Local Community Collaborations For Improvement of Inclusive Education

• In Event: A Voice for Deaf Children: The role of PTAs, DPOs and professionals with disabilities in inclusive education in the Philippines

Proposal

With a focus to establish a foundation for sustainability of the project’s outcomes, Gabay has developed relationships many local organizations to identify opportunities for continued funding and resources towards improvements in education access for students with disabilities and also has worked to promote harmonious, active, and collaborative engagement among teachers, parents, and the community in the implementation of school programs for learners’ welfare specifically for inclusive education. Programming to address this goal includes training on the rights of persons with disabilities, training of parents and caregivers on Filipino Sign Language, and conducting focus group discussions with parents and caregivers to understand the programmatic impact on behaviors.

This presentation will highlight key collaborative efforts towards sustainability, specifically on the establishing of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and this engagement between teachers, parents, and local communities have developed through PTAs and key accomplishments made by PTAs in Deaf education. The presentation will also highlight the relationship between Persons with Disabilities Federation and the Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (PDAO), which resulted in the Local Government Unit (LGU) in Batangas Province issuing a Local Ordinance with an allocation of at least 1 million pesos ($18,515) to be appropriated annually to education-related activities for learners with disabilities, building on Gabay programming.

Author

• Yolanda Quijano, Resources for the Blind, Inc.