be educated in the mainstream schools which serves the criteria of Inclusive Education. In fact, Right to Education provides a base for making Inclusive Education a reality.

The present paper highlights the provision of inclusive education in context of the Right to Education Act. It also throws light on the present scenario of inclusive education in India and suggests some useful recommendations for making it more beneficial and effective for both the abled and disabled children equally. It calls for the joint support of the teachers, parents, authorities and children themselves to accomplish the goal of total literacy and education in India.

RIGHT TO EDUCATION ACT 2009

The Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002 inserted Article 21-A in the Constitution of India to provide free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right in such a manner as the State may, by law, determine. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which represents the consequential legislation envisaged under Article 21-A, means that every child has a right to full time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential norms and standards.

Article 21-A  and the RTE Act came into effect on 1 April 2010. The title of the RTE Act incorporates the words ‘free and compulsory’. ‘Free education’ means that no child, other than a child who has been admitted by his or her parents to a school which is not supported by the appropriate Government, shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him or her from pursuing and completing elementary education. ‘Compulsory education’ casts an obligation on the appropriate Government and local authorities to provide and ensure admission, attendance and completion of elementary education by all children in the 6-14 age group. With this, India has moved forward to a rights based framework that casts a legal obligation on the Central and State Governments to implement this fundamental child right as enshrined in the Article 21A of the Constitution, in accordance with the provisions of the RTE Act.

The RTE Act provides for the:

·         Right of children to free and compulsory education till completion of elementary education in a neighborhood school.

·         It clarifies that ‘compulsory education’ means obligation of the appropriate government to provide free elementary education and ensure compulsory admission, attendance and completion of elementary education to every child in the six to fourteen age group. ‘Free’ means that no child shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him or her from pursuing and completing elementary education.

·         It makes provisions for a non-admitted child to be admitted to an age appropriate class.

·         It specifies the duties and responsibilities of appropriate Governments, local authority and parents in providing free and compulsory education, and sharing of financial and other responsibilities between the Central and State Governments.

·         It lays down the norms and standards relating inter alia to Pupil Teacher Ratios (PTRs), buildings and infrastructure, school-working days, teacher-working hours.

·         It provides for rational deployment of teachers by ensuring that the specified pupil teacher ratio is maintained for each school, rather than just as an average for the State or District or Block, thus ensuring that there is no urban-rural imbalance in teacher postings. It also provides for prohibition of deployment of teachers for non-educational work, other than decennial census, elections to local authority, state legislatures and parliament, and disaster relief.

·         It provides for appointment of appropriately trained teachers, i.e. teachers with the requisite entry and academic qualifications.

·         It prohibits (a) physical punishment and mental harassment; (b) screening procedures for admission of children; (c) capitation fee; (d) private tuition by teachers and (e) running of schools without recognition,

It provides for development of curriculum in consonance with the values enshrined in the Constitution, and which would ensure the all-round development of the child, building on the child’s knowledge, potentiality and talent and making the child free of fear, trauma and anxiety through a system of child friendly and child centered learning

RTE ACT 2009- A TOOL FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

The Right of Children to Free & Compulsory Education Act (2009) passed by the Parliament requires the state to provide free and compulsory education to all the children from the age of 6 to 14 years and has the potential to herald an era of inclusive growth in India. Historically, right to education has derived its legal basis from Article 26 (1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which states that, Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), adopted by the United Nations in 1966, has also recognized everyone’s right to education. Article 13 (2) of ICESCR requires the covenant to recognize that primary education will be compulsory and available free to all to achieve its realization. Various constitutions around the world recognize the universal nature of the right to education (the Czech Republic, Niger, Spain, Uganda, etc.). However, constitutional provisions of providing free and compulsory education vary across countries in terms of specific segments (primary level Croatia, Turkey and Kuwait; basic education Spain and Sweden; secondary level - the Czech Republic and Latvia). Ever since Independence, India has undertaken several initiatives to achieve universalization of elementary education, which has yielded mixed results. The Right to Education legislation in India has seen many ups and downs historically in evolving from a directive principle to a fundamental right. In 1950, the Constitution articulated its commitment to education through its Directive Principles of State Policy. The 86th Constitutional Amendment was followed by multiple rounds of discussions which made education a fundamental right for children in the age group of 614 years. The Act was introduced in Rajya Sabha in December 2008. It was passed in the Lok Sabha on 4 August 2009 and the President gave his assent to it on 26 August 2009. The Act came into force on 1 April 2010 as a fundamental right in India. Provisions for Inclusive Education in Right to Education Act, 2009 Section 3 of Chapter II of the Right to Education Act, 2009 states that Provided that a child suffering from disability, as defined in clause (i) of section 2 of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection and Full Participation) Act, 1996, shall have the right to pursue free and compulsory elementary education in accordance with the provisions of Chapter V of the said Act. Section 26 of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection and Full Participation) Act, 1996, states that the appropriate Governments and the local authorities shall

26. ensure that every child with a disability has access to free education in an appropriate environment till he attains the age of eighteen years;

 27. endeavour to promote the integration of students with disabilities in the normal schools;

28. promote setting up of special schools in Government and private sector for those in need of special education, in such a manner that children with disabilities living in any part of the country have access to such schools;

29. Endeavour to equip the special schools for children with disabilities with vocational training facilities.

There are many aspects of the law that support the inclusion of many marginalized groups of children with children with disabilities being one among them. Some of these are:

Mapping of children

Clear responsibilities of the State to map children in their communities and ensure the enrollment, retention and completion of elementary education are an important one. For children with disabilities who face grave barriers not only from systems but also from society and community, a proactive local authority/ state government can go a long way in enabling the child to go to school.

Setting up Schools at a One kilometer Distance and the Provision of Transport

Section 6 of the Rules of the RTE Act, specify that primary school must be established within a walking distance of one kilometer of the neighborhood. For children in classes 6 to 8 schools can be established within a walking distance of three kilometers. Added to this is the commitment in the Rules to provide transport to children with disabilities. Since physical access is a particularly important issue for children with disabilities, having schools within reach and the facility of transport to reach the school is critical for the full participation in education for this child.

Setting Standards

The move to formalize education and set standards of what is a school and minimum requirements in a school for infrastructure and PTRs and trained teachers can go a long way in ensuring the inclusion of children with disabilities. A classroom for every teacher and a PTR of 30:1 is enabling for all children including children with disabilities. It is easier for the teacher to understand the specific requirements of a disabled child in a classroom of 30 than in a classroom of 80 or even 100 as has been the order of the day in many states.

