Aliza Arcilla, Froilan Hernandez, Thomas Catindig | The Capitol
Posted on December 23,2022
Rowena Cruz teaching sign language lessons with hearing impaired students. Photo by: Aliza Arcilla.
Persons with disabilities (PWDs) are often overlooked by society - neglecting their needs, and denying their rights.
In a small special education (SPED) center in Malolos, a community of people with disabilities strive to learn, with the support of their parents and teachers. Behind the four walls of a classroom, comes different stories of struggles, outcries and hope.
The SPED center is located at City of Malolos Integrated School - Sto Rosario. They cater 253 students with special needs and disabilities, with ages starting from 5 to 24 years old. These students either have behavioral, intellectual or physical disabilities.
The SPED center has a whole different system of schooling, unlike in regular classes that administer 12 grade levels from elementary to high school.
It is divided into five levels; the SPED kinder, the preparatory stage; the Level 1, where students develop their school readiness skills; the Pre-vocational level, where students learn vocational skills; the Inclusion/ Mainstreaming, where students who are able to cope up with regular classroom setting can enroll under the K-12 curriculum; and Transition level wherein students are taught home skills in preparation for adulthood.
Most of the SPED students have a slow developmental growth, thus they are allowed to stay in their current level for three years as needed before being promoted to the upper level.
Every SPED learner has distinctive needs, hence, teachers designed an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that tracks the level of performance based on the set goals of each student. With that, SPED teachers only handle 4-10 students per an hour session to effectively focus on the strengths and weaknesses of every learner.
“Very routined ang aming ginagawa dito. Mayroon kaming social time, movement and exercise, and lesson time sa class schedule,” Michael Martin Reyes, a teacher in Level 1 class said. Far from the usual classroom set-up, the classroom in Level 1 has a mini playground for the children.
“We have movement and exercise to address their gross motor skills as well as their sensory need dahil karamihan ng mga bata dito ay may autism. Meron silang mga sensory issues, para kumalma sila at bumaba ang energy nila, kailangan ko munang i-exhaust yung extra energy nila.”
Michael Martin Reyes guides his student in a physical activity during their class. The classroom serves as a playing ground, decorated with a mini basketball ring, swing, and crawling panel. Photo by: Aliza Arcilla
Through government and private donations, Reyes slowly invests for equipment like a fixationary bike, and therapeutic balls. He also made the classroom design more visually appealing to motivate the learners in going to school.
“Malaking bagay po yung pagpasok ng anak ko sa SPED center, kasi po noong bata yan, hindi siya mapa-upo. Dito natuto siya naturuan magfocus, magsulat at magcolor,” said Wilma Bugtong, a 56 year old mother of a child with autism.
“Dati, hindi siya nagsasalita noong bata siya. Noong time na ‘yon wala akong pang therapy dahil nagpapaaral ako ng tatlong anak na magkakasunod. Ako na lang po nagtitiyaga.”
Bugtong explained that the SPED center has a big contribution to the development of his child, since she cannot afford therapy or regular consultation with health professionals.
One of the requirements in enrolling in the SPED center is a health assessment from a specialist. A medical document is an essential need because it serves as a guidance of teachers and parents on how they are going to set learning goals and considerations for the students. However, many students are still accepted without a medical diagnosis due to financial constraints. The teachers have no other choice but to decide and give judgements based on their observations.
“Madami sa amin non, ‘yung mga walang assessment kasi nga walang kakayahan. Kaya puro observation lang, puro manifestations lang namin. Ang kailangan talaga from doctor,” explained Rowena Cruz, a hearing-impaired teacher.
Cruz shares that there is no available public developmental-behavioral pediatrician (DevPed) in Malolos now that can give an assessment and treatment for children with disability. Thus, parents have a difficulty in consulting with private doctors as fees start from P2,500 above.
Parent-teacher collaboration
The collaboration of teachers and parents is crucial in improving the learning ability of the students. Ideally, teachers always update parents about the progress of their child, and vice versa.
However, some parents of hearing impaired students are not able to fulfill their child’s needs, as some of them have no knowledge in sign language. In this situation, children can only practice and communicate through signing at school.
According to Cruz, who had been handling hearing impaired students for 17 years, sign language is a bridge that connects parents and deaf children into building a healthy relationship.
“Kailangan matuto rin ang isa sa bahay ng sign language para sa bata, para sa follow ng lessons mula school papunta sa bahay. Tyaka paano kayo mag-uusap ng anak mo? Paano kapag nagbinata yan? Paano i-sha-share yung nararamdaman?” she pointed out.
“Ang unang-una kong ginawa noong nalaman ko ang kondisyon ng anak ko ay nag-aral ako mag-sign. Kasi paano ako makikipag communicate sa anak ko? Mahirap yon. Paano ko masasabi sa kanya na ‘take care of yourself’? Paano ko masasabi sa kanya na ‘hindi pwedeng pahawakin yung ganitong part ng body mo?’ Syempre, ang number one diyan ay mag-aral ng sign language. Doon pa lang maipapakita mo na sa kaniya yung care at pagmamahal mo sa kanya,” said Mary Jane Adriano, a mother of a hearing impaired child and a sign language advocate.
In order to fill the gap, the SPED Center takes an initiative to conduct free sign language training and seminars for parents led by teachers and interpreters, but some couldn’t attend.
“Dito sa school ay may free at actual trainings na tuturuan talaga, pero yung iba talaga hindi dumadating. So, kung ang participant na nag-commit is 20, ang darating lang ay lima or anim,” Meolita Morelos, an interpreter stated.
