This document discusses inclusive education and teaching English to students with diverse needs and disabilities. It begins by defining inclusive education as bringing all students together in one classroom regardless of strengths or weaknesses. It discusses the principles of inclusive education, including that all children belong and have the right to be included. It also outlines the benefits of inclusion such as families' visions being realized and friendships developing. The document then discusses teaching English to students with various disabilities like learning disabilities, visual and auditory impairments, physical disabilities, and limited vocabulary. It provides characteristics and implications for each, emphasizing adapting teaching methods to individual student needs. The conclusion restates that inclusion enhances learning and academic achievement for all students.

1. ONLINE ASSIGNMENT
TOPIC:
DIVERSE NEEDS IN LANGUAGE
LEARNING – INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
UMA B.L
ENGLISH OPTIONAL
REG NO. – 16514300017
GCTE THYCAUD

2. INTRODUCTION
Inclusive Education
Today it is widely accepted that inclusion maximizes the potential of the vast majority of
students, ensures their rights, and is the preferred educational approach for the 21st century.
Unfortunately, the philosophy has not always been widely held. Our thinking and acceptance
has evolved rapidly over the last century, and continues to evolve, in response to federal and
state law, along with our changing social and political beliefs.
When compulsory public education began near the turn of the century, no public school
programs existed for students with disabilities. Schools were expected to be efficient assembly
lines, with each class of students moving from grade to grade and, eventually, graduating from
high school as productive citizens prepared to enter the workforce. Special classes, at first, did
not exist. Later, they were developed as a place for students who could not meet the standards
and keep pace with fellow classmates.
Inclusive education brings all students together in one classroom and community, regardless
of their strengths or weaknesses in any area, and seeks to maximize the potential of all students.
Inclusive education happens when children with and without disabilities participate and learn
together in the same classes. Research shows that when a child with disabilities attends classes
alongside peers who do not have disabilities, good things happen.
Inclusion is an effort to make sure that diverse learners – those with disabilities, different
languages and cultures, different homes and family lives, different interests and ways of learning
– are exposed to teaching strategies that reach them as individual learners. Inclusive schools ask

3. teachers to provide appropriate individualized supports and services to all students without the
stigmatization that comes with separation.
For a long time, children with disabilities were educated in separate classes or in separate
schools. People got used to the idea that special education meant separate education. But we now
know that when children are educated together, positive academic and social outcomes occur for
all the children involved. Simply placing children with and without disabilities together does not
produce positive outcomes. Inclusive education occurs when there is ongoing advocacy,
planning, support and commitment.
PRINCIPLES OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
These are the principles that guide quality inclusive education:
1. All children belong.
Inclusive education is based on the simple idea that every child and family is valued
equally and deserves the same opportunities and experiences. Inclusive education is about
children with disabilities – whether the disability is mild or severe, hidden or obvious –
participating in everyday activities, just like they would if their disability were not
present. It’s about building friendships, membership and having opportunities just like
everyone else.
2. All children learn in different ways.
Inclusion is about providing the help children need to learn and participate in
meaningful ways. Sometimes the help from friends or teachers works best. Other times,

4. specially designed materials or technology can help. The key is to give only as much help
as needed.
3. It is every child’s right to be included.
Inclusive education is a child’s right, not a privilege. The Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act clearly states that all children with disabilities should be
educated with non-disabled children their own age and have access to the general
education curriculum.
THE BENEFITS OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
The benefits of inclusion discussed below:
1. Families’ visions of a typical life for their children can come true.
All parents want their children to be accepted by their peers, have friends and lead “regular”
lives. Inclusive settings can make this vision a reality for many children with disabilities.
2. Children develop a positive understanding of themselves and others.
When children attend classes that reflect the similarities and differences of people in the real
world, they learn to appreciate diversity. Respect and understanding grow when children of
differing abilities and cultures play and learn together.
3. Friendships develop.
Schools are important places for children to develop friendships and learn social skills. Children
with and without disabilities learn with and from each other in inclusive classes.

5. 4. Children learn important academic skills.
In inclusive classrooms, children with and without disabilities are expected to learn to read,
write and do math. With higher expectations and good instruction children with disabilities learn
academic skills.
5. All children learn by being together.
Because the philosophy of inclusive education is aimed at helping all children learn,
everyone in the class benefits. Children learn themselves at their own pace and style
within a nurturing learning environment.

