Inclusive and Supportive Education Congress International Special Education Conference Inclusion: Celebrating Diversity? 1st - 4th August 2005. Glasgow, Scotland

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Khadija Khatoon
Government College, Karachi, Pakistan
drismail_saad@yahoo.com

Introduction:

In developing countries where different sort of disable children are existed in quiet large size almost dangerous quantity, the methodology of teaching them particularly to live with norms of society is a tough time job. As where a particular class of disabled is reached on alarming figures, hence; this alarming and astonishing facts and figures are being judged well in the following manner:

We can take out positive result from above table that total number of disabled enumerated in 1998 Population Census stood close to a Million, which is roughly 3% of total population of Sindh enumerated in 1998. Population Census in Pakistan usually suffers from under reporting of females and their characteristics. As per above table number of females reported as disabled stood at 0.4 million implying that among female 2.8% were disabled. Enumeration of disability in large-scale operation such as population census is difficult process and reflects on reliability. However, if above figures are considered as reliable in absence of any other figures, proportion of disability is alarming judging by the standard of the country with similar level of socio-economic development.

The table number 4 also shows that proportion of person by sex and nature of disability, which they were possessing. A peculiar thing may be noted that over half of the population of disabled person has been classified in the category of “Other”. So that we may say in some how in positive manner usually this category is applied when enumerator finds it difficult to enumerate and respondents of Sindh stands nearly 14% which means approximately 0.2 million persons. A big question is this what the Society is doing for the treatment, rehabilitation and normalization of this otherwise condemned segment of the society? Whatever efforts are being made by Government and NGOs are far being satisfactory and require much greater efforts. The Mentally retarded or insane in societies are called “Children of God”. Taking care of them is the responsibility of the society where we all live.

As a matter of convenience disability is often classified as mild, moderate and severe. Treatment of disability both medical and societal largely depends upon nature and extent of disability. The UN declaration on disability included, among other things, the right to receive an education that would enable students with disabilities to develop their skills and capacities to the full. Mentally retarded children in the society in most cases are considered as discarded and are kept them in isolation in a totally restrictive environment, irrespective of extent and intensity of retardation. Recent studies have shown that majority of such retarded can be rehabilitated. Experiments in developed countries have established that depending upon the extent of retardation, which often measured by various test including the traditional IQ test, majority schools and provided instructions and education as to normal children. Their process of learning may initially be slow, however, with little care and special attention it is speeded up and accelerated. In-totality yes it might possible most of them are not able to achieve diplomas and degrees, but what they have learnt during the process may help them to be partly rehabilitated and taking care of one’s self, thus reducing chances of dependence.

Review:

The author of this report, as part of her doctoral research, here in Pakistan and at University of Selford / Manchestor, UK also is trying to segregate children suffering from mental retardation who can be mainstreamed with normal children for the purpose of education and skill development; saving them form being condemned for whole life and rehabilitating them to take care of themselves’. Majority of them will not be able to lead a normal life but chances of dependence will be reduced to a great extent. The work is purely voluntary and we seek help from NGOs, individuals and near and dear ones of those who have retarded children.

The concern with social adjustment of students with disabilities arises in part from the stigma apparently associated with the disability, which marks the person with a disability as different in the eyes of those not so disabled. One of the goal integration has been to remove that stigma by making the person with a disability part of the mainstream community, so that the focus is on similarities between individuals rather than on differences. Further, it was assume that integration would result in students with disabilities exhibiting more acceptable behavior acquired through disabilities exhibiting more acceptable behavior acquire through modeling the more typical behavior of their peers.

Sampling:

Acceptance of students with disabilities by their non-disabled peers in mainstream settings has been a major focus of outcome studies. Studies of social outcomes to focus on the social acceptance of students with mild intellectual disabilities integrated into social set up. However firstly students with disabilities interacted less frequently and more negatively with non-disabled students that with their peers in a segregated setting, secondly; they were more poorly accepted by their non-disabled peers and thirdly, there was no evidence that students with disabilities modeled the behaviors of their non-disabled peers as positive result in terms of enhancement contact.