Further the requirement of schools to have of playgrounds, libraries, toilets and drinking water facilities and to have barrier free access can be extremely enabling for children with disabilities if these basic facilities are accessible to all and based on the principles of universal design.

The commitment to having trained teachers by the end of five years (Sec. 23 (2)) gave the hope that teachers will know how to teach all children including children with disabilities.

Child Centered Education and Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation

Major changes in the way education is transacted is another hall mark of the Act. A child centered education; a clear setting of curriculum (Section 29 (2)) that enable the full physical and mental development of the child could have been used to enable a system where supports such as physical therapies, mobility training, positioning required by some children with disabilities could have been incorporated in the school curriculum.

A commitment to provide all teaching and learning materials required by children and continuous and comprehensive evaluation are important changes for the child with disabilities in school. It is well known that children with disabilities (and many other children) may flourish in other aspects of education than just the academic. Further the commitment to education that ensures the full development of the child mandates that many of the commitments of the UNCRPD Article 24 on the aims of education are fulfilled in schools.

The Involvement of Parents and Communities

The involvement of parents and others from outside the school in the school management committees is another important aspect giving multiple stakeholders a stake in the education of children in the community. The role of monitoring the implementation of the act and the big responsibility of preparing school development plans gives impotent opportunities for families and communities to steer education. The model rules of the Act further specify that SMC must monitor the inclusion of children with disabilities and ensure their right to education.

An Acknowledgment of Discrimination

The RTE Act is one of the few Acts that actively acknowledges that discrimination is an important factor in full enjoyment of rights and the full participation of children in education. A sharp focus on non-discrimination and the understanding that some groups of children are vulnerable and need further protection is extremely important for inclusion. The specific mention and protection of children from disadvantaged groups and weaker sections is an important aspect of the Act. Added to this is further protection of children against corporal punishment and mental harassment.16 Discrimination overt and covert mental harassment are major factors affecting the retention of children with disabilities in education. A law that expressly prohibits both recognizes this.

In 2012 the RTE Act was amended. Among other important amendments was the amendment with regard to children with disabilities.

The amendment specifically named children with disabilities under the disadvantaged groups of children but also added another clause to the Act. It gave children with severe and multiple disabilities the right to opt for home based education. As a result of this amendment:

a) Children with disabilities now come under the 25% EWS category that private schools must admit

b) Parents of children with disabilities will now have to be included in all school management committees (SMCs). Given the requisite training and power, these parents can have a positive impact on the way school development plans are made.

If applied in their true spirit, these are real and important gains for the education of the child with disabilities in the general school system.

The amended Right to Education Act, 2012 constitutes under Section 3, a new sub-section which explicitly refers to the right of children with disabilities to free and compulsory elementary education in a neighborhood school till the completion of his or her elementary education. It also notes that children with multiple disabilities may also opt for home based education.

CONCLUSION

It is not only the duty of National and State Governments but also of the teachers, parents, community and society as a whole to protect and fulfill the Right to Education as it is a source to make Inclusive Education a reality. The statistics showed that approximately 150 million children in the world are disabled. Also in India, 74% of people with physical impairment and 94% of people with learning disabilities are unemployed.

Das AK, Sharma S, Singh VK. (2012)  elucidates that for the success of inclusive education programmes, a number of variables work together among which the most important one is the regular classroom teacher. There has been a considerable change in the nature of teacher’s work since the implementation of inclusive education programmes in India. In present times, teachers are required to perform a number of additional tasks in order to meet the needs of diverse learners. So, the roles and responsibilities of teachers in the context of inclusive education have always been significant.

Shinde A A. (2015) finds out the challenges for the implementation of RTE for children with hearing disability. The objectives were:

1) To study challenges faced by the principals for implementation of RTE in Zila Parishad schools regarding access to education.

2) To study challenges faced by the principals for implementation of RTE in Zila Parishad schools regarding infrastructure.

The findings show that there has been some considerable progress only in terms of enrollment but need to improve in placing Children with Hearing Impairment (CWHI) in an age appropriate classroom and providing basic facilities for CWHI. The Government of India has enacted and implemented the RTE Act with an aim to provide quality elementary education to all including Children with Special Needs (CWSN).

THE UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHT OF THE CHILD

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights — civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. On November 20th, 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18 years old often need special care and protection that adults do not.

The leaders also wanted to make sure that the world recognized that children have human rights too.

The Preamble

• recalls the basic principles of the United Nations and specific provisions to certain relevant human rights treaties and proclamations such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

• reaffirms the fact that children, because of their vulnerability, need special care and protection; and,

• places special emphasis on the primary caring and protective responsibility of the family, the need for legal and other protection of the child, the importance of respect for the cultural values of the child’s community, and the vital role of international co-operation in achieving the realisation of children’s rights.

Article 1 (Definition of the child): The Convention defines a 'child' as a person below the age of 18, unless the laws of a particular country set the legal age for adulthood younger. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, the monitoring body for the Convention, has encouraged States to review the age of majority if it is set below 18 and to increase the level of protection for all children under 18.

Article 2 (Non-discrimination): The Convention applies to all children, whatever their race, religion or abilities; whatever they think or say, whatever type of family they come from. It doesn’t matter where children live, what language they speak, what their parents do, whether they are boys or girls, what their culture is, whether they have a disability or whether they are rich or poor. No child should be treated unfairly on any basis.

Article 3 (Best interests of the child): The best interests of children must be the primary concern in making decisions that may affect them. All adults should do what is best for children. When adults make decisions, they should think about how their decisions will affect children. This particularly applies to budget, policy and law makers.

Article 4 (Protection of rights): Governments have a responsibility to take all available measures to make sure children’s rights are respected, protected and fulfilled. When countries ratify the Convention, they agree to review their laws relating to children. This involves assessing their social services, legal, health and educational systems, as well as levels of funding for these services. Governments are then obliged to take all necessary steps to ensure that the minimum standards set by the Convention in these areas are being met. They must help families protect children’s rights and create an environment where they can grow and reach their potential. In some instances, this may involve changing existing laws or creating new ones. Such legislative changes are not imposed, but come about through the same process by which any law is created or reformed within a country. Article 41 of the Convention points out the when a country already has higher legal standards than those seen in the Convention, the higher standards always prevail.