This problem adds burden to the teachers and interpreters because the responsibility to develop the signing skills of the students was left to them. When the foundation of a hearing impaired person is fragile, how can they face the world that is full of noise?
“Ang kagandahan sa sign language, hindi ka man mahusay sa sign… kahit basic yon, ang laking help non kasi naituturo ko sa kaniya na ‘anak ganto sa labas’, na ‘kailangan mong mag-aral kasi kapag wala kang pinag-aralan, lalo na yan na wala kang naririnig, mamatahin ka,” Adriano added.
Inclusion: A chance to feel normal
Mary Grace teaches her graded students including the SPED learners the parts of their body with a jingle. An interpreter is present to assist the deaf students with sign language. Video courtesy: Aliza Arcilla
The inclusion stage is proof that disabilities are not a hindrance to education. SPED students who are able to adapt the lessons in regular class can be absorbed in graded level with the assistance of an interpreter.
Adriano’s child is one of the students who are promoted to this level.
“Masaya, kasi kumbaga, parang may mararating pala, hindi ganito lang. Kasi ang maling sistema, lalo na noon, kapag may disability yung anak mo, tinatago. Marami ang hindi nakapag-aral kasi tinatago. Ngayon hindi na, may mga ganito na tayo. Nakaka-amaze, na ang mundo ay may pakialam na sakanila,” Adriano stated.
However, some teachers in regular classes have no training in handling children with disabilities.
“Dahil dito po ako in-assigned, kahit hindi po ako yung namili, in-accept ko po yun kasi as a teacher kailangan maging flexible,” Mary Grace Del Pilar, an inclusion teacher explained.
“Binigyan po kami ng interpreter, para if ever na hindi ko ma-express yung sarili ko, in-interpret po nila. If ever po may questions ako sakanila or problems, yung interpreter po yung nakikipag communicate sa kanila.”
Though it is a challenging job, Del Pilar handles the SPED students with patience and understanding.
“Syempre maraming adjustments, pero as a teacher, kino-consinder ko po silang normal, kasi kaya po sila nilagay dito sa normal school kasi pwede na sila,” she said.
Del Pilar has a total of 10 students with different disabilities included in her grade 6 class.
SPED fund, not found
As a part of a livelihood activity, prevocational students bake empanada with the help of Dhesory Andres and volunteer parents. Photos by: Aliza Arcilla.
Aside from academic lessons, SPED students have training through livelihood activities such as baking, gardening, housekeeping, and cookery in the Pre-vocational Level. The skills they can cultivate from these classes can help them later in their adulting life.
Unfortunately, some of their activities in this class cannot be executed due to lack of funds, utilities and equipment. Dhesory Andres, a pre-vocational teacher, said not all students have the capacity to contribute materials for their activities such as cooking, so she tries to provide it using her own pocket.
“Mga DIY lang ang nagagawa namin, kung ano lang ang meron kami, ‘yun ang maituturo namin. Limited lang ang aming tools at equipment para mai-transfer yung learning,” Cruz affirmed.
Every year, there is a fund allocated for the SPED centers to sustain the activities of the learners, and provide support to teachers and faculty members.
Whereas, on September 14 this year, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced its budget under the 2023 National Expenditure Program (NEP) and it was revealed that there are no dedicated funds for the SPED.
“We requested P560 million for SPED for 2023, but it’s zero budget,” DepEd Undersecretary Ernesto Gaviola said in the budget hearing at Congress.
The Special Education Fund also known as SEF, was created to provide a budget for the operation and maintenance of public schools offering special education. It includes renovations of facilities, educational research, and buying tools and equipment for teaching.
According to Section 272 of Local Government Code of 1991 that, “This fund can be used to further improve learning outcomes through the implementation of programs and projects that are otherwise not supported by the general education fund of the Department.”
Aside from the educational aspect, the SEF fund can supposedly support the growth of the children through giving free health services, and medicines.
On the call for the special education fund, SPED teachers of CMIS Sto. Rosario expressed their opinion on how the prioritization of the fund can benefit the needs of both teachers and students. Video courtesy: Aliza Arcilla
“Ang gusto sana namin is makapagbigay sa kanila ng ibang services halimbawa, occupational therapist, dahil wala namang kakayahan ibang magulang dito. And speech therapist dahil kailangan din nila yan, lalo na sa mga ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) kasi talagang tinatamaan sa kanila yung mga verbal,” Conception Angeles Tamayo, the SPED grade level leader said.
However, these opportunities were snatched from them.
“Yung katotohanan na tinanggalan ng fund yung SPED, ngayon mo sa akin sabihin na priority sila. Ngayon mo sabihin na may care ang government sa mga batang may disability. Hindi sila handa sa lahat ng aspeto, at wala silang care,” Adriano cried out.
What the future holds
The Philippines is far from the past wherein a person with disability was only inside of the four corners of the house, center of shame and discrimination in the family, having no rights to study and express themselves to the public.
The existence of SPED Center in Malolos is proof of that progress, giving light of hope for SPED students and continuing to create a venue for them to make their presence feel in the society.
With the sacrifices given by the faculty members together with parents, it opens two doors for their future–whether to continue studying or start a business based on their vocational skills with guidance of family. But that is not always the case for some.
The Special Education fund can provide opportunities for all people with disabilities to achieve a quality education they have been demanding for a long time. By giving them that opportunity, and a place in society, they can have the power to shape their future. Through that, it will add on their blazing passion to go beyond the stigma and stereotype about them, to really show the world that there is hope for them.
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