Integration has been promoted as encouraging friendships between students with disabilities and non-disabilities students after reviewing magazines and other remaining various reports on this particular subject the last result has come out that there is no any evidence that this occurs on any firm, long lasting or widespread basis except some exceptional cases it is mean to state not in any mention-able huge quantity exceptional cases are registered such as the normal male is married with a disabled female due to love affection. It is needed to recognize, particularly for people with intellectual disabilities, that quality of life aspirations may not be the same as for most students. For example, the range of vocational opportunities is unlikely to include most professions.   Quality of life is relative individual aspirations, according to some authentic reports and thesis as well failure and the resulting loss of self-esteem are a greater threat to quality of life than simply the lack of academic achievements in itself. Not all education can take place in the community. Students with different disabilities need intensive training and practice in some skills that may not be available in some community settings. They also need the opportunity to mix with non-disabled peers in their day-to-day activities in the regular school. So that a daily living skill domain includes self-care and a range of domestic and budgetary skill. To ensure that skills are mastered in the context of home living. Therefore, in view of these established bitter facts and figures at some special schools of Karahci there are some departments, faculties and blocks have been built, whereat both normal and special students to be studied side by side in an accompanied manner. In above-mentioned research work all disabled children, mostly students and persons were under observed in “Process of Main Stream”.

Applied Method:

The group of disabled students learned through traveling and achieved very useful knowledge academically in social interaction as well. Therefore, a group of hundred disabled students classified as followed were participated and attended actively in exhibitions, fun & folk fares, puppet shows and along with other different type of social activities, whereof the atmosphere of social inter action was created deliberately as they belonged to variety of cultures.

Table 2

Those hundred disabled students age wise were classified as followed:

            It is necessary to mention for this particular research work on mentally retarded students was not practically possible in ease manner, because the training, controlling and teaching them was not an easy task. As sometime they do not ready to understand even their own existence, therefore the creation of neat and clean rather utmost tranquil atmosphere was required exclusively for them. Therefore the proposal was presented before some welfare organizations, societies, NGOs and of course at the office of Directorate of Social Welfare along with at some authorities. Thereafter the official work was started the list of the participants was prepared plus the list of special education side teachers were called and then remuneration of them were fixed. It is point to ponder these social inter actions were played major role in the social and academic training of these disabled children as their own characteristic, ego and prestige is shown therein on a very large scale.   The other remained major reason, most of them were not able to express his or her own feelings in usual routine day life because they were not in the position to trained and correct themselves on the basis of help their own selves, so that they were totally helpless to participate actively in their own cultural values, the last result was felt on obvious basis the lacking of mutual understanding, existed between normal and disable person.

Summary:

The social model of disability as its starting point that serious illness and physical or intellectual impairment exist but only become disabling because of the rejecting and oppressive response to such impairments by the non-disabled world. Advocates of the social model largely disabled persons and their allies argue that the answer to the problem of disability lies in the restructuring of the societal attitudes and the physical environment. The social model is best by the statement that “people with disabilities are limited more the attitudes of others than by their physical or intellectual impairments.”

This huge amount was spent on arrangement of traveling, arrangement of transport, remuneration of teachers, paid handsome amount to conductors of musical shows, fashion shows, called legendary figures, so called heroes of Pakistan for spending some time with such disabled children and at variety programs, tableau shows, travelers and above all in boarding and lodging and if it is included some out of pocket expenses.

           For example also spent heavy amount other than above mentioned amount, such as extra money and totally unnecessary had handed over to local authorities or even had given to the some spouse, parents or guardians of the disabled students who were creating obstacles just like that, with out any genuine or on bona fide grounds and were not in favor of such traveling experience of those disable students or conducting to such shows and games, this is gone up-to even more than Rs.3.5 million nearly is touching on approximate basis four million or might be more than four million etc.  

            One interesting observation was brought into the knowledge of the author also i.e. those parents, spouse or guardians who were deadly against the author’s idea of disabled’s travelling, subsequently right after the tour, they all were become good friends of the author right now they frequent visit to the author’s office as their respective disabled children learned from academic point of view through this participation which their elders realized later on; it may say so, as they learned some sign e.g. to cross the roads, use of handkerchief, control their own aggressiveness, very few of them/disabled changed entirely their   pinching or either cynical tone these good objects were not existed before going to the said tour or either attended such above mentioned functions and shows.

