• Stated in the Education Policy of Brunei is the provision of an integrated curriculum as well as suitable and uniform public examinations administered according to the level of education, including special needs, in all schools throughout the nation.

• The Special Education Unit was established in 1994 to provide assistance to students with learning difficulties. Staffed by psychologists and special educators, the Unit, in conjunction with Universiti Brunei Darussalam, trains Learning Assistance Teachers. It also aims to establish a comprehensive special education system in a number of schools, identify children with learning problems, develop remedial programs for them and develop preventive measures for the future.

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Cambodia

• Cambodia’s recent history of war, destruction of national infrastructure, the breakdown of basic services, the lack of basic health care and food security, the presence of millions of landmine, and the absolute poverty of the majority of its citizens, all contribute to the fact that it is a country with a high number of disabled people. Base on Socio-Economic Disabled Persons, 1999 estimated the disabled persons comprise about 1.4 million or 15% of the total population.

• Persons with disabilities constitute the most marginalized group in Cambodia. They are one of the most vulnerable groups and poorest of the poor. For example, 30 per cent of families with heads of household disabled from mines or war are living below the poverty line (while the average of all households is 11.5 per cent). Women and girls with disabilities are excluded from mainstream gender equality programmes. Children and young people with disabilities face overwhelming barriers to participation in education and skill development programmes. Most disabled persons are poor, but few poverty alleviation programmes include provisions for their participation.

• People with disabilities have limited access to education, vocational training, employment and income-generation opportunities and other services. Even when services do exist, they are particularly inaccessible to women with disabilities and persons with disabilities in rural areas. For example, almost all of the vocational training centres are situated in Phnom Penh and other cities. Infrastructure is poor and transportation possibilities are limited and expensive for regular traveling both in urban and rural areas. The majority of public buildings, including hospitals and schools, are inaccessible.

• People with communication difficulties face additional barriers. Deaf Development Programme has developed Khmer sign language and trains teachers. Only some ten people have Khmer sign language teaching skills at the moment. Only two schools teach sign language for children with disabilities and give day classes to adults. Because almost all deaf people in Cambodia have had no access to any education, are illiterate and do not communicate verbally, they remain one of the most socially and economically marginalized groups of people with disabilities.

• Training and employment options for the blind are almost equally limited. The Association of the Blind of Cambodia (ABC) estimates that of 132,000 blind people,only 150 can read Braille.

• To date education programmes for people with disabilities have been implemented solely by non-governmental organizations and focus on children with disabilities. A limited number of special schools and classes exist, as do a few community-based initiatives. Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) has established a Special Education Office. This Special Education Office has responsibility for developing education opportunities for children with disabilities, girls, minorities, and other vulnerable groups such as street children. Through a joint effort of the DAC, MoEYs, UNICEF and NGOs, an initiative to build a model for Inclusive Education has been underway in one province since the year 2000.

• According to the local culture and Buddhist beliefs, disability is the result of “bad karma” and persons with disabilities may be perceived as “bad luck.” Parents feel often ashamed or are overprotective towards their disabled children and do not let them to go to school or participate in social activities. Strong superstitious beliefs are connected to epilepsy, mental illnesses and other disabilities especially in rural areas. On the other hand, Cambodians also believe in good luck resulting from good deeds and charity for poor people. However, this perception has partly lost its meaning due to the civil war and breakdown of society. In general, it is difficult for persons with disabilities to find a job and live independently. Even if persons with disabilities are able to find jobs in the limited formal sector, they face many negative attitudes.

• As the result of a prolonged war, the general education system is very limited in terms of both resources and capacity, preventing basic education for all children including children with disabilities. Low literacy rate and limited skills of children is the result of an insufficient educational system.

• There is no law in Cambodia for educational enrolment of children with disabilities. Currently, the educational programs for persons with disabilities have been undertaken by NGOs only. A limited number of special schools and classes exist as a few community-based initiatives. Some children with disabilities are put in mainstream schools. According to the national policy, a pilot program to promote educational opportunity for children with disabilities has been undertaken by the Disability Action Council (DAC) in cooperation with the Ministry of Education Youth and Sports (MOEYS).

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Indonesia

• Special education in Indonesia is formed to meet the educational needs of those who suffer from physical and/or mental disorders. Special education is aimed at instilling skills that help the people who suffer physical, mental, behavioral or social problems, to more readily adapt to society. This is done through the development of skills, attitudes, and knowledge that enable students to develop work skills, skills to help them interact with their social, cultural, and natural environments, and/or pursue further education.

