By Millicent Ifeanyichukwu
A Professional Special Education Advocate, Akhere Akran, says that children living with disabilities should be placed in mainstream settings to enable them learn from neurotypical children in schools.
Akran, said that the gesture would go a long way to include such children seamlessly and equitably into society.
She said that when placed in mainstream settings, a non-verbal child, who had never spoken before, might begin to stutter a few words or try speaking.
According to her, parents, caregivers, community and other stakeholders should begin to treat such children with equity, love, care and give them what they deserve.
Akran said that putting children with disabilities in mainstream settings was improvising so they could fit in.
“ There is no form of benefit in placing all children with disabilities in the same space, in fact, this can be tagged as exclusion or micro-exclusion as the case may be.
“ They need to learn from another person, as there is no takeaway among themselves because they are literally displaying same character, symptoms and behaviour.
“ We need to begin to exhibit a very high level of emotional intelligence because they feel and know when there is genuine love.
“So, when placed in mainstream environment and integrated into regular settings, they are known to strive and they begin to have sense of belonging, this is what I have tried and tested, there are proofs and outcomes.
“ We are all normal, going by the fact that we all exchange oxygen, carbon dioxide and have blood flowing through our veins has made us same human beings,” Akran added.
The special education advocate further solicited for increase in the recruitment of special teachers in mainstream settings to support regular teachers in the classrooms.
She said that this was what the policy on inclusive education recommended, adding that the teachers should be exposed to trainings and retraining to empower and encourage them cope with the task of modelling the children.
“The collaboration between regular and special teachers will go a long way in this task and it’s all for the benefit of the children, not for competition or who knows it all,” she said.
The inclusive education advocate urged parents to understand the diagnosis and prognosis of their child’s condition, saying, “parents are the best advocate for their children’s forms.”
“Understand that no disability is contagious, giving them a sense of belonging is not to pity them because pity doesn’t cut it, but empathy.
“ The awareness will help to understand what they can do and cannot do, if the problems can be cured or managed, but they must not give up.
“After all, they are human beings first before their disabilities, nobody planned to have a child with disability and if you begin to isolate, stigmatise, segregate and judge, you’re not just being fair.
“Give them not only a seat but a space at the table to fit in, in the best way they can, because some person with disability might not be able to sit.
“Pity has no place when managing persons living with disability, it is, therefore, important that we begin to train people on the importance of empathy,” Akran said.
According to her, necessary steps will be put in place whereby every company or establishment will have persons with disability as a member of staff, as no disability is contagious.
“Look for their strength and the opportunities available to them, there is beauty in diversity as opposed to their weaknesses and their threats. They can be productive, if given a chance,” Akran stressed.