Reflections on 2012

Reflections
Wishing the Special Education Sector and its allies a great 2013!
In 2012 the Unit held two (3) management meetings/training and mini interactive story telling sessions with the Special Education schools. But  most of the  Unit’s work was  either sponsored or co –sponsored another agency.
Partnerships and collaborations
The SEN Unit was able to carry out some coaching sessions with the special schools in partnership with Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO). Offer school based intervention training at St Barnabas Special School with support from the Peace Corps Response Volunteer Program. fifty five  (55)teachers were trained in special education practices through a partnership with  the Continuous Professional Development program. We did some diagnostic assessment to indentify students’ learning challenges and develop a simple yet effective intervention strategy for them to practice. This was done in collaboration with the Schools Welfare Division and the Literacy Unit.

Invitations
The Nursery and Primary departments invited the unit to facilitate sessions in their cluster trainings. The sessions were on Autism, visional disabilities, sign language and identifying disabilities and possible interventions for each.
The Deputy Chief Education Officer -Administration invited us to present a special education plan for each region based on the Education Strategic Plan at the quarterly Regional Officers meetings.

Susan Steinberg, Janice O'Neill, Mahanie Gheerow and Karen Hall represented the SEN Unit in facilitating training in Region 9. In each session these areas were covered- motor skills, reading, autism, individual education plan and special needs sensitization- the primary and nursery schools teachers in Lethem, Moco Moca and St Ignacious  participated in the training. On the last day we visited the Speech Therapy Department at Lethem Hospital and held an information session there with teachers and health care workers.

The HIV/AIDS Education Department carried out some monitoring and evaluation sessions in special schools to assess if the draft HIV/AIDS curriculum was being used in the schools. Later in the year Ms. Karen Hall, the subject specialist, held a session with peer educators on simplifying content to meet the needs of all students.

Others
In partnership with UNICEF the Ministry of Education is exploring a workable means in data collection so as to build a national database of students with disabilities; and the Office of Minister of Education hosted some public conversations/consultations on the Special Education Policy and the Education Fair theme was “transforming Guyana through Inclusive Education" the Unit hosted booths showcasing special education materials at both the Inclusive education Expo and the Literacy Showcase.

Child Link Guyana invited the Unit to host a training session on dyslexia, autism and good classroom practices.

The Unit staff wrote the background paper for the First Lady to develop her speech to present at the UN on Autism. We held meeting with NGOs and other interested persons throughout the year.

Mira Howard, a past VSO volunteer is seeking to twin Sophia Special school with a similar school in the UK. The schools heads are now in constant dialogue via Email. Thank you Mira

The Unit on behalf of the Ministry would like to thank all the, departments, organizations, local and overseas volunteers who worked in special education in 2012 with your assistance the Unit had a very successful year.

                                                  Thank you

A Commentary-Inclusive Education as it applies to the child with special needs

The Education moth 2012 theme is 'transformation the nation through Inclusive education'. As the Subject Specialist, Special Education I would like to  highlight what  this year’s theme means for the children with disabilities or with a learning needs or both? We all have some basic conception of what that term means.  It serves as a reminder to us to put the term in perspective through the provision of appropriate and effective services at varying levels specific to children with these needs. The inclusion process is more than a slogan; it is a philosophy that demands a paradigm shift in thinking where we ask and answer the question “ how can we build an inclusive education system that benefits every child?”  Since as a country we are still evolving,  it places us in an opportune position to set a task force whose goal it  is to examine the inclusive practices already in existence and to tailor them to the local structures. It also demands that we attach funding to needs.  Additionally we need to revise the communication structure throughout the layers in the Ministryof Education, a necessary task to enable us to achieve the national goal of delivering quality education to all our children. Some ways we could work to find a holistic approach to successfully meet the needs of our children with disabilities are to waiver the teacher allocation to schools with children identified as having learning needs and allow in classrooms, when it is necessary, para- professionals such as interpreters. The goal of any education system is to provide basic primary education that would grant children a future, enabling them to function within their abilities. Some economically sound executions of the inclusive process for children with learning needs are:

1. Automatic supports within the school system – the Districts’ education personnel are cognizant of a child with needs in specific schools because the communication process from placement to headteacher operates to benefit the child. 2. Inclusive education is placing the student at the centre of education and other support services. It’s emphatically supporting the children with an “eye” on their future.

Janice O’Neill a volunteer from Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO) has spent a year in Guyana coaching teachers in Primary and Special Schools. Janice has become a friend to the Special education Unit. We will fondly remember her pleasant and gregarious personality. Professionally she has contributed to building the professional acumen and confidence of trained teachers who were practicing principles of good teaching but were unsure they were on the correct path. On behalf of the students, teachers and Special Education Unit I say heartfelt thank you to Janice and wish her great achievements in her forward journey.

In the quarter Jan-March 2012 the SEN Unit

1. Welcomed a New PCRV Susan Steinberg who will be working at St Barbarnas
2. Assessed 14 children referred from mainstream school for evaluation for a disability
3. Prepared national assessment forms for mainstream primary schools
4. Carried out 15 Coaching sessions in Special Schools
5. Completed the module on Autism
6. Monitoring visited SEN schools
7. 2 Headteachers training on curriculum adaptation and teaching reading to students with learning disabilities
8.  SEN schools participated in Mash celebrations Congrats to NA Special School and Sophia Special School who won prizes

Generic materials put to educational use

The SEN Unit hosted a series of workshops in 2011. In April 2011 the unit hosted the teaching materials workshop where the participants were parents and teachers. They hailed from Regions 3, 4,6,10 and Georgetown.

The participants made teaching aids from generic materials such as rice, flour, boxes, newspapers etcetera.

Items made were:

• White board slates
• Beans/rice bag
• The hidden answer plaque
• Sewing cards
• Matching/rhythm dominoes
• Paper Mache
• Play dough

Thank you and Farewell to our PC Volunteers

In 2011 the Special Education Unit in collaboration with Peace Corps Guyana recruited two short term response volunteers. Allen Neece March - November 2011 and Jocelyn Freidman March -September 2011. Jocelyn was attached to the Sophia Special School carrying out school based intervention in behavioural management. Allen was attached to the David Rose Special School carrying out school based intervention in deaf education.

The Unit would like to thank both volunteers for the work they have done in order to boost the local special education program. We thank you and wish you well.

April 28th and 29th Workshop

On April 28th and 29th, the SEN unit hosted a "How to make teaching aids by using grass roots materials" workshop. Twenty Five people participated in the workshop with representatives from Regions 4,6,10 and Georgetown.

The workstations included information on:

Learning games, Learning dominoes, Paper Mache, Skills dice, Hidden pair charts, Rice bags, Picture timetables, Puzzles, Play dough and Tactile letters

Additional Presentations were given on HIV/AIDs and Autism and Pictures Communication System.

The outcomes of the workshop included:

1.       Teachers and parents received materials to prepare at least one activity to assist a child with a disability.

2.       Participants formed a parent/teachers networking group