Special children get a helping hand in entering the world of work
Posted at 12/02/2009 2:36 AM
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DepEd to Congress: Pass Special Education Act
abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 06/03/2010 5:19 PM | Updated as of 06/03/2010 5:43 PM
MANILA, Philippines - Some 5.49 million children with special needs (CSNs) in the Philippines stand to benefit from the proposed Special Education Act of 2010 if Congress will ratify the bill this week. The Department of Education (DepEd) is urging the House of Representatives to act on it after the Senate passed its version early this week.
“The passage of this bill will be the 14th Congress’ parting gift and lasting legacy to the Filipino people since this will finally give due attention to the education of 5.49 million children with special needs and people with disability (PWD) in our country,” said Education Secretary Mona D. Valisno.
According to DepEd, there are 5.49 million CSNs in the Philippines representing 13 percent of the total population of children. Of this number, an estimated 4.2 million are PWDs (persons with disabilities) while 1.27 million are gifted children.
Children with special needs are those who are autistic, gifted or talented, mentally retarded, visually impaired, hearing impaired, orthopedically or physically handicapped, learning disabled, speech defective, or with behavior problems.
They also include children who encounter health problems under the formal educational system.
A child is considered to have a need to train in a special education (SPED) center if he differs from the average child based on mental characteristics, sensory abilities, neuromuscular or physical characteristics, social abilities, multiple handicaps, or has a developmental lag.
Valisno said only 2% of Filipino children with special needs receive support from the government. In other countries, such children get 100% support from the state.
Special Education Act
Senators Miriam Defensor Santiago and Miguel Zubiri authored and sponsored Senate Bill 2020, while Reps. Dodo Pingoy Jr. and Monica Louise "Nikki" Prieto-Teodoro authored and sponsored House Bill 6750. Both houses have passed their respective versions but the House has to concur with the Senate version for the bill to become law.
The Special Education Act will pave the way for the creation of a Bureau of Special Education along with existing bureaus of elementary, secondary, and alternative learning. It will also call for the creation of at least one SPED center in each city and province.
The new bureau will formulate an appropriate curriculum and developmentally-suited programs to achieve functional literacy for all children with special needs, said Education Assistant Secretary for legislative liaison Jonathan Malaya.
Under the bill, the DepEd will prepare a scheme for financial and medical assistance, including nutritional programs, to poor but deserving CSNs. It will also draw up incentives to encourage the private sector to take part in the education and rehabilitation of CSNs.
Malaya said that the bill will be a quantum leap for the special education sector because a large majority of this sector have not yet been provided with appropriate educational services.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/06/03/10/deped-congress-pass-special-education-act
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Special children: Next ramp models?
by Kristine Servando, abs-cbnNEWS.com/
Posted at 02/12/2010 1:11 AM | Updated as of 02/12/2010 10:32 AM
MANILA, Philippines - A group of "special children" proved that they can rule the catwalk just as confidently as any ramp model in a recent fashion show dubbed "Special Collection 2010."
The first of its kind, the fashion show featured 28 teenagers and adults, diagnosed with conditions ranging fromautism to Down's syndrome, as its models.
The event was held at the UP Bahay ng Alumni last Friday (February 5).
The models, broken up into girl and boy pairs, wore a variety of fashion pieces including casual wear, sports wear by Accel, smart casual clothes and a formal collection by new designers Jaja Magallanes and Daisy Sario respectively.
Some fashion pieces that got the most cheers from the crowd were a monochrome A-line dress paired with bright red flats and black stockings, worn by the show's smallest model Mikaela Jimenez; pink and gray cocktail dresses by Sario; and an assortment of pretty sundresses.
Audiences at the event were primarily made up of the models' parents and families, teachers and school classmates.
Meant as a charity fund-raiser, proceeds from ticket sales (at P200 each) were donated to event partner Hospicio de San Jose--a home for orphans, abandoned children, special children and the elderly.
'More ability than disability'
The show's organizer, Eleanor Enriquez envisioned the project for adolescents like her daughter Jessica, who has Down's Syndrome.
Hoping to answer the rarity of programs addressing special children, especially teens and adults, Enriquez quit her teaching job to focus on the fashion project for persons with disabilities.
She thought a fashion show for special teens would be a good program, since it would only require the models to do something basic-- walking and dressing up.
Enriquez clinched the support of 9 special learning schools and charitable institutions, who suggested models for the show, helped with logistics or provided cupcakes at the event.
These include the Hospicio, Gentle Minds Learning Center, Independent Living Learning Center, TINYbig Special School, The Learning Center, Child's World Growing Center, Special Children Educational Institution, and the Sistero Francisco Memorial National High School.
Her daughter Jessica, she says, was an inspiration for the fashion show because Jessica overcame the challenge of walking with crooked legs through endless practice.
Now Jessica walks with grace and poise, as seen when she modeled at the fashion show.
Though the initial goal was to train the 28 models, ranging in age from 18 to 45, to walk nicer and maintain a good posture, Enriquez said they got something more.
"They were blooming and walking with confidence. They were happier and their families were just so proud of them," she said.
"So it's more about their ability than their disability. We wanted to look for the positive in who they are. Of course, they can't do some things, but we need to focus on what they can do," she said.
