Blind People’s Association (BPA) & Sense International, India (SII)

Blind People’s Association (BPA) & Sense International, India (SII) TOWARDSAN INCLUSIVE TOMORROW April 5th - 7th, 2013 Blind People’s Association (BPA) Jagdish Patel Chowk Surdas Marg, Vastrapur Ahmedabad-380015 2ndJoint Asian Conference of ICEVI & DbI

Teacher Concerns About Including Students with Disabilities in Regular Education Programs in Ahmedabad Dr. Rina Shah, Founder & Director, Learning Links Educare, Mumbai & Dr. Ishwar Desai, Director & Senior Inclusive Education Consultant, Desai Consulting Pty Limited, Melbourne, Australia Former Head: Unit of Disability Studies & Inclusion, The University of Melbourne, Australia

STRUCTURE OF THE PRESENTATION SECTION A:INTRODUCTION SECTION B:RATIONALE AND AIMS OF THE STUDY SECTION C: METHODOLOGY SECTION D:MAJOR FINDINGS SECTION E:IMPLICATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

SECTION A INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION Education For All • An emerging trend……. • Internationally & in India in recent decades has been the inclusion of children with disabilities… • Including the visually impaired in regular schools

INTRODUCTIONTeacher Concerns Teachers’ Attitudes towards Inclusive Movement Regular Teachers’ Preparedness Systemic Barriers Barriers arising from Societal Values & Beliefs Compliance with Policies Responsibility for Education Parental Resistance Lack of Skills among Teachers

SECTION B Rationale and Aims of the Study

RATIONALE AND AIMS OF THE STUDYReview of Literature • A review of the literature revealed that there is very little known about the concerns of teachers toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in India……. • And in so far as Ahmedabad was concerned • There appeared to be no studies undertaken on this issue

RATIONALE AND AIMS OF THE STUDY Aims of the Study • The present study was designed: • To identify the concernsof primary school teachers in Ahmedabad regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities into their regular classroom programs • To determine if significant relationships exist between these teachers’ concerns about inclusive education and selected factors in their personal and professional backgrounds and experiences

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHERS’ BACKGROUND VARIABLES AND THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT INCLUSIVE EDUCATION Teachers’ Background Variables Personal Characteristics • Gender • Age • Caste EducationalBackgroundConcerns • Academic Qualifications • Professional Teaching Qualifications about • Qualifications in Special Education Work ExperienceIntegrated • Total Number of Years of Teaching Experience Education • Length of Experience in Teaching Students with Disabilities Class Size • Number of Students in Class (Class Size) • Number of Students with Disabilities in Class Concerns About Inclusive Education

RATIONALE AND AIMS OF THE STUDY Aims of the Study • The present study was designed: • To identify strategieswhich these teachers perceive could be adopted by key stakeholders to address teacher concerns regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities into their regular classroom programs

SECTION C Methodology

METHODOLOGY Subjects and Setting • A sample of 560 primary school teachers working in inclusive regular classroom programs in Ahmedabad, Gujarat was selected to participate in the study • A cluster sampling method was used to select the subjects • se teachers were dawn from 98 schools • The selected schools were situated in the six administrative zones managed by the Municipal School Board and the Education Department

METHODOLOGYResearch Instrumentation Three-Part Survey Questionnaire Part I: Background Information of Teachers Part II: Concerns about Inclusive Education – Gujarati (CIE-G) Scale & Open-ended section for ‘Additional Concerns’ Part III: Strategies to Address Teacher Concerns Regarding Inclusive Education

SECTION D MAJOR FINDINGS

MAJOR FINDINGS - 1 • The composition of item loadings clearly indicated that the emerging dimensions were: • Factor I(Concerns about Academic Achievement and Standards) • Factor II (Concerns about Infrastructural Resources) • Factor III (Concerns about Self-Efficacy) • Factor IV Concerns about Motivation) • Factor V(Concerns about Social Acceptance) • The factors were named according to the nature of items loading on each factor

MAJOR FINDINGS - 2 • Femaleteachers • Teacherswithout a special • education qualification • Teachers who taught in classes that had over 20 students EXHIBITED Asignificantly higher level of concern about inclusive education than their counterparts