• The different types of disorders that are catered for in special education include (1) partial or complete sight impairment (blindness), (2) partial or complete deafness, (3) physical disabilities such as crippled limbs or disfigured limbs which result in impaired mobility or senses, (4) mental or behavioral disabilities such as retardation, which cause assimilation difficulties in normal schools, the family environment or society. Students may be handicapped in both physical and mental disabilities.

• The form of special educational units as regulated by Law No. 2 of 1989 are special kindergarten schools, with a duration of 3 years; special primary schools with a duration of at least 6 years; special lower secondary schools with a duration of at least 3 years; and special upper secondary schools, also with a duration of at least 3 years.

• Education facilities for persons with disabilities provide rehabilitation and compulsory education. In the rehabilitation centers, training is provided for social home care. Every student or occupant learns how to care for him or herself, promoting self-confidence and improving skills. Persons with disabilities usually reside in social home care for four years.

• However some social home care or special education facilities have had problems related to over capacity, or in some cases, many persons with disabilities have not been able to continue to receive training due to a lack of funding.

• At the elementary to senior high school level, there is Special Education Group A for the visually disabled, a Group B for the hearing disabled, and a Group C for the physically disabled.

• Most educational facilities are situated in or around Jakarta, the capital. Children with disabilities who live in remote areas have little access to educational facilities. However in 1985/1986, this problem was slightly mitigated through the establishment of a special school for the disabled by the government. The UN reports that there are about 24 public special schools for children with disabilities, the intellectually disabled, physically disabled, hearing impaired, and the multiply disabled.14(Refer to the attached list for details on educational facilities.) It is also said that there are over 700 special schools managed by NGOs. However, since the early 80s, the Indonesian Government has shifted its stance to include and integrate children with disabilities into its 9-year compulsory education system.

• In 1996, the Social, Home Affairs, Education and Culture, as well as the Religion Ministries decided to provide financial aid to children with disabilities and transportation to schools for children living in remote areas or so that they could attend boarding schools.

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Lao People's Democratic Republic

• Although basic education (including pre-primary and primary) is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health is responsible for special schools for persons with disabilities.

• The National Center for Medical Rehabilitation (NCMR), which was established in 1962, is subordinate to the Ministry of Health. The center was originally established as a prosthetic center, but has provided disability-related services since 1975 and is now responsible for the following:The Sign Language Training School for the Hearing and Speech Impaired in Vientiane and Savannakhet Province, from primary school to the 3rd level of secondary school, or a total of 62 students;Two Braille Letter Training Schools for visually impaired persons; the NCMR and IEP Phaxay Schools, or a total of 26 students working toward integration within primary school in 2-3 years; The Thong Pong Ear-Eye-Nose Hospital's School: a kindergarten and pre-primary school, with 25 students, prepares students for integration in Thong Pong Primary School;A traditional massage therapy course for blind people.

• In 1993, Save the Children Fund UK (SCF-UK), UNESCO and UNICEF started an integrated education program for intellectually disabled and non-disabled children. As a result of a successful pilot project, the program has expanded to 8 provinces (Vientiane, Vientiane Prefecture, Khammoune, Savannakhet, Salavan, Champassak, Sayabouly and Luang Prabang) 23 pre-schools, 39 primary schools and 3 lower secondary schools, reaching a little over 500 children with disabilities.

• Education and skills training opportunities for persons with disabilities have been extremely limited. The baseline 2001 study by Handicap International of 478 persons with disabilities found that of 99 children with disabilities, about 64 per cent had not gone to school. Overall, only 33 per cent of disabled school-aged children attended school regularly. Of these only one child attended an Integrated Education Programme (IEP) school. A 1999 survey of disabled children and adults indicated that 66 per cent of interviewees did not have access to any school, while 15 per cent were not allowed to attend school by their families.

• Lack of access to schools was due to two main factors: (1) Lack of facilities and teaching aids for such students in most schools and the difficulty of designing facilities suitable to a range of different disabilities (2) Lack of mobility aids for students with disabilities to reach schools on their own. Even the IEP School is not yet easily accessible.

• Only 5.8 per cent of adults with disabilities had attended some kind of vocational training. All interviewees expressed the need and wish for further education, particularly for some kind of useful vocational training that would suit their particular kinds of disabilities. They expressed the hope of starting their own businesses and generating income through the new skills.