Article 5 (Parental guidance): Governments should respect the rights and responsibilities of families to direct and guide their children so that, as they grow, they learn to use their rights properly. Helping children to understand their rights does not mean pushing them to make choices with consequences that they are too young to handle. Article 5 encourages parents to deal with rights issues "in a manner consistent with the evolving capacities of the child". The Convention does not take responsibility for children away from their parents and give more authority to governments. It does place on governments the responsibility to protect and assist families in fulfilling their essential role as nurturers of children.

Article 6 (Survival and development): Children have the right to live. Governments should ensure that children survive and develop healthily.

Article 7 (Registration, name, nationality, care): All children have the right to a legally registered name, officially recognised by the government. Children have the right to a nationality (to belong to a country). Children also have the right to know and, as far as possible, to be cared for by their parents.

Article 8 (Preservation of identity): Children have the right to an identity – an official record of who they are. Governments should respect children’s right to a name, a nationality and family ties.

Article 9 (Separation from parents): Children have the right to live with their parent(s), unless it is bad for them. Children whose parents do not live together have the right to stay in contact with both parents, unless this might hurt the child.

Article 10 (Family reunification): Families whose members live in different countries should be allowed to move between those countries so that parents and children can stay in contact, or get back together as a family.

Article 11 (Kidnapping): Governments should take steps to stop children being taken out of their own country illegally. This article is particularly concerned with parental abductions. The Convention’s Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography has a provision that concerns abduction for financial gain.

Article 12 (Respect for the views of the child): When adults are making decisions that affect children, children have the right to say what they think should happen and have their opinions taken into account. This does not mean that children can now tell their parents what to do. This Convention encourages adults to listen to the opinions of children and involve them in decision-making -- not give children authority over adults. Article 12 does not interfere with parents' right and responsibility to express their views on matters affecting their children. Moreover, the Convention recognizes that the level of a child’s participation in decisions must be appropriate to the child's level of maturity. Children's ability to form and express their opinions develops with age and most adults will naturally give the views of teenagers greater weight than those of a preschooler, whether in family, legal or administrative decisions.

Article 13 (Freedom of expression): Children have the right to get and share information, as long as the information is not damaging to them or others. In exercising the right to freedom of expression, children have the responsibility to also respect the rights, freedoms and reputations of others. The freedom of expression includes the right to share information in any way they choose, including by talking, drawing or writing.

Article 14 (Freedom of thought, conscience and religion): Children have the right to think and believe what they want and to practise their religion, as long as they are not stopping other people from enjoying their rights. Parents should help guide their children in these matters. The Convention respects the rights and duties of parents in providing religious and moral guidance to their children. Religious groups around the world have expressed support for the Convention, which indicates that it in no way prevents parents from bringing their children up within a religious tradition. At the same time, the Convention recognizes that as children mature and are able to form their own views, some may question certain religious practices or cultural traditions. The Convention supports children's right to examine their beliefs, but it also states that their right to express their beliefs implies respect for the rights and freedoms of others.

Article 15 (Freedom of association): Children have the right to meet together and to join groups and organisations, as long as it does not stop other people from enjoying their rights. In exercising their rights, children have the responsibility to respect the rights, freedoms and reputations of others.

Article 16 (Right to privacy): Children have a right to privacy. The law should protect them from attacks against their way of life, their good name, their families and their homes.

Article 17 (Access to information; mass media): Children have the right to get information that is important to their health and well-being. Governments should encourage mass media – radio, television, newspapers and Internet content sources – to provide information that children can understand and to not promote materials that could harm children. Mass media should particularly be encouraged to supply information in languages that minority and indigenous children can understand. Children should also have access to children’s books.

Article 18 (Parental responsibilities; state assistance): Both parents share responsibility for bringing up their children, and should always consider what is best for each child. Governments must respect the responsibility of parents for providing appropriate guidance to their children – the Convention does not take responsibility for children away from their parents and give more authority to governments. It places a responsibility on governments to provide support services to parents, especially if both parents work outside the home.

Article 19 (Protection from all forms of violence): Children have the right to be protected from being hurt and mistreated, physically or mentally. Governments should ensure that children are properly cared for and protect them from violence, abuse and neglect by their parents, or anyone else who looks after them. In terms of discipline, the Convention does not specify what forms of punishment parents should use. However any form of discipline involving violence is unacceptable. There are ways to discipline children that are effective in helping children learn about family and social expectations for their behaviour– ones that are non-violent, are appropriate to the child's level of development and take the best interests of the child into consideration. In most countries, laws already define what sorts of punishments are considered excessive or abusive. It is up to each government to review these laws in light of the Convention.

Article 20 (Children deprived of family environment): Children who cannot be looked after by their own family have a right to special care and must be looked after properly, by people who respect their ethnic group, religion, culture and language.

Article 21 (Adoption): Children have the right to care and protection if they are adopted or in foster care. The first concern must be what is best for them. The same rules should apply whether they are adopted in the country where they were born, or if they are taken to live in another country.

Article 22 (Refugee children): Children have the right to special protection and help if they are refugees (if they have been forced to leave their home and live in another country), as well as all the rights in this Convention.

Article 23 (Children with disabilities): Children who have any kind of disability have the right to special care and support, as well as all the rights in the Convention, so that they can live full and independent lives.

Article 24 (Health and health services): Children have the right to good quality health care – the best health care possible – to safe drinking water, nutritious food, a clean and safe environment, and information to help them stay healthy. Rich countries should help poorer countries achieve this.

Article 25 (Review of treatment in care): Children who are looked after by their local authorities, rather than their parents, have the right to have these living arrangements looked at regularly to see if they are the most appropriate. Their care and treatment should always be based on “the best interests of the child”.

Article 26 (Social security): Children – either through their guardians or directly – have the right to help from the government if they are poor or in need.

Article 27 (Adequate standard of living): Children have the right to a standard of living that is good enough to meet their physical and mental needs. Governments should help families and guardians who cannot afford to provide this, particularly with regard to food, clothing and housing.

Article 28: (Right to education): All children have the right to a primary education, which should be free. Wealthy countries should help poorer countries achieve this right. Discipline in schools should respect children’s dignity. For children to benefit from education, schools must be run in an orderly way – without the use of violence. Any form of school discipline should take into account the child's human dignity. Therefore, governments must ensure that school administrators review their discipline policies and eliminate any discipline practices involving physical or mental violence, abuse or neglect. The Convention places a high value on education. Young people should be encouraged to reach the highest level of education of which they are capable.

