Inclusive Education for CWSN in India

• CWSN refers to Children With Special Needs

Inclusion in Education

• Refers to a model where CWSN spend most, if not all, of their time with students without special needs.
• Based on the idea that inclusive education is more effective as it gives students mixed experiences.
• Social interaction in inclusive education leads to success later in life.
• Creates a safe, comfortable, and emotionally secure environment in any educational institution.
• It is a process that allows a child to transition smoothly to understand, accept, and implement a culture of inclusion in different situations.
• Physical education and sports significantly promote inclusion in educational institutes

Implementation of Inclusive Education in India: Measures

• Ensure effective implementation of the Right to Education in all states.
• Equip teachers with appropriate training and in-service workshops, especially in rural areas, to teach CWSN in inclusive classrooms.
• Build a support team through regular school/curriculum analysis to give access to the regular curriculum methods to children with learning difficulties.
• Promote a flexible approach to curriculum, so teachers and students can diagnose and resolve problems they face during the learning process.
• Involve parents as partners/resources in decision-making to enhance their child's collaborative learning.
• Focus on what children can do, rather than what they cannot.
• Important for a student's self-esteem, ensures a child with special needs is not looked at with sympathy, and is recognized for their talents, capabilities, and abilities.
• Design schools and classes to help children learn and reach their maximum potential.
• Enrolling CWSN in regular schools requires adjustments in classrooms, transport, education and assistive tools, such as audiobooks or Braille textbooks, etc.
• Set education goals per each child’s abilities.
• Curriculum experts should design programs to parallel the curriculum for children with/without special needs in inclusive education.
• Children do not all need the same education goals to learn together in regular classes.
• Necessary to design a fitting examination system and periodically evaluate CWSN to meet challenges and changing trends.
• Making sincere efforts to develop positive relations between families of students with/without disabilities.
• Giving students related materials like uniforms, books, stationery, transport allowances, stipends for girls, lodging, therapeutic services, teaching tools, assistive devices, etc

Advantages of Physical Activities for CWSN

• Improves overall mood and wellness.
• Fitness and well-being are connected to self-esteem, social awareness, and self-confidence, empowering their lives.

Physical Benefits of Physical Activity

• Studies show that involvement in physical activity/sport increases well-being levels and physical health.
• Children with intellectual disabilities may have additional physical disabilities, resulting in below-age motor skills.

Recreation and Fun

• CWSN often do not engage in social activities, recreation, and fun.
• Extracurricular/sports participation helps them overcome this.
• Participation leads to them making friends and initiating social skills.

Improved Emotional Health

• Physical activity in a healthy lifestyle reduces rates of depression.
• CWSN often have more emotional problems like depression.
• Regular exercise can be life-changing by improving mental health/well-being.
• Physical activity improves general mood and wellness, which is crucial in empowering the lives of children with special needs.

Channeling Surplus Energy

• Children with disabilities like ADHD can display hyperactivity.
• Appropriately directed, can lead to cognitive benefits and constructive behavior.

Psychological Benefits

• Regular participation is not just good for the body, but also the mind.
• Physical activity improves overall mood and wellness in CWSN by improving their self-esteem, social awareness, and self-confidence.

Healthy Lifestyle

• CWSN are about twice as likely to be overweight/obese, due to a higher likelihood of being sedentary due to their disability.
• Their levels of participation in sports/physical activity are much lower than their peers.
• It is imperative for these children to learn about the steps of a healthy lifestyle within the context of their abilities/limitations.

Increased Independence

• Taking part in Physical Education/Sports is a way to transition toward greater independence due to improved daily life skills.
• For a person with a disability, more physical activity can lead to more independence/freedom.
• Greater physical strength from regular exercise helps people with disabilities do more daily tasks without assistance.

Strategies to Make Physical Activities Accessible for CWSN

• Beneficial for all children, including those with disabilities:
  • Promotes inclusion
  • Minimizes deconditioning
  • Optimizes physical functioning
  • Enhances overall well-being

Communication Strategies

• Clearly communicate information about the activity, space, or resource person.
• Use different instructional strategies such as verbal, visual, and peer teaching for various physical activities.
• Teachers can use visuals/social stories about the activity.
• Give positive/corrective feedback.
• Give specific instructions in simple words/sentences, according to the child’s ability.
• Keep a low tone, give one instruction at a time.
• Use a communication board/book, if necessary.

Space Strategies

• Space should be approachable for people having physical disabilities.
• The space for activities should be limited and disturbance-free (noise, heat, cold, floor texture, etc.)
• Starting with indoor space is better.
• Mark boundaries clearly as a starting, finishing, or sitting area

Equipment

• Lack of appropriate equipment and trained professionals discourages participation.
• There is a growing number of disabled people interested in recreation and sport activities.
• There are many examples of simple/complex equipment, including computerized wheelchairs.
• There are sports competitions involving four groups of disabled sportspersons, namely:
  • The deaf
  • People with physical disability
  • People with intellectual (mental) disability

Graded Activities

• Beginner activities should be simple and based on a single action.
• Should gradually move from non-locomotor to locomotor to manipulated activities.
• The level of assistance should be physical, verbal, and independent.
• CWSN need to practice fundamental motor skills so they can visualize through the teacher's body action.
• Use videos, focus on words/phrases that highlight the demonstration.
• Ask them to demonstrate the skill to make sure they understand the instructions and they need to practice straight after watching the demonstration.

Social Strategies

• It's easier for children to be motivated when they enjoy the activity.
• Encourage the CWSN to watch others at first. Once the child sees people having fun, they will be motivated to participate,
• Start individual training, then transfer to a small group with supervision and reminders.
• The teacher must act as a mediator, helping the CWSN to interact with other group members.
• Have individual check ins reminding them whenever they get distracted.
• Greet each person before the session, end each lesson with positive feedback.

Psychological Strategies

• Because of previous exclusion/limited access, children with disabilities need motivation to participate.

• Active kids are physically literate as they age.

• For kids who don't participate, the less they do, the less they’re able to do.

• Psychological barriers are the most influential and changing attitudes is key to increasing participation.

• Personal attitudes of persons with disabilities.

• Consider the attitudes of non-disabled people

• All individuals benefit from regular physical activity/children with special needs especially gain from physical, mental/social benefits.

• Once children see improvements in muscle strength, coordination, and flexibility, they will have positive changes toward sports.

• Children with a disability participate for a number of reasons:

  • To improve their skills
  • To have fun
  • To stay fit
  • To be physically challenged

Inclusive education integrates Children With Special Needs (CWSN) into mainstream schools, fostering social interaction and preparing them for future success. It emphasizes teacher training, resource allocation, and barrier removal. Physical education plays a significant role in promoting inclusion.