6. SPECIAL SCHOOL, INTEGRATED EDUCATION, INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
The general education system is acknowledging the fact that education of all types of
children including that of children with special needs should come under the mainstream. In
special school concept, the special education component is APART from the general education
system. In integrated approach the special education is A PART of the general education system.
Inclusive education goes a step further. In this approach the special education is an INTEGRAL
PART of the general education system.
SPECIAL SCHOOL
INTEGRATED EDUCATION INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
A PART INTEGRAL PART
APART

7. PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING ENGLISH TO STUDENTS WITH
DISABILITIES
Students with disabilities commonly share learning difficulties, such as learning how to
read and or write, processing information quickly and efficiently, as well as kinesthetic,
emotional and social difficulties that can affect their learning. The assumption is that in spite of
their difficulties in various learning domains- comprehension, abstract thinking, memory,
retrieval, attention and concentration, as well as motivation for learning- these students need to
acquire knowledge and skills in the English language and are capable of doing so.
The same principles of teaching English that appear in the English Curriculum are valid for
teaching students with disabilities. Nonetheless, language instruction to students with disabilities
is more successful and effective when the following principles, which should be the basis of all
teaching but which are especially important for teaching students with disabilities, are applied:
 Create a language –rich environment.
 Adjust teaching to the individual pace of each student.
 Offer success-oriented activities to the student.
 Plan instruction so as to include experiential activities.
 Break down the learning assignments to subtasks, in keeping with the student’s needs.
 Vary activities within the lesson and form one lesson to another.
 Provide extensive drilling, memorization and repetition of the learning material.
 Include many visual and tactile aids, such as pictures and objects while teaching.

8. Characteristics of Specific Disabilities and Implications for Learning
English
The behavioral characteristics typical of various types of disabilities, as well as their
implications for learning English is mainly necessary for English teachers who have not been
specifically trained in special education. Teachers are to adapt the material and teaching
methods to the specific needs of the individual student, taking into account the benchmarks
in the English Curriculum.
Learning Disabilities
Characteristics
A learning disability is a disorder in basic psychological processes, which manifests itself
in considerable difficulties acquiring and implementing skills of listening, speaking, reading,
writing, conceptualization and/or mathematical competence. The learning disability is
unexpected with regard to age, level of education or IQ.
A learning disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological
processes involved in learning, which in turn might pose difficulties for the learners to learn
specific items effectively. This disability may be in properly understanding ideas or in using
language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think,
speak, read, write, spell or in working out mathematical calculation. The term includes such
conditions as perceptual handicaps, brain injury and minimal brain dysfunction. At the same time
the term does not include who have learning problems which are primarily the result of visual,

9. hearing, or motor handicaps, or mental retardation, or emotional disturbance, or of
environmental, cultural or economic disadvantages.
Learning disability is a generic term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders
manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading,
writing, reasoning and mathematical abilities. These disorders are intrinsic to the individual and
presumed to be due to the dysfunction of the central nervous system.
Types of Learning Disabilities
Learning can become nightmare when there are impairments of skills in the areas of reading,
writing, calculations and motor activities among the children. The following are the common
types of learning disabilities found among children:
1. Dyslexia
It is the most common type of learning disability. Children with dyslexia have a problem
with language. This may pan out to all aspects of language such as speaking, reading and
writing. Dyslexic children usually spell words backwards or may inverse the shape of the
letter. (eg. may use ‘d’ instead of ‘b’)
2. Disgraphia
Inability of the child with learning disability to write properly is known as disgraphia.
The child may confuse the shape of the letters and may write illegibly. The child often has a
problem in spelling the word correctly, which may also be compounded by a problem in
hearing.

10. 3. Dyscalculia The child with dyscalculia has a problem with mathematics. Child shows
difficulties doing mathematical problems, understanding time, using money etc. A child
with dyscalculia may not identify the symbols like ‘+’ and ‘-’ and may be confused about
the use of numbers.
4. Dyspraxia
Problem in motor activities, which leads to difficulties in learning, is called dyspraxia.
The child is unable to co-ordinate his body movements effectively and thus has difficulty in
manipulating objects. These children have trouble in holding a pencil, buttoning a shirt, tying
shoe laces, etc.
Characteristics of Students with Learning Disability
The main characteristic reflected in all definitions of learning disability is that there is a
severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability. Besides this basic
characteristic, there are other characteristics which are common among the children with
learning disabilities. They are:
1. Delayed development of spoken language
2. Poor spatial orientation
3. Inadequate time concept
4. Difficulty in judging relationships
5. Direction – related confusion
6. Poor general motor co-ordination
7. Inattention

