Understanding the needs of children with physical and sensory disabilities

What are the practical areas that need attention when it comes to ensuring that children with physical or sensory disabilities have ‘access to learning’ (Cornwall, 1996)? These are summarized in the list below:

1. Assumptions, attitudes, behavior and expectations. Educators’ attitudes and expectations are shaped by their own history and experience. Often people working with disabled people have a disabled person in the family. They have experience of the barriers encountered by disabled people. An example of this occurred not long ago in a school I was visiting where a teacher pointed to a child in a wheelchair and two others (presumably with less visible disabilities) and said, ‘That’s our inclusion table …’ I leave you to think about that.

2. Procedures and customary practices. The most obvious example of this is the school timetable. Particularly in secondary and tertiary education, the rush from one classroom and activity to another militates against equal participation by a disabled youngster. However, this involves a radical change of customary practice by government (as OFSTED) as well as by schools themselves.

3. Ethos of the institution. This important area is the most potent influential factor in making a difference to the learning opportunities experienced by a disabled youngster. The education system in the UK is faced now with a choice that has faced other systems in Canada and in the USA. Forest and Pearpoint (1991) describe ‘the road to inclusion’ as one of building intentional educational community in our schools. It demands hard work and commitment to the new ABCs. These new ABCs are:

ACCEPTANCE of natural diversity and talent.

BELONGING through genuine partnerships.

COMMUNITY that assumes collective responsibility.

Discussion

This may seem a very simple mantra but educational institutions are part of a highly competitive system, for example, SATs and league tables. Have a good look around your school. What kinds of attitudes and expectations make up the school ethos? Does it have an ethos? Or is it simply an institution dependent upon the whims of government and the drive for academic success? Is natural talent outside academic limitations (e.g. numeracy and literacy) recognized and celebrated?

The reader might ask what has happened to physical access, and the author would like to emphasize that this is important but that the above areas are actually more important. Physical and educational barriers can all be overcome, if there is the will to do so.

Choice and opportunity for disabled pupils and students can be achieved in such a way that it is part of the general evolution of our education system. Quality education for the minority of diverse learners will mean sharpening and improving the skills of teachers [and teaching assistants] and the organization of school or colleges, to the benefit of all. (Cornwall, 1995: 112)

Also focusing specifically on physical barriers is often disempowering for educators in schools, because they may not have much influence on potential changes. However, focusing on the above issues is empowering because every member of staff has both responsibility and the ability to make changes and encourage development. It leads to asking some more pertinent questions about the support that should be given.

Support for whom? Is the support really what the individual pupils or student needs or has it got more to do with the following?

■ existing customs and practice;

■ making the adults feel useful;

■ what resources are available.

What criteria? How do you decide when to give support or when it is not needed? What support? Support for learning takes many forms from interventions by teaching assistants through to the provision of materials and physical adaptations. It is important that the adults concerned with the child make careful decisions about the nature of the support.

What criteria? How do you decide when to give support or when it is not needed? What support? Support for learning takes many forms from interventions by teaching assistants through to the provision of materials and physical adaptations. It is important that the adults concerned with the child make careful decisions about the nature of the support.