Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday urged the Department of Education to ensure the continued education of learners with disabilities or special needs in the roll-out of its Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) for school year 2020-2021. The senator said addressing the needs of these learners would prevent them from dropping out.
While DepEd is set to utilize alternative learning delivery modalities such as online learning, radio, television, and printed packets for learners without gadgets and connectivity during this time of the pandemic, Gatchalian said that these should also be available in formats that are conducive to learners with disabilities.
Printed learning packets, for example, can be made available in braille or as audiobooks for visually impaired learners, Gatchalian said. Sign language interpreters should also be tapped for television-based instruction, he added.
Under the Filipino Sign Language (FSL) Act (Republic Act 11106), which Gatchalian co-authored, government, schools, and media are mandated to use FSL when relating to the deaf in the Philippines. The FSL Act also requires news and public affairs programs to have FSL interpreter Insets.
Gatchalian added that DepEd should work with local government units (LGUs) to ensure that learners with disabilities have access to health care services and therapies. He emphasized that the input of health professionals, including developmental pediatricians, is important in the formulation of individualized education plans (IEP), which identifies the learners' academic goals and how they can be achieved.