Fashion preparation
Designer Jaja Magallanes said it took 3 months of ramp-walking training and rehearsals to prepare the models for the show.
He took a short break from his studies at the Fashion Institute of the Philippines (FIP) to focus on the project.
Magallanes said he agreed to the project because he has a soft spot for persons with disabilities or handicaps.
As a choreographer and coach, Magallanes was seen crouching in front of the ramp platform during the show, signalling to his students if they spent too long posing and making sure they followed the practiced ramp routine.
"You need a lot of patience. You have to give all your love and time to them," he said in an interview with abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak. "I saw their effort to learn."
He and his FIP classmate Daisy Sario created custom-made dresses and suits for each of the models at minimal or no cost to them, only requesting that Enriquez pay the seamstress for her work.
Magallanes focused on fun, monochromatic themes for the smart casual collection, while Sario made formal wear in shades of gray, pink and white for the "haute couture" collection.
Magallanes said the project served as a "lucky charm" of sorts, since he has had clients pouring in orders ever since he joined what he calls his first fashion project.
The same went for Sario, who got an offer to work in Dubai as a full-fledged designer.
Magallanes encouraged his fellow designers to try working with special children.
"Let's give them a chance and give them time to show their talents," he said.
The new designer said he was happy with his wards' performances, saying the outcome was even "better than normal."
Report and photos by Kristine Servando, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak.
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Down syndrome mom complains of Cebu
Pacific discrimination, too
Abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 01/09/2010 12:19 AM | Updated as of 01/09/2010 12:20 AM
MANILA, Philippines – Another Cebu Pacific Air passenger with a special child complained of being discriminated against by the Gokongwei-led airline.
Estella Santos, mother of 4-year old Harvey who has Down Syndrome, told ABS-CBN’s Umagang Kay Ganda on Friday that they were, too, were forced by Cebu Pacific cabin crew to deplane from a flight about to takeoff from Hong Kong to Manila.
Harvey, a special child, was mistaken as mentally ill.
Santos was the second parent with a special child on a December 23 Cebu Pacific flight who claimed to have been ill-treated by the flight staff.
On Thursday, Marites Alcantara told ABS-CBN that her family has plans to file charges against the airline and its staff for discrimination. Alcantara’s 14-year old son, John Arvin, has Global Development Delay, a condition that impedes the normal development of the child's faculties.
Discrimination against special children is against the Republic Act 7277, the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons. The law considers refusal of a transport operator to “convey a passenger…by reason of his disability” as discrimination.
Cebu Pacific has admitted that its staff “misinterpreted government regulations” against discrimantion and that it “sincerely regrets the incident.”
Trauma
Santos recounted their trauma. On-board the Cebu Pacific flight about to depart for Manila, the flight crew approached her and her son, forcing them to disembark.
Santos said the crew argued that the company has a policy against having two passengers with a condition to be on the same flight. That policy, however, does not apply to special children but to passengers who are mentally ill.
“Hindi po ako pumayag. (I refused to disembark.) I said, if you’ll push through with this, I will sue you. This is our right. We were already inside the plane. Then they will ask us to get off? Of course not!”
She added that the flight crew, alternating between her and Alcantara, wanted to get one of them to disembark, citing aviation safety.
“It’s a natural reaction for a mother of a special child who is being forced to disembark without an explanation where we will go. What if, in the next flight, another special child is also a passenger? How can we get a flight home?”
For standing their ground, Santos and Alcantara said the flight was delayed for about an hour. The other passengers of the flight were visibly irritated and sneered at them, some reportedly calling their kids “crazy.”
“It really hurt me how the other passengers looked at me and my special child with disdain. We gave so much love and attention to our child. Yet, he was treated that way,” she narrated. “How many parents want their child to have a disability?”
“We don’t owe that airline anything since we are paying passengers. Our fare was not from charity. We paid for our fare,” she stressed.
Apology
Angel Atutubo, assistant manager of the terminal airport in Manila, told ABS-CBN that special children only needs special attention from companions. “Special children are not qualified as mentally ill,” he stressed.
Cebu Pacific spokesperson Candice Iyog said during a press conference on Friday that the airline does not discriminate against special children. She said the flight crew misunderstood the company’s policy on aviation safety.
“We don’t have a policy disallowing special children [on our flights],” she clarified.
"There was a misinterpretation of an aviation safety rule, which says there is a limit on the number of mental patients on a flight. This is in place so that in case of an emergency, the flight crew can evacuate passengers quickly."
In a statement on Thursday, Cebu Pacific said that it has “apologized to the passenger and sincerely regrets the incident.”
It added that the airline “has taken all the necessary measures to make sure similar incidents do not happen again and that all passengers with special needs are properly attended to.
Iyog said the crew members and pilot involved in the incident have been “reprimanded.” She stressed that the carrier will conduct a re-orientation of frontliners to ensure that the incident will not be repeated.
Iyog said the company has offered to give free tickets to the Santoses and Alcantaras.
The two mothers did not budge. “Thank you for the offer. But the shame and pain we went through have no price,” Santos said. -
Report by Anthony Taberna, ABS-CBN News
World-class Pinoy sculptor helps special kids
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