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Malaysia

• The Department of Special Education of Malaysia provides educational opportunities and facilities to children with special needs through the following programmes:

• Visually impaired programme
• Hearing impaired programme
• Consolidated class programme
• Inclusive education programme

• As much as possible, the needs of the visually and hearing impaired and those with learning difficulties are addresses within the mainstream school system. As of 2001, there are already 489 schools in Malaysia equipped with teaching and staff facilities capable of handling children with special needs integrated within the general schools system.

• Schools for mentally retarded children meanwhile can be found in Selangor, Penang, and Perak. Schools for spastic children are in Selangor, Penang and Johor.

• The national primary and secondary school curricula are used in special education schools and in inclusive education programmes with certain modifications designed to address the special needs of the children. Both core and compulsory subjects of the national curricula are offered. Inclusive education programmes at the lower curricula at the lower secondary level for children with learning disabilities as a continuation of the primary schools curriculum.

• Hearing-impaired children are taught the Malay sign language which is the medium of instruction. The visually handicapped meanwhile are taught Braille and the medium of instruction is Bahasa Melayu.

• Children with special needs sit for the same public exams with certain modifications. Visually-impaired candidates, for example, have their examination papers in Braille an are given longer time owing to the nature of Braille reading and writing. Examination are also conducted in special rooms equipped with instruments necessary for the conduct of such exam.

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Myanmar

• National schools have provided educational rehabilitation for children with disabilities, blind persons, and persons with hearing impairments. NGOs are also conducting educational rehabilitation for persons with disabilities in Myanmar. Children with disabilities are entitled to education, according to the Child Law.

• There are 3 schools for visually impaired persons, 2 schools for hearing impaired persons, 1 school for persons with intellectual disabilities and 1 school for those with multiple disabilities as of 19999. However, special education for persons with disabilities in Myanmar is limited due to the insufficiency of special education schools and resource persons. Although some residential care is available, almost all special schools are boarding schools.

• Special schools under the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement are open for different disabilities, but there remains a need to open more schools to prepare children for integration into regular schools. Special schools have tried integrating their students in regular schools, yet the process is still new in Myanmar.

• Currently, the integration of children with disabilities in compulsory education is very difficult because school buildings are not tailored for children with disabilities and there are very few people with proper training to teach children with disabilities.

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Philippines

• Chapter 2 of the Magna Carta for the Disabled Persons Act contains the legal provisions for disabled persons relative to access to education.

• Section 5, Article 1 of Policies and Guidelines for Special Education specifies that the ultimate goal of special education shall be the integration of learners with special needs in the regular school system and eventually into the community.

• A Year 2002 Japan International Cooperation Agency report states that “there are very few schools that accept children with disabilities because of a lack of school facilities and appropriately trained teachers.”

• There are currently 94 special education institutions (including The Philippine National School for the Blind, National School for the Deaf and other private institutions), 14 special education centers which are set up within existing schools, 19 boarding schools, 2 hospital schools and 4,292 special education classes in public schools. There are 23 schools that have an integrated education program and in areas where Community-based Rehabilitation (CBR) services are provided schools have integrated education (as of 1993)9. Those persons with disabilities whom receive education in educational facilities are limited. The majority of them does not go to school or go to school but are not certified as children with disabilities, or are not receiving education due to the lack of educational facilities.

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Singapore

• The education of children with disabilities is provided in special education (SPED) schools. As at January 2004, there are 20 SPED schools run by Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) receiving funding from the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). The SPED schools run different programmes catering to distinct disability groups of children who are unable to benefit from mainstream schooling.

• Special education is also available at the Genesis School for Special Education which is a commercially run centre, and the Dover Court Preparatory School which is a foreign system school with a special education department.

• SPED schools are run by Volunteer Welfare Organisations (VWOs) which provide customized educational programmes and training for different disability groups. The programmes are aimed at developing the potential of pupils and helping them to be independent, self-supporting and contributing members of society. Individualised Educational Plans (IEPs) are drawn up for all pupils. Besides receiving classroom instructions conducted by their teachers, pupils also receive help and training from paramedical professionals such as psychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and social workers.

• The general mission of SPED schools is to provide the best possible education and training to children with special needs so as to enable them to function optimally and integrate well into society.

• Pupils who are able, sit the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). If successful, they leave SPED schools to continue their education in mainstream secondary schools. These pupils attend regular classes and follow the curriculum of mainstream schools. Special resource teachers are deployed to designated mainstream secondary schools to assist these pupils.

