Education for all?

Education for all, this blog post talks explicitly about providing education to children with disabilities. From what we have seen and heard, the norm is to put these children in “special schools”. These schools are separate and are considered better for these children as they can receive individual attention from their teachers. These schools often are not beneficial as these children have to stay in isolation and be separated from their families. If the first view of a child to the education system is going to be that he or she has to be separated from their family to go to a special school, is that child gonna give their best? Though this sounds like an act to help these children, are we helping them by separating them from their peers? Instead of keeping these children separate, we should try and integrate them into our current school system. We can do this by holding extra individual office hours for these children; we can involve the parents and keep weekly meetings for updates. Our priority should be to educate the child in every way possible. We could start this by teaching sign language to every student so that learning this language is not optional. We should also create games involving them; for example – we could have a sports competition (a race with wheelchairs). We need to make an inclusive environment for these kids to flourish, and we cannot do that without accepting them fully and giving them the same right to their school as any other child. Online classes should be an option for children who have difficulty coming to school. Reading aloud books, keeping daily activities, and learning sign language all these actions will speak louder than any words. These children have been used to being pushed to the side by our education system; we need to make them our central focus because, without any students, there won’t be an educational system. Since teachers are going to be interacting with these students for a more significant period of time, they should be provided with proper training and facilities. There should be mental health sessions for both the students and teachers. Furthermore, schools should be designed so they are accessible, like providing lifts and also wheelchair access not only limited to classes but washrooms, parking etc.