Page 20 - DEDU506_SPECIAL_EDUCATION_ENGLISH

Special Education

Notes 3.1 Special Education in India

Educational services are extended to this group of children on mass scale, the universalisation of
elementary enrolment of the handicapped children in relation to total children at the elementary
stage is 0.07 percent. This figure of enrolment has gone up to one percent as per review of NPE
(1992). This low percentage of enrolment speaks volumes for the serious neglect and denial of
educational opportunity for millions of disabled children in the India even though the constitution of
the country prescribes compulsory education for all children upto primary level. Most of the special
groups of children are either not enrolled at all or drop out due to one reason or the other after
stagnation. The slow progress towards bringing the disabled within the education network has been
due to liner provision in special schools despite the fact that about 90 percent of then can be catered
to in regular schools.

How do blind people learn reading and writing?

3.2 Special Education in Different Countries

There have always been exceptional children, but there have not always been special educational
services to meet their needs. The historical roots of special education are found in Europe and America
primarily in the 19th century. In ancient civilization handicapped children were either killed or subject
to abuse and neglect. Prior to the 19th century there were isolated instances of acceptance, kindly
care, and education of disabled children.
Systematic efforts to provide special education to handicapped children started in the 19th century in
Europe and America. But the Americans who were initially concerned with the care and training of
the handicapped kept themselves informed about the development that took place in Europe. Even
some Americans used to visit Europe to get first-hand knowledge about the education of handicapped
children. It is a fact the European physicians were initially concerned about the education of mentally
retarded children. Similarly much of the initial work in the field of special education in America
entered around deaf children and blind children.
The history of special education does not indicate "Europe, good-America bad". It is true that important
ideas in special education found their way for Europe to America. Many European and American
physicians and educators contributed greatly to the development of special education, most prominent
among them were:
(1) J.M.G. Itard, Physician (2) Samuel Gridley Howe,
(3) E. Seguin, Teacher of MR (4) T.H. Gallaudet,
(5) Sigmund Freud, (6) Philipe Pinel,
(7) Ann Sullivan

Most of the originators of special education were European physicians.

3.2.1 Special Education in Europe
J.M.G. Itard's contribution: Itard, a French physician, is the personal to whom most historians trace
the beginning of special education. In the beginning years of 19th century, Itard set about to educate
a wild boy of 11 of 12, named Victor. The boy was apparently abandoned in a forest in Southern
France at the age of 3 or 4. He managed to survive until his capture. At the time of capture he was
animal like in appearance and behaviour. He was naked, dirty, scarred, and unable to speak, and he

14 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY