REGISTRATION START

CRE Status Applied for

NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON LERANING TOGETHER- INCLUSIVE SCHOOLING

Date:2ndNovember to 4thNovember 2017

Timings:09:00 A.M to 05:00 P.M

Venue; NDMC Convention Centre, Connaught Place, New Delhi-110001

Organizers

National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (NIEPMD)

Dept. of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD)

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of India

Centre for Disability Studies and Action (CDSA), School of Social Work of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

Brotherhood, Delhi

Supported by:

The Cradle, New Delhi We Care Film festival, New

Delhi

Conference Chairperson

Prof. N.K. Jangira,

Formerly Professor Head- Teacher Education and Special Education, NCERT

Senior Education Specialist, World Bank

Consultant, UNESCO and Heading SIEDI Team

Conference Advisor

Dr.Himangshu Das

Director, NIEPMD, Chennai, TN

Dr.SrilathaJuvva

Professor, Centre for Disability Studies and Action, School of Social Work

TISS, Mumbai

Background

Inclusive education is based on the premise that all students can learn together in regular schools. They have equal opportunity for education in schools for all. These schools can meet educational needs of all students irrespective of their social, economic, ethnic, linguistic and religious background. It implies that schools will have to meet the challenges responding to diverse educational needs of students.

Equal education opportunity envisages barrier-free access and participation in school activities. Besides physical access, equal education opportunity for access to curriculum is ensured for all learners. Curriculum and associated assessment are directed to success of all students according to their potential. Every learner matters and matters equally. Undoubtedly, this requires teachers trained to meet diverse educational needs. Regular teachers take responsibility for learning and play of students with disabilities - cognitive, sensory and learning impairment. They are supported by specialized services as and when required. Additional resources are needed to make inclusive education functional in regular schools. Whenever special schools and/or resource centres are available, they need to be involved in supporting inclusive schooling. Mutual institutional support will benefit both.

Overlooking the journey of segregated hospital care to special schooling, the focus in this document is on the millennium goal of inclusive education. Inclusive education has graduated to Sustainable Devolvement Goal–4 (SDG-4). In UNESCO July 2017 document visioning 2030 goals, the inclusive education has been qualified by equitable quality education and promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all. It requires understanding learners’ diversities as opportunities in order to enhance and enriching learning.

Government policies have evolved to be responsive to inclusive education. Since 1990s, the seeds could be traced to the National Policy of Education (NPE) and Programme of Action 1986 and 1992 supported by Salamanca Declaration 1994. The Right to Education Act 2009 and the Rights of Persons with Disability Act 2016 (RPD Act) further reinforced the government policy. The policy is based on the expectation that children who learn together learn to live together.

Surveys and research studies conducted by different agencies and scholars indicate that education of all students with disabilities is not progressing fast enough to achieve the goal of education for all in near future.The government and NGOs are voicing this concern and making joint efforts to accelerate the pace of moving towards realizing the SDG-4.

The Government of India is eager to accelerate the pace of education of students with disabilities and accessibility to educational resources. The focus is visible in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 & its notification dated 15 June 2017 and the vision document - Three Year Action Agenda (2017-18 to 2019-20) of NitiAayog, Government of India.

Quality Indicators

In India, guidelines are issued by various government agencies to meet the educational needs of students with disabilities. Every child has the right to equitable quality education. Guidelines provide us knowledge –how can we give quality education to students with disabilities in a regular classroom along with students without disability. In India indicators of quality inclusive education are not defined specifically. It is necessary to define these.

In July 2011, a team of professionals was formed to prepare Quality Indicators for Inclusive Schooling of students with disabilities under Prof. N K Jangira. The group was supported by Brotherhood; Centre for Disability Studies and Action; Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and National Accreditation Board of Education and Training a constituent Board of Quality Council of India.

The indicators have been developed through extensive interaction with stakeholders and observation of the school and classroom practices of regular schools, both Government and Private. The practices are based on the guidelines issued by various Government Department such as Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development; NCERT, NUEPA, the office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD); CPWD and accreditation agencies such as CBSE, ICSE and International Baccalaureate organization. Inputs were also obtained from experts in inclusive/special education, regular teachers, special educators, counsellors, rehabilitation professionals, parents of students with disabilities who made significant contribution to this exercise.

Quality Indicators have been classified into sixteen areas. Each area is depends on the strength of the other. The categories are all equally important because no one factor in isolation can bring about an inclusive school culture.

  1. School Management Committee
  2. Leadership
  3. Role of SMC defined in the school manual
  4. School environment
  5. Responsibility and authority
  6. Admission policy
  7. Collaborative Planning Meeting
  8. Inclusive Curriculum
  9. Instructional practices
  10. Assessmentand Evaluation
  11. Individual Student Supports
  12. Parents and Family support
  13. Staff Development
  14. Health and Safety
  15. Medical Facilities
  16. Canteen

It is hoped that these indicators will provide guidelines to practitioners as well as managers of inclusive education. These will also be helpful for preparing prospective teachers, teacher educators and researchers involved in enriching the area of inclusive education.

The quality indicators can be used as

1) a rating scale with which schools can assess their current status implementing inclusive education practices;

2) to initiate discussions among school personnel to identify priorities for school improvement;

3) a framework to guide programme planning;

4) a planning process to delineate and assess progress toward achieving specific goals to expand inclusive schooling.

Quality Indicators are most effectively used in conjunction with a self-assessment process that helps to measure the current levels of implementation and guide movement forward toward targeted practices. These indicators are designed to be a technical assistance tool, not a monitoring device.

The process of self-assessment generates management information about the overall quality, which is used to develop goals, objectives and a set of targeted actions to drive improvement in inclusive practices.

Constitute School Inclusive Education Development team (SIED team)

Each school shall constitute a SIED team for inclusive schooling. Team shall comprise eight to ten members led by an administrator (e.g., Principal, Director), special educator, counsellor, regular teachers and parents of students with disabilities and rehabilitation professionals.

SIED team should be clear about what is to be accomplished. It creates welcoming culture in the school. Everyone is welcome. The overall purpose might be described as enhancing and improving learning and inclusive education practices in the school culture so that it becomes inclusive and supports the achievement of all students.

Call for Papers

The Brotherhood, Delhi and the Centre for Disability Studies and Action (CDSA), School of Social Work of TISS Mumbai are organizing jointly a National Conference on Learning Together-Inclusive Schooling from 02-04 November 2017 at NDMC Convention Centre,Connaught Place, New Delhi – 110001 from 09.00 am to 05.00 pm. The objectives and outcome of the conference are specified below:

Objectives

1. Expanding sharing community of professionals for generating effective innovative practices in inclusive schooling

2. Enhance self-belief of inclusive educational practising professionals - we can do still better.

3. Enhancing skills to use and document progress on quality inclusive schooling indicators

4. Networking professionals and institutions involved in quality inclusive schooling

Outcome

1. Motivated skilled professionals to deliver quality focussed inclusive schooling

2. Evidence based documentation report of the quality inclusive Schooling

3. Network of professionals on inclusive schooling and support professionals

4.Agenda for future sharing

Call For Papers

From experts, practitioners - Special Educators, Therapists, Rehabilitation Social Workers, Psychologists, Doctors, Regular Teachers, Parents, scholars, Teacher Educators, Rehabilitation Professionals and others engaged in education of children with disabilitiesin an inclusive setting.

The papers should focus on independent researches, evidence based practices and innovations on the following themes.

Themes

  • Role of School Management Committee and Leadership
  • Admission Policy
  • Curriculum and Assessment
  • Class Room Management
  • Class Room Practices
  • Instructional Practices
  • School Environment
  • Teacher Development
  • ICT, Assistive Technology and Assistive Devices for facilitating curriculum transactions

Abstract:

Send the abstract in 300 to 400 words with key words on any one or more than one of the above themes by 15 September 2017at

Notification: 22 September 2017

Registration, Submission of full paper and Power Point Presentation

by13 October 2017

Full paper should be focused on the selected themes only. Guidelines for the full papers will be shared on selection of abstract.

METHOD/TECHNIQUES

Presentations, discussion, demonstration of innovative practices, case study, group work, cooperative learning approach, screening of films

PUBLICATION OF BOOK

A book based on the papers and presentations will be published.The book will be available to all concerned. The book will also be used as reference and resource material for the proposed course in Inclusiveeducation and libraries. The book will be published under the supervision and guidance of Prof. N K Jangira.

Registration

Registration start:

21stAugust 2017

Last date of registration: 13thOctober 2017

Early Bird Price till 30thSeptember 2017Rs.5500/- per person

From 1stOctober 2017 to 13thOctober 2017Rs.6500/- per person for three days

After 13thOctober 2017 and on the spot registrationRs.7500/- per person for three days

Registration fee include book on Quality Indicators, kit, conference material, tea and lunch for three days, workshops on Sign Language, Braille, Access Audit and documentation of Inclusive education Practice by using Quality Indicators.

You are requested to transfer the participation fee at the following account details:

Name of the account:BROTHEHOOD

Name of the Bank:Bank of Baroda, Karol Bagh, New Delhi

Account Number:00 9701 0000 7032

RTGS/NEFT/IFSC Code:BARB0KAROLB (Fifth number from left is numeric ZERO)

For any detail contact:

Dr. Sandhya Limaye

Coordinator

Associate Professor, Center for Disability Studies and Action,

Tata Institute of Social sciences, Mumbai

Mr. Satish Kapoor

Programme Coordinator,

UN Volunteer, Recipient of Acharya VinobhaBhave National Volunteer Award, Founder Director, Brotherhood And We Care Film Festival +91 9899472065

Conference Venue, Format And Structure

Conference Venue

The conference venue NDMC Convention Centre, Connaught Place, New Delhi, is the premier venue situated in the heart of New Delhi.

Format and Structure

The National Conference programme of three days, consists of plenary sessions, presentations of papers, panel discussion, workshop and screening of award winning short films and documentaries of WE CARE Film Festival on disability issues.

Plenary Sessions

There will be two plenary sessions

Plenary Session 1:Universal Learning Design for Learning and Inclusive Schooling:

A Way Forward

Plenary Session 2:Building as Learning Aid (BaLA) for inclusive Schooling

Presentation Papers

Selected papers on various themes as mentioned before will be presented during the conference

Panel Discussions

Two panel discussions will be held on issues related to Inclusive Schooling

Workshop

Workshop will be held on documentation on inclusive education practices by using quality indicators

Committee for Drafting Outcome Document

Committee will be formed for drafting conference outcomes

FILMS ON DISABILITY ISSUES

During the workshop award winning short films and documentaries of international WE CARE Film Festival on related issues of the conference from India and other countries will be screened. Brotherhood organization founded the WE CARE Film Festival in 2003. Its founding partners are the UN Information Centre for India and Bhutan; the UNESCO and the National Trust. Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication is the Educational Partner. It has become the first and only international film festival recognized as a partner by the UNESCO as per the NEW DELHI DECLARATION adopted by UNESCO, signed by 195 member countries and 8 associate member countries in November 2015.

Dr. Sandhya Limaye

Coordinator

Associate Professor, Center for Disability Studies and Action,

Tata Institute of Social sciences, Mumbai

Mr. Satish Kapoor

Programme Coordinator,

Recipient of Acharya VinobhaBhave National Volunteer Award, Founder Director, Brotherhood And We Care Film Festival +91 9899472065