Article 29 (Goals of education): Children’s education should develop each child’s personality, talents and abilities to the fullest. It should encourage children to respect others, human rights and their own and other cultures. It should also help them learn to live peacefully, protect the environment and respect other people. Children have a particular responsibility to respect the rights their parents, and education should aim to develop respect for the values and culture of their parents. The Convention does not address such issues as school uniforms, dress codes, the singing of the national anthem or prayer in schools. It is up to governments and school officials in each country to determine whether, in the context of their society and existing laws, such matters infringe upon other rights protected by the Convention.

Article 30 (Children of minorities/indigenous groups): Minority or indigenous children have the right to learn about and practice their own culture, language and religion. The right to practice one’s own culture, language and religion applies to everyone; the Convention here highlights this right in instances where the practices are not shared by the majority of people in the country.

Article 31 (Leisure, play and culture): Children have the right to relax and play, and to join in a wide range of cultural, artistic and other recreational activities.

Article 32 (Child labour): The government should protect children from work that is dangerous or might harm their health or their education. While the Convention protects children from harmful and exploitative work, there is nothing in it that prohibits parents from expecting their children to help out at home in ways that are safe and appropriate to their age. If children help out in a family farm or business, the tasks they do be safe and suited to their level of development and comply with national labour laws. Children's work should not jeopardize any of their other rights, including the right to education, or the right to relaxation and play.

Article 33 (Drug abuse): Governments should use all means possible to protect children from the use of harmful drugs and from being used in the drug trade.

Article 34 (Sexual exploitation): Governments should protect children from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse. This provision in the Convention is augmented by the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

Article 35 (Abduction, sale and trafficking): The government should take all measures possible to make sure that children are not abducted, sold or trafficked. This provision in the Convention is augmented by the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

Article 36 (Other forms of exploitation): Children should be protected from any activity that takes advantage of them or could harm their welfare and development.

Article 37 (Detention and punishment): No one is allowed to punish children in a cruel or harmful way. Children who break the law should not be treated cruelly. They should not be put in prison with adults, should be able to keep in contact with their families, and should not be sentenced to death or life imprisonment without possibility of release.

Article 38 (War and armed conflicts): Governments must do everything they can to protect and care for children affected by war. Children under 15 should not be forced or recruited to take part in a war or join the armed forces. The Convention’s Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict further develops this right, raising the age for direct participation in armed conflict to 18 and establishing a ban on compulsory recruitment for children under 18.

Article 39 (Rehabilitation of child victims): Children who have been neglected, abused or exploited should receive special help to physically and psychologically recover and reintegrate into society. Particular attention should be paid to restoring the health, self-respect and dignity of the child.

Article 40 (Juvenile justice): Children who are accused of breaking the law have the right to legal help and fair treatment in a justice system that respects their rights. Governments are required to set a minimum age below which children cannot be held criminally responsible and to provide minimum guarantees for the fairness and quick resolution of judicial or alternative proceedings.

Article 41 (Respect for superior national standards): If the laws of a country provide better protection of children’s rights than the articles in this Convention, those laws should apply.

Article 42 (Knowledge of rights): Governments should make the Convention known to adults and children. Adults should help children learn about their rights, too. (See also article 4.)

Articles 43-54 (implementation measures): These articles discuss how governments and international organizations like UNICEF should work to ensure children are protected in their rights.

To help stem the growing abuse and exploitation of children worldwide, the United Nations General Assembly in 2000 adopted two Optional Protocols to the Convention to increase the protection of children from involvement in armed conflicts and from sexual exploitation.

The Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict establishes 18 as the minimum age for compulsory recruitment and requires States to do everything they can to prevent individuals under the age of 18 from taking a direct part in hostilities.

The Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography draws special attention to the criminalization of these serious violations of children’s rights and emphasizes the importance of fostering increased public awareness and international cooperation in efforts to combat.

Role of teachers, parents, peers, administrators, community, NGOs, Government and Private Organizations for creating inclusive school.

As a system, inclusive education should be flexible. Its principle should be education in the regular classroom whenever possible. This need for flexibility must be reflected in the methods and materials used to give these children the widest possible access to the regular curriculum. When discussing the kind of service needed, the starting point should always be what is best for the particular child. Emphasising inclusive education does not rule out special schools or centres. They would still be required to cater to children with profound and complex difficulties in need of more specialised and extensive help, including e.g. many deaf children. This alternative should, however, not be considered, unless classroom placement cannot meet their needs. In line with the new policy of inclusive education, special schools begin to function more and more as resource centres. They involve in outreach programmes, where they draw on their vast experience and knowledge. They link their activities with those of the regular schools, the families, and the communities. For fulfilling the primary objectives of inclusive education system each of the stakeholders should work on it. Each stakeholders having some role and responsibilities for fulfilling the primary objectives of inclusive education system. In this section focus on the role and responsibilities of the parent, community, peers, resource person, itinerant teacher, shadow teacher, head master and teacher in inclusive education.

Role and responsibilities of teacher:

Their roles and responsibilities, which may be shared with a resource teacher or learning assistance teacher, include the following:

·      evaluating and reporting on students’ progress

·      collaborating with students and their parents to plan, create, and sustain a safe learning environment

·      collaborating with other professional and auxiliary personnel

·      planning instruction for the class and for individual students

·      implementing the goals and objectives of the Individual Education Plan and making revisions as necessary

·      communicating with parents about their children’s education

·      coordinating and managing information provided by support personnel (speech therapists, social workers, etc.)

·      supervising and coordinating the work of teaching assistants

·      adapting their teaching style, activities, and curriculum to facilitate each student’s success

Role of teachers:

      Interaction with family

Ø  To be able to solve their problem

Ø  To develop new learning strategies

Ø  To be able to develop self confidence

Ø  To be able to provide special facilities

Ø  To be able to look after their personal needs

Ø  To be able to recognize their hidden talents

Ø  To inculcate positive attitude in the able-bodies children

Role and responsibilities of Parents:

Parents can encourage the child to participate in activities where he can meet children of same age with different abilities. They can also search the internet for activities or organisations that a child may want to join. Children should be encouraged by them to develop friendship with classmates or other neighbourhood children. Parents can discuss their goals, expectations and preferences for a child with their teachers, therapists etc, before going to school and deciding upon the education plan for them. Parents should also be fully aware of rights of their child to have an inclusive education. Sometimes schools do not support a family’s desire for inclusion, parents as well as family should try to explain that why they believe in inclusive education for their child. Parents can take the help to bring in an expert to share information about benefits of inclusive education. At the school level parents can attempt to facilitate inclusion in many ways including the modification in child’s curriculum, helping them in a classroom and can provide materials on their children disability to teachers. Parents can play the key role to promote inclusion for their child. The following are some of the role and responsibilities of parents in the inclusive education setup.