• Hearing Impaired (HI) pupils who communicate using sign language, can opt to attend one of 2 designated secondary schools:
  
  
  • Boon Lay Secondary School
  • Balestier Hill Secondary School
  
  
• Visually Handicapped (VH) pupils from the Singapore School for the Visually Handicapped (SSVH) who pass the PSLE can choose to attend one of the designated schools for VH as listed below:
  
  
• Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School
• Bedok South Secondary School
• Dunearn Secondary School
• Ghim Moh Secondary School

The above schools have additional support including resource teachers to help VH pupils cope with the curriculum. Pupils who are unable to continue their education in secondary schools will proceed to one of the training centres or workshops run by VWOs. Such training equips them with the necessary skills for employment. Those who are able are placed in open employment whilst those who require more supervision attend production sheltered workshops or work activity centres.

*Education is compulsory for most Singaporean children from 2003. Parents who do not enrol their children in national schools may be fined or jailed. However, children with disabilities are exempted.

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Thailand

• Special education is provided for children who are hearing-impaired, mentally retarded, visually-impaired, physically-impaired or health-impaired. Other groups of children who need special education services are specific learning-disabled, autistic, emotionally/behaviorally disordered, as well as gifted and talented children.The teaching and learning of special education is organised in both special and inclusive schools. Two types of curricula are used: 1) special curricula offered in special schools such as the School for the Deaf and the School for the Blind; and 2) regular curricula used in inclusive schools which may be adjusted to meet the special needs of children.

• Thailand has accepted sign language as a legitimate language and has produced one of the earliest sign language dictionaries.

• The first Thai Law specifically dealing with persons with disabilities was the Rehabilitation for Disabled Person Act B.E. 2534 (1991). In addition to protecting the rights of persons with disabilities to rehabilitation (through among other things, medical attention and education vocational training), this Act provided for the establishment of a National Committee for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons.

• The need to provide special education for disabled or disadvantaged children was recognized in the National Education Scheme of 1977. The Department of General Education now runs 41 special schools: 20 for hearing impaired learners, 2 for the blind and 19 for children with other disabilities. It also cooperates with private foundations and state hospitals in providing personnel, equipment and technical assistance to special schools or to programs for children who are visually impaired, hearing impaired or slow learners who attend classes in regular schools. Perhaps an even more important legal document is the Thai Constitution, the highest law of the land. Adopted in 1997, the present Constitution is the first to make specific provision for persons with disabilities. Section 30 states that all persons are equal before the law and shall enjoy equal rights, and it outlaws discrimination against a person on the grounds of disability. Section 55 states that persons with disabilities shall be afforded access to public facilities and services while section 80 stipulates that the state should provide opportunities for persons with disabilities to promote their own independence, welfare and quality of life.

• In line with the Constitution, the Ministry of Education set up 13 Regional Special Education Centers in 1999 and 63 Provincial Special Education Centers in 2003 to cover all the provinces in the country. The function of these centers is to provide rehabilitation for all types of disabilities and to provide a preparatory program to enable children with disabilities to attend integrated education programs in regular schools. Because of the fast expansion of these new centers, their personnel and staff often do not have sufficient training to provide quality services to children with disabilities and their families.

• An approach currently being adopted is that of Community-based Rehabilitation (CBR), a system that provides direct services to people with disabilities in their homes. This approach is essential because not all persons with disabilities - particularly those living in remote areas of the country - have access to rehabilitation centers and institutions. It is recognized that when living in institutions, both children and adults with disabilities miss out on the benefits of living with their own families. The Ministry of Public Health, through the Sirindhorn National Medical Rehabilitation Center, has adopted the concepts and guidelines of CBR from the World Health Organization (WHO) and customized them to the situation in Thailand. CBR has been promoted among public health personnel and those in related agencies since 1992. Responsibility for activities in this field rests with a CBR Sub-Committee that was established under the Committee for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities. At present, 5 provinces are piloting CBR projects, and this number will increase in the future.

• There are no government institutions that provide specific services for children with visual impairment and additional disabilities, these children are spread among the 9 Government Social Welfare Homes. These Homes accept persons with disabilities from birth to old age who are either abandoned, homeless or who are in dire straits. There are over 4,000 people in the 9 Social Welfare Homes and the number is increasing each year. There are also visually impaired adults with additional disabilities in these 9 homes who live in separate provision from the children.

• The Special Education Department of the Rajabhat Suandusit Institute (a teacher training university) has opened an Early Intervention Center and children and their parents come to the Center and parents are trained on how to best help their children. They attend the Center two or three times a week for half-day sessions. The Early Intervention Center has expanded its services to accept preschool children with a range of disabilities including children with visual impairment and additional disabilities. The limitation of this type of service is that parents who work or do not have a caretaker are unable to come to the Center.

