Education in the Eyes of Differentlyabled Learners

The author is Teacher III at Cutud Elementary School Shiela Marie F. Castillo

No one was prepared with the pandemic we are experiencing right now. Everyone is having a hard time adapting with the new normal around the world especially in terms of education. We all know that children who are differently-abled are the learners who suffers the most. So how do we usher these learners in this kind of situation? Are we prepared? This article aims to provide a view of people who shared the idea in improving the conditions of differently-abled learners specifically in the developing country such as The Philippines. In order to do that we should make an assessment to the challenges that the differently-abled learners are experiencing in this pandemic. First, the conventional idea as a response in this pandemic is mostly focus with the strategies and solution that was made before. The first idea that came up is the online learning or TV-based learning, where-in the learners need to provide their laptops or the household should have a television. However, this method is actually a workable scheme for some developed countries, but we should also consider that this kind of method doesn’t work mostly in a developing country, because some differently-abled learners do not have an access to these gadgets, particularly with poorer households. Second, with this new normal, technology is a must so that we can continue the quality education needed by our learners. In this case, differently-abled learners need to have an access with gadgets. Though, these tools frequently lack the basic necessity and accessibility to make it usable for differently-abled children. These tools are very limited to a third world country. Maybe people who have the means can provide this kind of tools, but how about those people who live under the poverty line? Third, we have a limited internet access, many households don’t have any internet or they cannot afford to use data. We should consider those differently-abled learners who are in this situation. How can we provide affordable, low to no-tech solution and quality education for these people? We should consider them because education is for all. Finally, differently-abled people lack support and care from the education system even before the pandemic. How? Just think how many schools cater the education for students with special needs? Limited right? Explicitly in remote areas. Differently-abled people need support from the system, teachers as well as parents. According to Department of Education they are willing to adapt the new learning method with the help of stakeholders. They are conserving the right of education for differently-abled children. They have plans to guarantee learning for children, and that includes the differently-abled learners. Given the current situation, the well-being of every learner is a priority. The adjustment is real and this year gave us unparalleled encounters. We should make sure that there is a balanced approach for differently-abled learners. To close this article, I want to ask you. What if this pandemic is actually an opportunity for us to ponder on how to deal with emergencies that we encounter in education? What if this is an opportunity for us to show how are we going to give access in education in times of pandemic?