·    be consulted about the placement of their children with special needs

·    be involved in the planning, development, and implementation of their children’s education program

·    be informed of a student’s attendance, behaviour, and progress in school

·    receive annual reports about the effectiveness of educational programs in the school district

·    examine all records kept by the school board pertaining to their children

·    register their children in an educational program through a school district, independent school, home school, or regional correspondence program

·    be informed and involved in education decisions that affect their children

·    be consulted, and to give consent, regarding the type and nature of all assessments, and to be informed of their results

·    have concerns listened to, and responded to, promptly and respectfully

·    have access to personnel such as teachers, teaching assistants, principals, board administrators, and board trustees for information and collaboration

·    have concerns treated with confidentiality

·    be able to observe their children in the classroom

·    receive progress reports that can be understood

·    be involved in the planning process and review of their children's Individual Education Plan (IEP)

·    educate their children at home

·    be aware of school policies, programs, rules, and routines

Role and responsibilities of Peers:

Partner learning and peer tutoring systems are not new. Think of all of the learning that goes on during informal activities when children are playing games or when they engage in sporting activities. Student interactions will be even more effective with quality peer training and ongoing support. Peer tutor programs can involve same-age or cross-age connections among students. They can involve students in a single class, paired classes or across an entire school. Positive results in school climate have been one of the many benefits. Effective peer tutoring programs require organization and a significant time commitment from teachers. Schools have found that the initial investments are well worth the time and effort. “Student tutors experience benefits similar to those of their partners…they develop interpersonal skills and may enhance self-esteem.

Inclusive schools promote respectful and supportive relationships, avoid the bullying epidemic, and build the attributes of positive peer-to-peer interactions. Due to the current state of our national economy and shrinking education budgets, schools and businesses alike are striving for both efficient and effective ways to maximize resources. One very powerful resource that is often over-looked, underutilized and perhaps not well understood is literally right in front of us: peers supports.

Peer modeling is another support that can be used to help students learn academic, processes and classroom routines. It also provides the classroom teacher opportunities to use peers to assist with instruction, clarifying directions and give social reminders with little or no disruption to the lesson cycle. It is an excellent way for peers to provide appropriate behavioral models of students who need to improve their social skills. The following are some of the roles and responsibilities of peers towards the inclusive classroom settings.

·     Peer should develop Friendships with all

·     Peer should be increased social initiations, relationships and networks

·     Peer should create a greater opportunities for interactions

·     Peer should be increased their appreciation and acceptance of individual differences

·     Peer should be understanding and acceptance of diversity

·     Peer should respect for all people

·     Peer should do the work with group

·     All students needs are better met, greater resources for everyone

The power of peers as shown here has a cumulative effect, which makes issues such a bullying incompatible. Rather, we have peers helping peers become more integrated into the school culture.

Role and responsibilities of head master:

The Headmaster / principal or vice-principal may be involved with planning for students with special needs. The principal’s roles and responsibilities include the following:

·      selecting special education staff who embrace the philosophy of inclusion

·      recognizing the need for program and staff development

·      supporting the school’s responsibility for the education of all students

·      recognizing that all students benefit from inclusion

·      recognizing the extra support needs of special needs students, and advocating for the supports

Role and responsibilities of Community:

Schools and communities cannot be isolated from each other. In order to have sustainable impact and to enable effective policy-level advocacy there is a need to model inclusive thinking and implementation both in schools and communities. Planning for improved schools and developing effective school-community partnerships are the first steps towards inclusion. Schools and communities need to understand each other and reinforce each other’s role towards comprehensive school improvement and a more inclusive, diversity-friendly society.

Children belong to families and communities. Communities are as much places of learning as schools. An inclusive approach to education recognizes that the community have a real contribution to make to children’s learning and they have the right to be involved in the decision making process. Schools and communities need to understand each other and reinforce each other’s role. Communities may not be aware of the difficulties schools face and to what extent certain children have education related problems that could be solved through increased support from families and communities. The following are some of the roles and responsibilities of community towards inclusive education.

·    Community motivate to promote girls’ access to education

·    Community should insist the parents to registration of births

·    Community should take initiative to controlling illness and hunger

·    Community should motivate the parents for promoting the inclusive education

·    Community should take steps to make a unity in the surroundings

Role of Community in promoting of creating inclusive school:

School and communities cannot be isolated from each in order to have an inclusive school. The participation of the community in which the school is situated, community of the students and teacher pay an important role-

The community can help in eliminating negative attitude, prejudice and assumption which are the common barrier to create inclusive schools. The negative attitude of teachers and parents are influenced by their own background and community, therefore the initiatives taken by the communities in promoting sensitization and positive attitude towards inclusive education is crucial importance.

The assistance provided by respective communities of the marginalized and under privileged students like controlling illness and hunger also enhances the process of inclusive education.

Elimination of discrimination and stigmatization due to disabilities or diseases like HIV/AIDS greatly helps in bringing about inclusion.

The community can provide human resources to meet the needs of inclusive schools to embrace diversity and cherish differences in the form of the guest teacher or resources person to teach local stories, poems folklore and materials to represent the diverse culture and language of the community.

The community also monitor the realization of child’s rights by the school as well as violation of these rights.

Role of NGO:

1. Developing teacher training program.

2.Formulation of self help groups for families with children with disabilities.

3.Identifying inclusive children and keeping track of them using their own network of NGO.

4.Running residential home for handicapped and hearing impaired children.

Role Of government:

The role of Government in creating inclusive school can be highlighted in the following points.

The government is responsible to provide legal action and legislation to foster inclusive schooling. This implies that the educational policies must take a right-based approach supported by appropriate legislation.

The government also make provisions to provide educational resources for the creation of inclusive schools. Such as resources can range from special educators to infrastructures and devices that enhanced inclusion.

Inter-sectoral approaches to engage multiple public and private institution in the process of inclusive education like providing funds and collaborating with NGO is an important role of the government.

The initiative taken by the government in designing curriculum it includes all the students and ensures equal access to levels of all education and all types of schools is important factor in creating inclusive school.

The government is also responsible in developing schemes to promote universal access to education in India schemes like SSA, RMSA etc, enhances the development of inclusive schools all over the country.

