Introduction

INTEGRATED EDUCATION FOR DISABLED 

INTRODUCTION 

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is a historic stride towards achieving the log cherished goal of “Universalisation of Elementary Education” through a time bound integrated approach, in partnership with state. SSA which promises to change the face of the Elementary education sector of the community aims to provide useful and quality Elementary education to all children in the 6-14 age group by 2010. The SSA is an effort to recognize the need for improving the performance of the school system and to provide community owned quality elementary education in mission mode.  It also envisages riding of gender and social gaps.  The SSA is an effort to universalise Primary education by community-ownership of the school system.  It is a response to the demand for quality basic education all over the country.  The SSA programme is also an attempt to provide an opportunity for improving human capabilities to all children, through provision of community-owned education in a mission mode. It will also support a wide range of approaches, options and strategies for education of children with special needs.  This includes education through open learning system and open school, non formal and alternative schooling, distance education and learning, special schools, wherever necessary home based education, inherent teacher model, remedial teaching, part time classes, and community based rehabilitations (CBR) and vocational education and cooperative programme. 

Universalisation of education is meaningful only when all the children in the age group of 6-14 are in school and get education. In this context the children with different disabilities need to have different programmes to enroll and to retain them in the schools Equity- always remains as an issue. The SSA goal also is to reduce the gap in enrolment, retention, completion rates and achievement levels of children with respect to gender and socially disadvantaged groups. It is also necessary to provide education to the disabled children on par with other normal children. The enrolment of the state in the age group of 6-14 is 79,60,820 and out of which the children with special needs amounts to 81900 and disability.

Distribution of children disability wise

orthopaedically handicap conditions can be prevented by medical aids.  But children who have become orthopaedically handicapped require education.  It is not possible either to cure or to prevent all orthopaedically handicapped conditions.  For such orthopaedically handicapped children integrated education with special education facilities is desirable.  The education of the children who are both orthopaedically handicapped and those who acquired handicapped can be integrated with the following objectives.

The orthopedically handicapped children should get the same type of social acceptance with the normal children.

•  They can get equal employment opportunities like the normal children.
• To decrease the distance between the education of the normal children and education of he orthopaedically handicapped children, integrated education in desirable.  There can be healthy relationship between these two groups of children in an integrated system only.
•  Integration of education of the orthopedically handicapped children can improve the standard of living of these handicapped children.
•  The right to citizenship of these children can be preserved.They will be able to lead a free and independent life.