Special Education In The Philippines

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Special education refers to the preparation of teaching procedures and materials, and other interventions designed to address the needs of a child with learning differences, disabilities, and giftedness. Moreover, special education’s concern is the optimum development of the individual child to become a skillful, free and purposive person, able to plan and manage his own life and attain his highest potential in society (UNESCO, 1988).
It is further mentioned in a case study conducted by UNESCO, that in a country such as the Philippines which guarantees to all its citizens, children and youth with special needs are provided with access to educational opportunities that develop their potentials and enable them to become productive members of the society and to live meaningful and fulfilling lives (http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0008/000809/ 080922EB.pdf).
On the other hand, provision of special education in the Philippines is inferred from two provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Article II, section 17 provides that the state must give priority to education, while Article XIV, section 1 guarantees that this education be accessible to all.
Furthermore, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) is a federal law that requires schools to serve the educational needs of eligible students with disabilities. Its purpose is to protect the rights of children with disabilities and to give parents a voice in their children‘s education (Lee, 2014).