Meaning of private organisation

Private sector organizations are companies, corporations or businesses that are owned by private citizens or groups instead of the government or state. The private sector is made up of every for-profit business that is not owned or operated in any form by the government.

Private organisation refers to any person, partnership, corporation, association or agency which is not a public body that is operated for profit. The Private sector is usually comprised of organizations run by individuals and groups who seek to generate and return a profit back to its owners. Organizations in the private sector are usually free from government control.

Role of Private Organizations:

 Private organizations also played an important for creating inclusive school in different ways. We can explain the role of private organizations for creating inclusive school in the following points.

(a) Management services: Management of either a single public school or an entire public school district by private organisations. The responsibilities that the contractor assumes under these contracts usually fall into four categories: financial management, staff management, long-term planning, and leadership. Within these contracts, all non managerial personnel continue to be public sector employees.

(b) Philanthropic initiatives: The practise of companies by which they target their charitable activities. Example: India’s Bharti Foundation committed $50 million to the creation of strictly non-profit, private schools in the nation’s poor rural areas.

(c) Professional services: It involves contracting out professional services such as teacher training, textbook delivery, curriculum design, quality certification, and supplemental services. Its main advantage is that it brings private providers expertise. The quality of service can be specified in the contract and sanctions included if the contractor fails to provide that level of quality. Thus the performance of contractors can also be conveniently monitored.

(d) Support services: It involves contracting out Non instructional activities, including building maintenance, pupil transportation, and school meals, IT facilities, laboratory, which is often very costly for public schools. . Example: IT services are being provided in several government schools in several States like Tamil Naidu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh by private partners who set up the entire hardware infrastructure along with facility management.

(e) Operational services: It means contracting private organizations to handle a wider range of responsibilities, in essence, to operate an entire public school. In these operational contracts, private organizations not only manage the school but staff it as well (World Bank 2006).

(f) Education services: Instead of engaging a private organization to operate a public school, some governments contract out the enrolment of students in private schools. By paying for students to enrol in existing schools, governments can quickly expand access without incurring any up-front expenditure on constructing and equipping new schools.

Effect of childs disability on family

Having a family member with an intellectual disability can have an effect on the entire family, the parents, siblings, and extended family members. It is a unique shared experience for families and can affect all aspects of family functioning.

Positive effect

1.      On the positive side having a disabled child can broaden horizons, increase family members’ awareness of their inner strength, enhance family cohesion, and encourage connections to community.

2.      The existence of a disabled child in a family increase the family's attachment with religious institutions. The spirituality of a family is very important. This is because the parents and the siblings become closely linked through religion. Religion also enhances warm relation and morality in the families. Morally upright families enhance the growth of disabled children.

3.      The siblings of a disabled child also use a lot of time and resources in the attempts to change the state of disability of the child. In most instances since the siblings are known to be so caring they spent a lot of money seeking medication to treat the disability of the people. During these sacrifices much unity is achieved. This is because the siblings are united by their love for their disabled child to help him or her out of the disability.

4.      Siblings of children with a disability experienced attitudinal changes brought about by this family relationship. For these siblings, increased exposure to disability in their family environment made them more comfortable around other children with a disability, and they discovered a new-found enthusiasm for getting to know people with disabilities in general.

5.      As family members learned to be more accepting of diversity and of people’s behaviours, they cultivated a greater respect for other families of children with disabilities and experienced more compassion toward people in general

Negative effect

1.      The disability of children greatly affects family members. First and foremost, the psychological impact it has on family members is so detrimental. In fact, in some instances, parents required to get guidance and counselling to help them to positively cope with the situation. In cases where children are disabled by the accidental course, the parents are always mourning about the strange happening. The thought that the child would not grow like any other society member to get the required education and pass through the normal societal stages, cause the parents to get emotional stress. These parents need to be given psychological reality therapy to help them think rationally and face the reality of their children's state.

2.      Disability also has a considerable impact on family members. Sometimes family members experienced hard times with their brothers or sisters being disabled. A lot of their time is spent by the family member, which is aimed at maintaining a good relationship immediately.

3.      The feelings of siblings about having a disabled relative are not very encouraging. The effect of disability children on the siblings takes an emotional angle to great extent. Their emotions are really messed. They all required the company of the child . The disability of the child may deny the child from participating in plays which is very instrumental in shaping the relations between siblings and play. There is much need for the siblings to play with their brothers and sisters, even with the child being disabled.

4.      For the family member, it becomes a burden to care for the well being of their disable family member, it draws them away from the society and  hinders their participation in the society

Effect of child’s disability on parents

Positive effect

1.      For parents, having a disabled child broaden their horizon.Raising a child with a disability provides opportunities for personal growth. Parents in the study reported an ability to more readily recognize and appreciate the value, potential and strengths of a person with a disability as a result of their parenting experiences. Many described how their experiences left them with a greater acceptance of diversity, a stronger belief that there is an inherent and intrinsic value in people and a “more balanced appreciation for what people are about.” Parents learned not to place limits on people or tell them what they can or cannot do, but instead help them strive for self-improvement.

2.       Parents experience pride, joy and strengthened relationships because of the positive emotions their children have fostered in them

Negative effect

1.      For parents, caring for a disabled child may increase stress, take a toll on mental physical health, make it difficult to find appropriate and affordable child care, and affect decision about work, education/training, having additional children and relying on public support. It may be associated with guilt, blame or reduced self-esteem. It may divert attention from other aspects of family functioning. The out-of-pocket costs of medical care and other services may be enormous. All of these potential effects could have repercussions for the quality of relationship between parents and other family member.

2.      Another reaction parents may have toward their child is ambivalence. This feeling may occur as parents attempt to confirm that the child's disability is not temporary or fixable, as they try to determine what the best educational options are for their child, and as they ponder how their child will live as an adult. The decisions that parents of children with disabilities have to make are often difficult, and they continue throughout childhood and adolescence and sometimes through adulthood. Parents often attend meetings with school personnel at which tremendous amounts of information are shared with little time for explanation, and they often meet with representatives from many different disciplines. It is no wonder they may feel ambivalent.

3.      Some parents feel grief about their child's disability. Sometimes this is a sorrow for the pain or discomfort their child may have to experience; sometimes it is sadness for themselves because of the added stress on the family when a child has a disability; and sometimes it is a sense of loss for what the child may not become. Grief may be temporary or it may be chronic, a realization nearly every day of how their lives are different from those of families with children who do not have disabilities. Parents have a right to grieve about their child-a right educators should respect

4.      The disability of children also has impact on the parents when it comes to financing the medication. Most families which have a disabled child spend a lot of money in the attempt to change the disability of the child. In the cases, where the child in question is suspected to have psychological problems, they are taken by their parents to the relevant medication institution. The love for the child by the parents makes them to ensure they have tried all the possible means to change the state of the child's ability.