11. 8. Hyperactivity
9. Perceptual disorders
10. Memory disorders.
Implications
Students with learning disabilities should be expected to meet the standards of the
English Curriculum. They have been diagnosed by a psychologist or an educational specialist
and their abilities and specific areas of disability have been identified. Recommendations for
modification and required instruction have been made. It is vital that the English teacher read
the diagnosis and recommendations and apply them when teaching. It is strongly recommended
that English teachers of students with learning disabilities, whether in an integrated or a separate
class, receive appropriate training in order to be qualified to teach this student population. It is
likewise recommended that the English teacher in a regular class consult with the special
education teacher in the school or with another professional when designing the program of
studies for this student population.
VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
Totally blind or visually-impaired students require adaptation of the English Curriculum.
Those in the latter category require enlarged or bold type texts. The totally blind require the
written text in Braille. It is also important to make optimal use of auditory and kinesthetic
modalities. In addition, some students may use assistive technology, listening to books on
cassettes, special aids for written text, such as magnifying glass and closed circuit television with
a Braille screen. When adapting material, the professional teacher for the blind or the visually

12. impaired must be consulted. Once given the required modifications, these students meet the
goals of the English Curriculum, similarly to their classmates.
AUDITORY IMPAIRMENT
Deaf students and students who are hard of hearing (hearing impairment exceeding 30D
in both ears) are typically limited in their ability to acquire language aurally, even when using a
hearing aid. Wing to the auditory damage, the spoken language is only grasped in part and much
is missed. In a noisy environment, such as the average classroom, the problem is more severe, as
the noise blocks out the sounds of speech.
Aural exposure of students with auditory impairment to the English language is
extremely limited or nonexistent. Lip reading does not offer a solution, as it requires extensive
knowledge of the language, including its vocabulary and grammatical structure, which is
obviously lacking in the first stages of language acquisition. The only means of full exposure to
the language and acquiring that knowledge is through reading. Reading should therefore be
taught at the very first stages of instruction, exposing students to the vocabulary and structure of
the language as they are learning to read it. It is not possible to give these students lessons based
on listening and speaking as an instruction to reading-the procedure used for students with
normal hearing ability-as some auditory-impaired students are unable to communicate orally in a
foreign language.
In the process of teaching, additional steps should be taken:
(i) Use visual teaching aids extensively

13. (ii) Use the dictionary at all stages of learning, since hearing impairment strongly inhibits
acquisition lf vocabulary
(iii) Be in contact with the teacher for hearing-impaired/special education students for
mutual consultation
In the process of teaching, the following rules should be adhered to:
(i) Speak clearly, slowly and, if necessary, paraphrase.
(ii) Address the student directly. The student must see the teacher’s face him/her while
he/she is speaking.
(iii) Speak in a normal tone. Do not should into the student’s ear or hearing aid.
(iv) Make sure the student knows the subject of the conversation and encourage him/her
to participate.
PHYSICAL DISABILITIES
Cognitively, students who only have physical disabilities have average to above average
intelligence and their learning potential in English is age appropriate. With the appropriate
modifications these students can and do reach the benchmarks of the English Curriculum.
Students with physical disabilities can use assistive technology or other technological facilities.
The teacher must take this into consideration when planning the lesson. When the lesson
includes activities that require movement, the student or homeroom teacher should be consulted
as to the student’s capability to take part in the activity and whether special assistance is
required. In cases where there are additional disabilities, teaching should be adapted to the
nature of the specific disability.

14. LIMITED VOCABULARY
A good vocabulary is essential for acquiring the English language in all four domains. Since
the vocabulary of a considerable proportion of students with disabilities is rather limited,
 Draw awareness to foreign words in English that are in everyday use.
 Teach vocabulary in context.
 Employ multi-sensory means, e.g., pictures, objects, songs and chants.
 Drill vocabulary repeatedly by means of word games and flash cards.
 Teach word families using word maps
 Teach students to create associations that help them memorize words.

15. CONCLUSION
Inclusion is an educational approach and philosophy that provides all students with
community membership and greater opportunities for academic and social achievement.
Inclusion is about making sure that each and every student feels welcome and that their unique
needs and learning styles are attended to and valued.
Inclusive schools put the values upon which America was founded (pluralism, tolerance,
and equality) into action; they ask teachers to provide appropriate individualized supports and
services to all students without the stigmatization that comes with separation. Research shows
that most students learn and perform better when exposed to the richness of the general
education curriculum, as long as the appropriate strategies and accommodations are in place.
At no time does inclusion require the classroom curriculum, or the academic
expectations, to be watered down. On the contrary, inclusion enhances learning for students,
both with and without special needs. Students learn, and use their learning differently; the goal
is to provide all students with the instruction they need to succeed as learners and achieve high
standards, alongside their friends.

16. REFERENCE
< http://www.all-languages.org.uk/news/features/inclusive_language_learning >
< http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/languages-
in-education/languages-and-inclusive-education/ >
< http://nvpie.org/inclusive.html >
< http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/learning-disabilities />