CREATING A BARRIER FREE ENVIRONMENT

FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

– DR. SAMITA SHETTY

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Dr. Samita Shetty

MEANING OF BARRIER FREE

ENVIRONMENT
• Barrier Free Environment is one which enables
people with disabilities to move about safely and
freely and to use the facilities within the built
environment.

• The goal of barrier free design is to provide an

environment that supports the independent
functioning of individuals so that they can get to,
and participate without assistance, in everyday
activities.
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Dr. Samita Shetty

BARRIERS TO INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

• Infrastructural barriers

• Attitudinal barriers

• Curricular barriers
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Strategies to Overcome the Barriers

• Address attitudes and values
Have involved persons identify what areas of
inclusion they are comfortable with and what
they are not comfortable with. Don't put values
on these; just identify them.
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Strategies to Overcome the Barriers

• Create awareness about CWSN
▫ Field visits
▫ Role playing
▫ Talks/ discussions
▫ Reading
▫ Videos
▫ Resource persons
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Strategies to Overcome the Barriers

• Application
▫ Put the support system in place
▫ Be receptive and willing to accommodate children
with greater needs
▫ Leadership from principals, teachers, and students
▫ A whole attitude of acceptance, tolerance, and
respect.
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Dr. Samita Shetty

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Dr. Samita Shetty

ADAPTATIONS FOR A BARRIER FREE

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
• The PWD Act makes provisions to create a barrier
free physical environment for all persons with
disability and to encourage them to be fully
participating members of the society.

• ‘Barrier free environment’ would mean removing

obstacles and providing access to all.
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Dr. Samita Shetty

ADAPTATIONS FOR A BARRIER FREE

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
• Providing auditory signals on roads,

• Taking special measures in the transport sector to make

the rails, aircrafts and vessels easily accessible to wheel
chair users,

• Provide ramps in public buildings,

• Medical care and rehabilitation centres,

• Braille symbols and auditory signals in elevators and lifts

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Dr. Samita Shetty

ADAPTATIONS IN THE PHYSICAL

ENVIRONMENT
• Ramps:
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Dr. Samita Shetty

ADAPTATIONS IN THE PHYSICAL

ENVIRONMENT
• Braille on Elevator Buttons:
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Dr. Samita Shetty

ADAPTATIONS IN THE PHYSICAL

ENVIRONMENT
• Grab Bars:
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Dr. Samita Shetty

ADAPTATIONS IN THE PHYSICAL

ENVIRONMENT
• Toilets:
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Dr. Samita Shetty

ADAPTATIONS IN THE PHYSICAL

ENVIRONMENT
• Seating and Positioning:
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Dr. Samita Shetty

ADAPTATIONS IN THE PHYSICAL

ENVIRONMENT
• Mobility:
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Dr. Samita Shetty

ADAPTATIONS IN THE PHYSICAL

ENVIRONMENT
• Articles of daily use
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Organising the furniture resources in

the classroom
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Organising the furniture resources in

the classroom
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Creating centres of learning in the

classroom
• Reading and writing centre

• Math centre
• Social studies and
geography centre
• Science area

• Music centre

• Art centre
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Dr. Samita Shetty

TYPES OF ASSISTIVE DEVICES

• Aids for Daily Living
Strength Balance

Fitness Aids to Chew Aids to Blow

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Dr. Samita Shetty

TYPES OF ASSISTIVE DEVICES

• Aids to facilitate learning and academic success
Pencil Grips Triangular Pens, Pencils, Chalk & Crayons

Writing Tools Adaptive Scissors

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Dr. Samita Shetty

TYPES OF ASSISTIVE DEVICES

• Augmentative and Alternate Communication
Speech generating devices Keyboard text-to-speech Simple switch-operated

Communication book Static communication device

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Dr. Samita Shetty

TYPES OF ASSISTIVE DEVICES

• Computer Applications
Speech generating device accessed using a head mouse
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Dr. Samita Shetty

