LESSON 2: PRINCIPLES, POLICIES, AND DIMENSIONS 

Inclusive Education helps every individual and gives opportunity to achieve their
significant future. It is very important to know the contents of principles, policies and
dimensions of inclusive education. 
 
1. EARLY INTERVENTION  

Early intervention refers to services and supports that can help young children with
developmental delays. Through early intervention, kids from birth to age 3 can get
services at home or in the community. Different types of specialists work with kids
and their families depending on which skills delayed. 
Early intervention focuses on skills in these areas: 
• Physical skills (reaching, crawling, walking, drawing, building) 
• Cognitive skills (thinking, learning, solving problems) 
• Communication skills (talking, listening, understanding others) 
• Self-help or adaptive skills (eating, dressing) 
• Social or emotional skills (playing, interacting with others) 
 
Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) - this plan defines goals and types of services
to help children and their families. 
Each stae has its own rules for which kids qualify. In most states, kids must have
either: 
1. A developmental delay; or 
2. A specific health condition that will probably lead to a delay. This includes things
like certain genetic disorders, birth defects, and hearing loss. 
 
A child who qualifies may receive one or more of these services: 
- speech and language therapy 
- physical and occupational therapy 
- psychological services 
- home visits 
- medical, nursing, or nutrition services 
- hearing (audiology) or vision services 
- social network services 
- assistive technology  
 
Special Learners Served under IDEA 
 
1. Autism 
— Autism, also called autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a complicated condition
that includes problems with communication and behavior. It can involve a wide range
of symptoms and skills. ASD can be a minor problem or a disability that needs full-
time care in a special facility. 
 
2. Communication Disorder 
— A severe communication deficit that may require the use of an augmentative or
alternative communication system such as sign language, communication boards, or
electronic devices. 
 
3.  Deaf - Blindness 

— Individuals in this category have moderate to severe impairments in both vision

and hearing; a separate category because of the unique learning needs presented,
and specialized services required. 
 
4. Mental Retardation  
— individuals with mental retardation may exhibit generalized problems in learning,
memory, attention, problem solving academic, and social functioning; manifested
between birth and age 18, and negatively affect educational performance. 
 
5. Orthopedic Impairments 
— Are associated with physical conditions that seriously impair mobility or motor
activity; includes individuals with cerebral palsy or diseases of the skeleton of
muscles, and accident. 
 
6. Visual Impairments  
— A loss of vision that, even when corrected, affects educational performance;
maybe mild to moderate to severe in nature; students who are blind are unable to
read print and usually learning to read and write Braille; those with low vision can
usually read when the print is enlarged sufficiently. 

2. PROCESS OF INCLUSION: PHILIPPINE MODEL 

Inclusion is seen as a process of addressing and responding to the diversity of

needs of all learners through increasing participation in learning, cultures and
communities, and reducing exclusion within and from education. 
The Child with Special Needs (Vision) 
> Self- Instruction. 
> Self – monitoring. 
> Self- reinforcement. 
> Self – determination. 
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION - is putting the right to education into action by including
all learners, respecting their diverse needs, abilities and characteristics and
eliminating all forms of discrimination in the learning environment. UNESCO. (2009). 
 
DESK REVIEW  
• International Mandates  
• Presidential Decrees  
• Executive Orders  
• Republic Acts  
• DepEd Orders 
 
 
HARMONIZATION WORKSHOPS and FGDs with 75 DepEd Officials  
• Central Office  
• Regional Offices (representatives of ALS, SPED, IPEd, MEd)  
• Division/District/School when RO rep unavailable 
PHILIPPINE INCLUSIVE EDUCATION - a process where all types of learners with
diverse needs are given equal opportunities for a meaningful life in non-
discriminatory environments. These environments foster belongingness through
culturally/spiritually sensitive, learner-centered curriculum, learning, processes,
delivery modes and settings.
 
 
 
 Inclusion of Students with Disability in the Philippines 

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ENVISIONED IE IN THE PHILIPPINE CONTEXT (Bustos, et al, 2014, p. 201) 

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Process of Inclusion: 
•Education has dull responsibility to ensure right to education 
•flexible teaching methods with innovative approaching teaching aids, and equipment
assistive devices and learning resources 
•responsive, child-friendly environment 
•professional environment working deliberately and actively to promote inclusion to
all 
 
 
3. TRANSITION PROGRAM 
The task of choosing a job and preparing for work for all youths, with or without
disabilities is a complex decision. Parents and professionals are particularly
interested in helping young persons with mental retardation make this decision but
they lack the basic knowledge on how this could be done. The project "Transition
Program for Children with Mental Retardation in in the Philippines" is introduced. 
The program is anchored on the traditional context of transition. It viewed transition
as coordinated set of activities for a student designed within an outcome-oriented
process that promotes movement from school to out-of-school activities. The
program includes vocational training, integrated employment, continuing and adult
education, adult services, independent living or community participation. The
coordinated activities must be based on the individual needs, considering the
students’ preferences and interests. It includes activities in the areas of functional
academics, daily living skills, community experiences, the development of
employment and other adult living objectives and if appropriate, functional vocational
evaluation. 