• The 1996 survey of the National Statistics Office of Thailand found 1,024,120 people with various types of disabilities. This represents 1.7% of the population. 88% of these people (904,540 persons with disabilities) live in rural areas. By law, only persons with disabilities who are registered with the government can receive government services and so far only 392,585 persons are on the register. In Educational Region 6 where Lopburi is located there are 7 provinces with 1,774 visually impaired persons. In Lopburi province alone there are 5,298 persons with disabilities, 426 of whom have a visual impairment and 239 have multiple disabilities (including MDVI).

• To enable persons with disabilities to remain with their families, the Government in 1997 introduced a monthly family allowance of 500 baht for each person with a severe disability. This policy has given some help to families in our early intervention program. Even though it is not enough it does help to relieve the families of some of their financial difficulties.

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Vietnam

• According to the UNESCO-supported Vietnam Child Disability Survey 1998, there were approximately 1 million children with disabilities (aged 0-15) in Vietnam. Among these children living in households, perhaps 36.6 percent had never attended school, 47.6 attended school and 15.8 percent dropped out. The education level of these children was generally very low-- almost half of the school age (6-17) children with disabilities were illiterate. Children living in institutions appear to have lower illiteracy levels and more access to rehabilitation.

• Vietnam adopted the Ordinance on Disabled Persons in 1998 which is protective and supportive of the rights of and opportunities for people with disabilities. More recently the government has begun to address the problem of accessibility in the built environment. The Vietnam Education Law of 1998, in the tradition of Education for All, is supportive of education for disabled children. However, Vietnam does not have a law that provides a framework for the education of children with disabilities. While a number of ministries are involved with issues related to disability, there is not yet a coordinating body across these ministries that would mobilize national parent, education, health, rehabilitation, construction and other supports for the Inclusive Education effort. Similarly, professional capacity in special education and related services is limited and whatever the existing capacity, it appears to be somewhat concentrated in special schools. Although there are many general pedagogical training schools and a number of medical schools, higher education in Vietnam is challenged to develop the capacity to educate people who can deliver special education and related diagnostics, therapies, speech and audiological services and assistive technology to support Inclusive Education as well as architects and software experts who can handle accessibility.

• The Ministry of Education and Training has an independent research arm called the National Institute for Educational Services that has a special education unit. This unit is involved in the development, testing and use of materials and in-service for teachers and children with disabilities in an Inclusive Education framework. Emphasis is on a community-based model. The government is beginning to internalize Inclusive Education using its research arm to develop necessary materials, training and curricula. However, many international NGOs are very active in Inclusive Education in Vietnam. The Disability Community is networked and a Disability Forum meets in Hanoi. The Forum staff and a number of members are people with disabilities. NGOs such as Radda Barnen (Save the Children) are members of the Forum. Some of NGOs have been involved in the development of community-based models of education for children with disabilities for a decade or more. NGOs are doing pilots and demonstrations, providing technical assistance, testing curricula and training teachers as well working with parents and commune leaders.

• Like so many school systems, schools in Vietnam are struggling with large classes and small budgets. Therefore, Inclusive Education is sometime viewed as an additional burden. Reminiscent of responses of school personnel in other countries, some head masters/mistresses seemed to embrace the idea while others clearly felt that they could not implement the policy without more support. Of the nine schools visited in and around Hanoi, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon, two were special schools and seven were inclusive. Inclusion in Vietnam seems to involve integration of a single disability group into a school. These groups are blindness/low vision, deafness/hard of hearing and mental retardation. Although mobility is the largest disability group for children in Vietnam, children who use wheelchairs were not present in classes that I visited. Barriers may include availability of educational supports, assistive technology and accessible built environment, professional support and attitudes. Special schools had more materials and equipment, but one of the model schools for the deaf and hard of hearing did not have equipment to test hearing. At one special school, groups of parents and children were meeting together with school personnel to learn about early intervention. There are perhaps two audiologists in Vietnam and perhaps an equal number of sign language interpreters; apparently, the first book of Vietnamese signs was piloted this year.

• Like most countries, attitudes about disability in Vietnam range from enlightened to backward. While Vietnam has a deep cultural commitment to education, there appears to be a lingering predisposition in some people to explain disability as the result of a wrong act by an ancestor. Therefore, children may be kept from school because of feelings of shame among family members.

• During the later part of the 1980s, Vietnam developed some community based rehabilitation programs in two provinces. The children with disabilities could receive education in general education schools. Some of these children could even receive education in mainstream classrooms if they did not cause problems for the teachers.

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