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Unit 25: Policies and Provisions: Constitutional Provisions for Group of Children with special learning needs

3. Visual impairment 4. Hearing Impairment Notes
5. Speech Impairment 6. Physical Disabilities

25.1 Historical Background of Special Education

The early history of special education started with the hearing handicapped as early as 1555 when
the Spanish monk Pedro Ponce de Leon (1520-1584) taught a small number of deaf children to read,
write and speak and learn academic subjects Jnan Pablo Ronet in 1620 wrote the first book on the
education of the deaf and developed a one handed manual alphabet that is being used even today. In
England John Bulwer published another book on the education of the deaf in 1644, followed by the
Deaf and Dumb Man's Tutor by George Dalgarno in 1680 which set out instructional methods.
The first school for the deaf in Great Britain was established in 1767 in Edinburgh by Thomas
Braidwood. Braidwood's method combined oral and manual method teaching alphabets and signs.
At about same time Samuel Heinickje (1729-1784) developed the oral method emphasizing lip reading
and speaking skills in Germany at Leipzing in 1778 which was further developed F.M. Hill (1805-
1874).
In France, Michel del' Epee (1920-1789) who established the first school in Paris in 1755, and Ambroise
Sicard (1742-1822) were developing sign language. The French system also emphasised training of
the senses of sight and touch which became the forerunner to Montessorie's sensory training approach.
Education of children with mental retardation began with the attempt by a French physician Itard
(1775-1835) to educate an 11 year old boy who had been found living as a savage in the woods. This
was documented in the book "The Wild Boy of Aveyron". Edward Seguin (1812-1880) followed the
technique in France and United States and Maria Montessorie (1870-1952) in Italy. Seguin published
his book "Idiocy and its treatment by the physiological method" in 1866. It contained ideas which are
relevant even now-total education of the child, individualization of instruction, beginning instruction
at the child's current level of functioning, and rapport between teacher and pupil. These were included
in the famous method of Motessories for the education of the handicapped and non-handicapped.
Decroly (1871-1932) in Belgium developed a curriculum for mentally retarded children early in the
20th century and established schools throughout Europe. Binet (1857-1911) made and immense
contribution with the invention of intelligence testing.
In 1839 the first blind and mentally retarded (MR) child was enrolled in the Perkins Institute for the
Blind in the USA. In 1848 the first residential school for the MR was opened in Massachusetts. By
1917 all states except four provided instructional care for the mentally retarded in the USA.
The first public school with special classes for children with mental retardation was formed in Germany
in 1859 and thereafter in other European nation in the next decades. In the USA the first public school
with special classes for the MR was opened in 1896 at Providence, Rhodes Island.

25.2 Education of Children with Special Needs: International
Perspective

The concept of integrating CWSN in regular schools was introduced in many countries in 1960’s.
1970’s witnessed new initiatives in the area of integrated education, with awareness and services for
children with special needs becoming more accessible. Further thrust was given to this sector when
the UN General Assembly declared 1981 as the International Year of Disabled Persons, with
equalisation of opportunities and full participation of the disabled being the main goals. Subsequently,
1983-1992 was proclaimed as the Decade of the Disabled by UN. In this decade, UN standard rules
on equalisation of opportunities for persons with disabilities were framed in which education of
children with special needs in regular schools along with appropriate services was emphasized. This
Decade also became memorable as the World Conference on EFA was held in March, 1990, which
affirmed the ultimate goal of meeting the basic learning all children, youth and adults. This Decade
was followed by the UNESCAP Decade of the Disabled Persons from 1993-2002. During the ESCAP
Decade, the Government of Spain in cooperation with UNESCO organized the World Conference on

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