AS IF dealing with children with special needs is not in itself already a daunting task for Special Education (Sped) teachers, the current dilemma caused by Covid-19 confronting the educational system poses even a far bigger challenge for those teaching and caring for person with disability (PWD) leaners.
The Sped Program that is part of the inclusive programs implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd) was institutionalized in 1997 through DepEd Order No. 26 s.1997. Based on the said issuance, "the Institutionalization aims to provide access to basic education among children with special needs, namely, the gifted/talented, the mentally retarded, the visually impaired, the hearing impaired, the orthopedically handicapped, the learning disabled, the speech defectives, the children with behavior problems, the autistic children and those with health problems through the formal system and other alternative delivery services in education."
Sped Centers in all divisions were organized to cater to children with special needs, and various programs supporting the inclusive education concept or the different types of Sped programs suited to the needs of the learners were also developed. At the same time, assessments of the children with special needs and orientations or training of the regular teachers to help these students are also conducted in the Sped centers.
In line with these commitments, Sped teachers in Central Luzon participated in the Online Capacity Building of Sped Teachers on dealing with Learners with Special Education Needs (LSENs)
Using Flexible and Blended Leaming Approaches conducted by the Curriculum and Learning Management Division (CLMD) of the Department of Regional Office III on June 10-11, 2020 (1st Batch), June 15 to 16, 2020 (2nd Batch), and June 18-19, 2020 (3rd Batch).
The online training aims to capacitate Sped teachers to effectively select and use learning tools that are beneficial to LSENs in finding and processing information, constructing knowledge, collaborating with peers, expressing understanding, and evaluating learning effects in concrete ways; adapt learning materials to the needs of LSENs; and provide appropriate online support for LSENs to contribute to their inclusive online experiences.
DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis-Briones assured that in the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan crafted by the department, these students are also given priority and that their specific needs would be addressed to assure that they will not be left further behind.