TYPES OF ASSISTIVE DEVICES

• Seating and Positioning:
Vertical Surfaces & Easels Air Cushions Seating

Adaptive Desks & Trays Hand Splints

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Dr. Samita Shetty

TYPES OF ASSISTIVE DEVICES

• Vision Aids:
Reading Slant ZoomCap Braille typewriters
Boards

Raised Line Papers Magnifiers

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Dr. Samita Shetty

TYPES OF ASSISTIVE DEVICES

• Sensory Aids for People who have a hearing
impairment:
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Dr. Samita Shetty

TYPES OF ASSISTIVE DEVICES

• Wheelchair/Mobility Aids:
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Dr. Samita Shetty

TYPES OF ASSISTIVE DEVICES

• Vehicle Modifications:
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Dr. Samita Shetty

TYPES OF ASSISTIVE DEVICES

• Prosthetics and orthotics
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Role of ICT in Special Educational Needs

ICTs are extremely diverse and varied.

They may be grouped into the following main
categories:
• Compensation uses.
• Didactic uses.
• Communication uses.
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Role of ICT in Special Educational Needs

• To enable greater learner autonomy;

• To unlock hidden potential for those with
communication difficulties;
• To enable students to demonstrate
achievement in ways which might not be
possible with traditional methods;
• To enable tasks to be tailored to suit
individual skills and abilities.
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Roles and Responsibilities of General,

Special and Resource Personnel
Role of the Administrator:
• Provide vision and agenda
• Removing the barriers to change
• Providing staff training, continuing
education, and ongoing professional
development opportunities
• Allocation of resources
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Roles and Responsibilities of General,

Special and Resource Personnel

Role of the speech and language therapist:

• Cognitive aspects of communication
• Speech
• Language
• Sensory awareness related to communication,
swallowing, or other upper aero-digestive
functions
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Roles and Responsibilities of General,

Special and Resource Personnel
Role of the speech and language therapist:
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Roles and Responsibilities of General,

Special and Resource Personnel
Role of the occupational therapist:
• Teaching new ways of approaching tasks
• How to break down activities into achievable components
• Comprehensive home and school evaluations with
adaptation recommendations.
• Performance skills assessments and treatment.
• Adaptive equipment recommendations and usage training.
• Environmental adaptation
• Guidance to family members and caregivers.
• Use of creative media as therapeutic activity
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Roles and Responsibilities of General,

Special and Resource Personnel
Role of the occupational therapist:
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Roles and Responsibilities of General,

Special and Resource Personnel
Role of the Physiotherapist:
• To promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore
function, and prevent disability.
• To prevent the loss of mobility
• Improving gross and fine motor skills, balance and
coordination, strength and endurance as well as
cognitive and sensory processing/integration.
• Children with developmental delays, cerebral palsy
or spina-bifida, may be treated by Physiotherapists.
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Roles and Responsibilities of General,

Special and Resource Personnel
Role of the Physiotherapist:
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Collaboration among professionals

• Commitment to a relationship in which each
partner is valued and treated with respect
• Shared ownership for every student in the class
• Have a common planning period when possible or
regularly scheduled, protected planning time when
not
• Use planning time effectively and efficiently
• Engaged in delivering instruction as a team
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Collaboration among professionals

• Responsible for classroom management as a team.
• Vary student grouping approaches and must not be
exclusively responsible for a single student or small group
of students.
• Model positive working relationships in the classroom.
Recognize that the teachers serve as a model for adult-to-
adult relationships for their students and for the faculty.
• Review the effectiveness of the teaching partnership on a
regular basis and make adjustments as needed.
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Dr. Samita Shetty

Teachers and Community Collaboration

• Conduct group meetings
• Schedule discussions and informal gatherings with
parents
• Guide learners in tapping the knowledge in their
homes
• Initiate field visits for learning
• Cultivate volunteer aides
• Invite community experts to address the class.