                            
This project targets children with mental retardation who have completed the
elementary level or those who are over-aged for formal schooling. It has three
phases.First phase (2005) was the development of the transition program model and
its curriculum by SPED teachers and administrators in both public and private
schools, parents and heads of business establishments who are familiar with the
characteristics of persons with mental retardation.  
The transition program model envisions the full participation, empowerment and
productivity among children with mental retardation.  
Full participation is described as involvement of persons with mental retardation in
the different activities in the community. Opportunities for their participation should
be made available and support in terms of assistive devices and assistance from
peers, professionals and other people in the community are accessible, when
needed.  
Empowerment pertains to making choices and decisions and being able to control
one’ life and the demonstration of this skill is an assurance that person with mental
retardation could already live an independent life. 
Productivity refers to the ability of a person with mental retardation to engage
oneself in work or any activities that will provide him/her with income to finance his
own needs. 
The curriculum domains for the transition program include: i) daily living skills, ii)
personal and social skills, and iii) occupational guidance and preparation.  
 
Daily living skills include competencies on managing, selecting and maintaining
living environment, caring for personal health, developing and maintaining intimate
relationship, eating at home and in the community, cleaning and purchasing clothing,
participating in leisure or recreational activities, and getting around the community.
Personal and Social skills focus on achieving self-awareness, acquiring self-
confidence, achieving socially responsible behavior, maintaining good interpersonal
skills, achieving independence, making informed and adequate decisions, and
communicating with others.  
 
Occupational guidance and preparation cover competencies like exploring and
locating occupational training and job placement opportunities, making occupational
training and job placement choices, applying for and maintaining occupational
training and job placements, developing and maintaining appropriate work skills and
behavior, and matching physical and manual skills to occupational training and
employment. 
 The competencies in the three domains are taught to children with mental
retardation by both: 
> the SPED and regular teachers 
> the parents  
> and skilled volunteers from the local businesses and industries.  
The setting for these domains could be in the school, in the community or in
business establishments. The activities offer students opportunities on career
awareness and work skills which will ultimately equip them to live an independent
and productive life. 
 
The Transition Program is one of the important projects of the DepEd to respond to
the needs of special learners in the country. Within the context of the K to 12 basic
education programs, the challenge is how to develop a good transition program
curriculum and what type of programs should be offered. The curriculum
development model presented in this paper is the first to be developed in the
Philippines for special education. 
The Transition Program aims to help special learners become functional in spite of
their disabilities. It aims to make them enjoy their daily lives, and empower them to
become more useful and productive citizens. This program is not just a set of
activities; it is an educational equity package that includes curriculum and policies
that will support the education of special learners. 
G.T. Pawilen et al. / International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 10(1) (2018)
1–20 

 
4. SUSTAINING PROGRAM 
       This program focused on developing models to address the lack of access to
early learning and schooling for children with disabilities by modelling effective
inclusive education programs to replicated nationwide. 
 
Sustaining Programs  
. Established of 276 Special Education Centers nationwide 
. Provision of SPED items 
. Downloading of funds 
. Conduct of training programs for teachers handling children with various disabilities 
. Conduct of training for school heads and supervisors 
. Development of instructional materials for children with disabilities 
. Conduct of advocacy strategies like the SPED caravan in regions and divisions
without SPED centers or without SPED programs 
 
• Implementation of various intervention programs, like: 
   . Early Intervention 
   . Transition program 
   . Headstart program 

5. NATIONAL IP EDUCATION 

Through DepEd Order 62, s. 2011 or the National Indigenous Peoples Education
Policy Framework which was formulated after several consultation sessions with IP
leaders and elders the Department officially commenced the institutionalization of the
IP Education Program in 2011.  The policy adopts a rights-based approach and
directs the implementation of an education that is anchored on the social and cultural
context of IP learners. IPEd program is DepEd’s response to the right of indigenous
communities and indigenous learners to an education that is responsive to their
context. 
The policy adopts a rights-based approach and directs the implementation of an
education that is anchored on the social and cultural context of IP learners. IPEd
program is DepEd’s response to the right of indigenous communities and indigenous
learners to an education that is responsive to their context.