UNDERSTANDING OF AND ATTITUDE TOWARD PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN AN ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE IN THE PHILIPPINES WITH INCLUSIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM MODEL

Inclusive education is a relatively new educationalapproach being implemented as one of the many arrays of services of special education in the Philippines. There are only a few tertiary educational institutions existing in the country that accommodate students with special educational needs. This study primarily investigated the possibilities to which inclusive education can thrive in one of the leading engineering schools in the Philippines, Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT), which offers a learner-centered approach among technical and engineering students. Findings indicate positive understanding and attitudes among 100 students and 20 teachers toward people with disabilities in engineering and technically oriented environment. The MIT administration evaluation report further revealed that while there are enormous challenges related to improving the physical attributes of the school as well as allocating the necessary budget, as far as the delivery model is concerned, emerging collaboration and strong support are in place which can be regarded as positive indicators for inclusive education to succeed.