Conclusion

From the overall view of the effect of child’s disability on the parents and family members, we can say that the effect may differ based on the emotional maturity, physical endurance and the psychological strength of the family members, this disability is targeted by the process of inclusive education, in which the disabled child can have a proper education. This process helps the parents in taking away some of their burden or difficulties by letting the child enter the School and spend time with normal children, there are many cases where a disabled child enter the School and come out to be somewhat normal in their psychological mind set. When a child enters the inclusive School, it gives many advantages to the child to rise up from his/her disability and acquire a normal condition based on his/her level of disability

Inclusive education helps children with disability to prepare for full participation in the community, thereby elevating the burden of the parents and family members to improve the child in all parts of domain viz. cognitive, affective and psychomotor.

EFFECTS OF CHILD’S DISABILITIES ON PARENTS AND FAMILY

Effects of Child’s Disabilities on Parents:

a)      Physical and Emotional Strain:

The day to day strain of providing care and assistance leads to exhaustion and fatigue, taxing the physical and emotional energy of family members. There are a whole set of issues that create emotional strain, including worry, guilt, anxiety, anger, and uncertainty about the cause of the disability, about the future, about the needs of other family members, about whether one is providing enough assistance, and so on. Grieving over the loss of function of the person with the disability is experienced at the time of onset, and often repeatedly at other stages in the person’s life.

b) Adjusting Stage (Period of alternative feelings):

Due to the cognitive development process of the parents, coping with their child and level of understanding on what is happening to their child have been learned. This adjustment has brought them into capable of dealing with the children who needs special care.

c)      Accepting their child as they are:

After a long period of struggle, parents accept the real condition and situation of their child in this stage. Due to several factors like psychological awareness, guidance and counseling, the mindset has undergone changed. Parents try their level best to provide the physical and mental need of the child. The introduction of a warm and sound atmosphere at home is an important outcome of this progress.

d)     Appreciate as they are:

      Now, the parents found out the inner potential and capabilities of the child and start appreciating each and every steps taken by him or her, so that the child will get progress and development in his daily way of living.

e)      Marital Conflict/Strain:

New alliances and loyalties between family members sometimes emerge, with some members feeling excluded and others being overly drawn in. For example, the primary caregiver may become overly involved with the person with disability. This has been noted particularly with regard to mothers of children with disabilities. In these families, fathers often are under involved with the child and instead immerse themselves in work or leisure activities. This pattern usually is associated with more marital conflict. It is important to note, however, that there does not appear to be a greater incidence of divorce among families who have a child with a disability, although there may exist more marital tension.

Effects of Child’s Disabilities on Family

The disability of the child can have both negative and positive effect on the family

POSITIVE EFFECT:

a)      It broadens the horizon of the family:

Since, the family which has the disabled or the child who needs special care are dealing with the real time experience of the problem and difficulties in terms of the life of the said child, it widens the knowledge and skill of the members of the family regarding the world of disabled child. They are always ready to help the people on children who have faced this challenge with appropriate technique and skill.

b)     It increases inner strength of the family member:

Families that deals with disabled children often develops inner strength in terms of their mentality. Dealing with problems that normal children do not face, helps the family members to develop strength in dealing with problems and it builds readiness for challenges as well.

c)      It enhances family cohesion:

The child disabilities bring better cooperation and unity among the family members, in a manner that the child cannot depend on a single person of the family members. It unites the whole strength of the family and there is a need to give full concentration and participation of each members to serve the child. Many families actually report that the presence of disability has strengthened them as a family-they become closer, more accepting of others, have deeper faith, discover new friends, develop greater respect for life, improve their sense of mastery, and so on.

NEGATIVE EFFECT

a)      Uncontrolled Stress:

Due to the extra responsibilities and duties in the family, all the members of the family go through many stress and carry a lot of burdens. In case of this, the members of the family need to be aware of how to face the challenges in dealing with those persons with disability.

b)      Demands a lot of time:

The family might have been very busy in taking care of the child. They need to spare more time for them, as compared to normal child. The special child needs special care and it takes a longer time with a slow process. Taking care of the special children is not an easy task because it has to be done over a long period of time and the result cannot be achieved immediately but there has to be a gradual change to meet the needs of the child.

c)      Financial Strain:

The disability can consume a disproportionate share of a family’s resources of time, energy, and money, so that other individual and family needs go unmet. The family’s lifestyle and leisure activities are altered. A family’s dreams and plans for the future may be given up. Social roles are disrupted because often there is not enough time, money, or energy to devote to them. Disability can create ambiguity and uncertainty for families. For example, an uncertain life expectancy makes it difficult to plan future life roles, to anticipate costs of care, or to make decisions about the best living arrangements for adults requiring assistance in the activities of daily living.

d)     Work:

In addition to the daily works performed by the family members, some works related to the caring of the special child, like bathing, feeding, dressing etc. need to be done. Thus, the extra work which needs to be done for providing the child’s need can in turn becomes an obstacle for a person in the course of doing his own duties.

e)      Sociological Impact:

Friends, neighbors, and people in the community may react negatively to the disability by avoidance, disparaging remarks or looks, or overt efforts to exclude people with disabilities and their families. Families often report that the person with disability is not a major burden for them. The burden comes from dealing with people in the community whose attitudes and behaviors are judgmental, stigmatizing, and rejecting of the disabled individual and his or her family. Family members report that these negative attitudes and behaviors often are characteristic of their friends, relatives, and service providers as well as strangers.

f)       Mental health of parents and their siblings:

Disabilities where mental ability is limited seem to be more difficult for families to cope with. This may be due to greater dependency requiring more vigilance by family members, or because it limits the person’s ability to take on responsible roles, and perhaps limits the possibilities for independent living. If the mental impairment is severe, it may create an extra kind of strain for families because the person is physically present in the family but mentally absent. This kind of incongruence between physical presence and psychological presence has been called boundary ambiguity. It means that it is not entirely clear to family members whether the person is part of the family or not because the person is there in some way but not in other. Generally, family experience more distress when situations are ambiguous or unclear because they do not know what to expect and may have a harder time planning the roles of other family members to accommodate this uncertainty.

Summarization

Disability is a physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities.

