Inclusive Education Activities IERTs & TPs Roles, Universalization of education is meaningful only when all the children in the age group of 6-14 are in school and get an education. In this context, children with different disabilities need to have different programs to enroll and to retain them in the schools. Equity- always remains an issue.
Our goal also is to reduce the gap in enrolment, retention, completion rates and achievement levels of children with respect to gender and socially disadvantaged groups. It is also necessary to provide education to disabled children on par with other normal children. SSA ensures that every child with special needs, irrespective of the kind, category and degree of disability, is provided a meaningful and quality education.
Hence, SSA has adopted a zero rejection policy. This means that no child having special needs should be deprived of the right to education and taught in an environment, which is best, suited to his/her learning needs. These include special schools, EGS, AIE or even home-based education.
The major thrust of SSA is on inclusion or mainstreaming CWSN into the fabric of formal elementary schooling. Experiences of programs like DPEP and various research findings have shown that inclusion is best determined by the individual needs of the child. Inclusive Education Activities IERTs & TPs Roles.
Most children with special needs can be enrolled and retained in regular schools if adequate resource support is provided to them, whereas there are others who might have to be provided some kind of pre-integration programs before they can be mainstreamed in a classroom. There might also be still some CWSN with severe profound disabilities, who would require an educational program and intensive specialized support.
Activities to be taken up before commencement:
1. The RT shall visit at least 4-5 habitations/ villages and inform the progress to the DPO every day in the prescribed format on or before the 25th of May 2014.
2. IERT shall visit all the households of CwSN identified in the allotted Mandal and counsel the parents and their neighbors to send their children to the school/ IERC/ NRSTC activity according to the condition of the child and also RTs shall identify the defective assistive devices supplied by RVM (SSA) during their survey and interaction with the children and their parents.
3. All the CwSN in the Mandal shall be oriented and kept ready to get enrollment/attendance into school/ IERC/NRSTC by 1st week of June 2014.
4. The RT shall be prepared in all aspects to provide the required devices and education at IERCs/ NRSTCs/ HBE before the commencement of the academic year 2014-15.
5. RT needs to develop, well in advance, innovative and child-specific TLM according to the needs of the child.
6. All registers and formats must be prepared and kept ready by 1st week of June 2014.
7. The performance of the RT shall be measured based on the number of CwSN enrolled/attended school/ IERC/NRSTC.
IERTs and TPs Role and Services for CwSN
Role of IERTs and Therapeutic Professionals in respect of services offered for:
A. Children with Special Needs (2 to 6 years):
Behavior modification, Life skills & Communication skills, Basic academics for 5+ years, Speech Therapy (if needed), Training on auditory skills, Foundation Course for functional language, Vision stimulation activities (2-5 years), Orientation on mobility (3-6 years), Pre-Braille skills (5-6 years) and Physiotherapy (if needed), Parental counseling & Referral services–Bhavitha Center
B. Children with Special Needs[Identified Severe and profound CwMR to be covered under HBE](7 to 14 years):
Behavior modification, Life skills & Communication, Relevant Basic academics, Pre-Vocational Skill training (selected 12-14 years), Adapted games and physical education activities, Parental counseling & Referral services, Pre-school activities, and Parental counseling & Referral services, Preparatory activities to develop auditory and speech skills,
Total communication skills, Co-curricular activities (i.e., Drawing and Painting, Clay models, music, singing, etc), Adapted games and physical education activities, Special Learning Support (STC), Preparatory activities on orientation & mobility, Pre-Braille skills, Learning support in school and Physiotherapy.
–Bhavitha / MRC/Designated School
C. Children with Other Disabilities like Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Multiple Disabilities (2 to 14 years):
Physiotherapy, Speech therapy, Vision stimulation, Orientation on mobility, Early child Center intervention activities, Parental counselling & Referral services.