            Therefore, in the month of February/March 2003 the author arranged the tour of three weeks of interior Sindh and participated in different Melas/fun fares, circus and magic shows over-there. So that, due to participation in above social interaction and at Karachi on the occasion of cultural fares or at different type musical and fashion shows they were accompanied with their respective favorite personalities, friends and lot of normal persons, hence they learnt fresh words, hints, indications and proper pronunciation of words/sentence along with other tiny or big jobs of routine life e.g. to cross the road and use of handkerchief thus we may say at the extent of mild category as a last result of this successful experience the mild child knows how to control his/her the unnecessary eagerness, aggressive tone or may say blunt attitude, specially the girls learned how to use lipsticks, talcum powder, as provided them the make-up kit, dancing steps, singing of songs, as they were keenly watching and observing in the said shows,   thus the ratio of their own done mistakes which was on quiet higher side earlier has been graph wise down and remained constantly at 50%.

Conclusions:

In south Asia region the developing countries who have different sort of disable children in quiet large size almost dangerous quantity, the methodology of teaching them particularly to live with norms of society is a tough time job. As where a particular class of disabled is reached on alarming figures, hence; this alarming and astonishing facts and figures are being judged well in the following manner:

In arrangement of these aforementioned social interactions and invited such renowned very popular like hero such as the personas from Pakistan Cricket, field Hockey, World Champ Squash and Snooker players, Show Biz personalities or invited Political figures even, the administration and human resource department of DEWA Academy and Markaz e Umaid of Karachi, Pakistan based mentally retarded training institutes were provided so much helping hands which were felt great assistance also in Ph.D. thesis and keeping in view of practical aspects as well because the topic of the undersigned’s doctorate degree was more or less the same. As without the assistance of these institutes the undersigned was not in position to arrange a tour of these disable children, boarding and lodging, the arrangement of transport, to co-ordinate with local authorities, faced unnecessary bureaucratic attitude of government authorities or even self made authorities like feudal lords, the harsh attitude of high ranking armed forces personnel which is recognized particularly as black spot in South Asia Region. The author was attending the lectures at University of Selford, Manchester, UK along with visited at other some institutes, which were exclusively for the Special Children, over there some amazing and extra ordinary methods were applied some of those methods were quiet appealing for the author that peculiar methodologies were learned with great interest, and in this research work those methods were proved great assistance, one of those methods is being presented here-under in graphics manner along with the respective relevant following commentary.

For example:

The process produces in the mind may say so belief of the service professional a service presented to the required model which in turn informs daily practice in other words with some bona fide result, and so the cycle continues.

In graphic way the picture to be as followed:

BELIEF

            Therefore, in view of above graphic presentation the author believed in an orthodox way that the such above mentioned hundred disabled children who are assumed here-at are model, if they were supposed to participate in such as aforementioned activities like wise travelling, tour, attended the musical, fashion shows etc at some how and at some extent as well; definitely the positive result to be come out.

Recommendation:

*           The Government and the NGOs strictly forced to check those type of children around their social circumstances, they should be forced to help them as per their requirement and provide on utmost urgency basis and accommodate them   with all the necessary living facilities at their door steps:

*           Parents specially mother and elders siblings should be trained to take care of their disabled brothers / sisters.

*           Those special students should be trained at very early age, how to live and behave properly according to their own respective social surroundings.

*           Those special institutes who are educating to any type of disable students, must be strictly checked by the Government agencies quarterly, specially from audit point of view and using of fund and they should be determent according to their prescribed duties.

About Author:

The author is a senior lecturer at Government College at Karachi, Pakistan and in recent past submitted her respective thesis of Ph.D. at University of Karachi and at abroad to scrutinize the same on the topic of POSSIBILITES OF INTEGRATION OF MENTALLY RETARDED STUDENTS IN NORMAL SCHOOLS OF KARACHI and is an active member also of the management committee of “SAWHEL” and at some other NGOs and NPOs functioning for betterment of mentally retarded.

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