The disability of the child can effect on parents by causing physical and emotional strain like worry, guilt, anger etc. about the cause of the disability and the future as well. The parents find it difficult to accept their child at present but due to awareness and counselling which brings positive mindset to the parents start to accept and appreciate their differently abled child in times of need. The disability of the child further brings correlation and cohesion to the members of the family and increases the inner strength in terms of their mentality. But, on the other hand, it brings financial strain, doubled the responsibilities, shamed rejection and embarrassed in the society.

Government of India enacted Persons with Disability Act in 1995 to safeguard the right and privileged of the person with disabilities. The act includes blindness, low vision, leprosy-cured, hearing impairment, locomotors disabilities, mental illness and mental retardation. Under this law, several institutions have been set up to implement the scheme and program for the achievement of national goal in term of persons with disabilities.     

Factors contributing students’ placement in Inclusive Education

Inclusive Education

Inclusive education is when all students, regardless of any challenges they may have, are placed in age-appropriate  general education classes that are in their own neighborhood schools to receive high quality education that enable them to meet success in the core curriculum.

Inclusive education is a new approach towards educating the children with disability and learning difficulties with that of the normal ones within the same roof. It brings all students together in one classroom regardless of their strengths or weaknesses in any area, and seeks to maximize the potential of all students.

Placement

Placements are basically extended internships or work experience assignments.

 The placement of someone in a job, home, or school is the act or process of finding them a job, home or school.

If someone who is training gets a placement, they get a job for a period of time which is intended to give them experience in the work they are training for.

Students’ Placement in inclusive education

Students’ placement in inclusive education refers to giving the students a place in an inclusive school after taking everything into account.

Factors contributing students’ placement in inclusive education

·         Disability Factor

·         Socio – economic factor

·         Socio – cultural factor

·         Parental attitude factor

·         School policies factor

·         Teacher factor

Conclusion

It is important to keep in mind that anything that hampers or hinders the students from going to school can be counted as factors that affect placing of children in inclusive education and should not be neglected. It is the responsibility of every leaders, parents, teachers and the society as whole to take measures as much as possible to minimize the mishandling of the educational institutions and educational systems for it is the source of light for every nation.

FAMILY CENTERED SUPPORT

Meaning of Family-centred support:

Family-centred support is a way of working with families, both formally and informally, across service systems to enhance their capacity to care for and protect their children. It focuses on children's safety and needs within the context of their families and communities and builds on families' strengths to achieve optimal outcomes.

Family-centred support system

1)      Policy-making:

The family have the best knowledge about the needs of the child. Therefore, they are required to have an opinion in the policy making process. Since inclusive education policies are framed on a need based approach, the family can enlighten and give insight on the needs of the learners. The disability sector (disabled people’s organizations, international agencies and networks) have longstanding experience in engaging in partnerships and alliances in the pursuit of their rights. Inclusion explored the role that parents of children with disabilities have played in countries where education authorities have not yet addressed the issue of inclusive education.

2)      Advising curriculum adaptations and teaching methods:

      Families of children with disabilities can often provide useful advice for curriculum adaptations and teaching methods, as they often know best what the functional limitations as well as strengths of their children are. This practice is not uncommon in early childhood education, when family involvement tends to be greater. By giving parents a say in this and taking into account their priorities for instruction, it is more likely that skills learned at school are also applied in the home. When activities that are specifically designed for a child with special needs are based on the family’s concerns and priorities, they are more likely to be appropriate within the cultural context of each family. At the same time, some curriculum adaptations will be beneficial to children who, despite not having a disability, might have some special education needs. This is why it is always better for parent aides in the classrooms to be considered as available teacher support rather than assigned to individual students.

3)      Families as activists:

Frequently, families – particularly those organized into networks or associations – play a lead role in moving education systems towards more inclusive approaches and policies. Some of the actions in which parent groups can have an impact are identifying schools that are willing to move forward, establishing links and partnerships with education authorities in support of inclusive education, organizing seminars and workshops to introduce new thinking and new practice, and supporting teacher development.

4)      Families as contributors to inclusive education:

Under this option, the role of parents is emphasized in supporting inclusion in the family and children’s learning and development at home. The main idea is that families and communities should reinforce inclusive and learning experiences.

5)      Schools, families and the community as partners:

There are many opportunities for partnerships and collaboration, from exchanging information to family members supporting learning at home.

6)      Families supporting other families:

This is particularly advised in the case of parents of children with disabilities who live in poverty, isolated communities, or have culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds. In this case the support of parents of children with disabilities who are in a better social or educational position can be extremely valuable.

7)      Providing Resources:

In many cases, the school is not financially equipped to provide all the necessary resources and equipment to foster inclusion of all children. Parents can often play a significant role by providing the needs of their children with special need to a great extent.

8)      Working with NGOs to strengthen the demand for inclusive education:

Civil-society organizations can play a key role in creating greater demand and capacity for inclusive education. Families of children with disabilities need training, support and empowerment to overcome the ‘special education paradigm’ and play an active role in promoting their children´s right to education. Civil-society organizations can play an important part in achieving this goal and developing a critical mass that creates awareness and advocates for inclusion. By organizing seminars, trainings and disseminating information, NGOs can support parents and children with:

•      Information on their legal rights − both the commitments governments have made under international law, as well as national legislation and regulations.

•      Information on what services are available and how to access them.

•      Information on where and how decisions affecting their education are made, and how to advocate, lobby and influence local and national political agendas.

•      Support to report and respond to violations of their rights using social media to challenge prejudice and discrimination.

•      Online resource centres making research and evidence available to support advocacy initiatives.

9)      Encouraging positive attitude and engagement:

Parents of both the differently abled as well as normal children have the responsibility to develop a positive attitude and wider perspective towards others and the essence of inclusion. Parents of normal children can inculcate acceptance towards the differently abled kids and parents of the differently abled can develop a positive attitude in their children to be a part of the general school environment. Further, the differently abled kids can be encouraged to participate in activities, develop friendships and engage themselves in the educative process.

Summarization

Family plays an important role in developing and nurturing children as well as promoting their positive growth through policy making, advising curriculum adaptations and teaching methods. Family can also be an activist by identifying schools that are willing to move forward, establishing links and partnerships with education. Moreover, the collaboration of schools, families and community as well as working with NGO can strengthen the demand of inclusive education. On the other hand, the family can get help and support from service providers in terms of their children needs in order to receive equal education along with the normal child which is important for achieving and attaining the goal of the objectives for the success of their child.