MAJOR FINDINGS - 3 • On the whole, teachers had the highest concernfor the factor of: • Infrastructural Resources’ (financial, human and physical resources) necessary for teaching students with disabilities in their classes • And the teachers had the least concernfor the factor of: • ‘Social Acceptance’ of students with disabilities (acceptance by non-disabled students and their parents of students with disabilities)

MAJOR FINDINGS - 4Relationship between Teachers’ Background Variables and their Concerns about Inclusive Education Teachers’ Background Variables Personal Characteristics • Gender • Age • Caste EducationalBackgroundConcerns • Academic Qualifications • Professional Teaching Qualifications about • Qualifications in Special Education Work ExperienceIntegrated • Total Number of Years of Teaching Experience Education • Length of Experience in Teaching Students with Disabilities Class Size • Number of Students in Class (Class Size) • Number of Students with Disabilities in Class Concerns About Inclusive Education

MAJOR FINDINGS - 5 • The major additional concerns, beyond those covered in the CIE-G Scale, regarding inclusive education for most teachers were: • lack of training in the implementation of inclusive education • negative attitudesof school staff and community toward students with disabilities • inappropriateness of the conventional curriculum and teaching methodsto meet the educational needs of students with disabilities

MAJOR FINDINGS - 6 • A number of strategieswere suggested by teachers…… • Which could be adopted by various key stakeholdersto alleviate teacher concerns regarding inclusive education • The most frequent suggestions were made for the…… • School Management Council, Ahmedabad • Municipal Primary School Board • Parents/ Guardians of Students with Disabilities

MAJOR FINDINGS - 7 • The teachers’ main suggestions for the School Management Council, Ahmedabad, were as follows: • financial assistancefor teaching resources & specialized personnel support • provision of on-going training to teachers for resolving problems that they might encounter • Provision of various incentives, activities & other measuresdirected at school administrators, teachers and students with disabilities

MAJOR FINDINGS - 8 • The majorsuggestions put forth by teachers for the Municipal School Board were: • training of teaching and non-teaching staffto implement inclusive education programs • financial assistancefor educational materials and equipment and special facilities necessary for implementing inclusive education programs • toreduce the non-teaching workloads of teachers

MAJOR FINDINGS - 9 • The most important suggestions that teachers proposed for parents/guardians of students with disabilities were: • regular meetings with teachers • full support and cooperation to school teachers • constantly encourage their child and support learning at home

SECTION E IMPLICATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

IMPLICATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONSKey Stakeholders • The study cited in this presentation identified a number of concerns teachers have regarding the implementation of effective inclusive education in their State • Key Stakeholders • An opportunity to understand • Ideas for remedial action

IMPLICATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONSRestructuring Schools • Ideas for remedial action, such as, but not limited to the following……. • Restructuring schoolsfor implementing inclusive education practices

IMPLICATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONSSupport of Key Officials • Ideas for remedial action, such as, but not limited to the following……. • Garnering support of: • policy-makers • state officials • school administrators • school principals • For effective implementation of inclusive education

IMPLICATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONSTeacher Training • Ideas for remedial action, such as, but not limited to the following……. • Providingadequate trainingof regular classroom teachers both at the pre-serviceandin-servicelevels • so that they have the necessary knowledge, skills andattitude to address the needs of students with disabilities in their classrooms

IMPLICATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONSPara-professional Support • Ideas for remedial action, such as, but not limited to the following……. • Providing adequate funds for: • Special educators • Teacher aides • Para-professional staff • Purchasing appropriate teaching aids and materials

CONCLUSION “The challenge now is to formulate requirements of a school for all Allchildren and young people of the world have the right to education It is not our Education Systems that have a right to certain types of Children It is the School System of a country that must be adjusted to meet the needs of allchildren”. - Mr. Bengt Lindquist (Salamanca Conference on Special Needs, 1994)

IT IS NOT A DISABILITY THAT MAKES A PERSON DEVIANT BUT SOCIETY’S INTERPRETATION OF DISABILITY

WE EXCLUDE: Because we don’t understand WE DON’T UNDERSTAND Because of Limited Contact WE LACK CONTACT: Because we exclude WE EXCLUDE: Because………

Blind People’s Association (BPA) & Sense International, India (SII)