ARE SCHOOL TEACHERS (PRESCHOOL AND PRIMARY) OPEN TO THE THOUGHT OF INTEGRATING DIFFERENTLY-ABLED CHILDREN IN THEIR CLASSROOM? - OPINION REGARDING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Differently-abled children in inclusive education differs from previously held notions of ‘integration’ or ‘mainstreaming’ which was largely concerned with disability and special educational needs. It implied learners ‘changing’ or becoming ‘ready for’ or ‘deserving of’ accommodation by the mainstream. The benefits of Inclusive Education have been documented by a number of researchers. Inclusive education is about the child’s right to participate in regular education and the school’s duty to accept the child. Dearth of research in the opinion of school teachers (preschool and primary) in the Indian context served as an impetus for the current research. The objective of the study was to elicit from the school teachers (preschool and primary) the challenges faced and strategies to overcome regarding integrating differentlyabled children in their classroom. The sample consisted of consisted of 20 teachers (11 at the preschool and 9 at the primary school level). Research employed a multi-method (face-to-face in-depth interview, observation and examination of records) was design. Results revealed that, challenges and strategies indicated by school teachers were categorized in relation to (i) schools, (ii) teachers, (iii) differently-abled students (children with special needs), (iv) parents of students with special needs, (v) regular /normal children and (vi) parents of regular/normal children. A majority of the participants (60%) stated that lack of infrastructure and facilities, such as classroom size, modified toilets, ramps, etc were major challenges for school, while half Abstract SRJIS/BIMONTHLY/ REGE K & ARANJO P (432-445) JULY-AUG, 2015, VOL-3/19 www.srjis.com Page 433 of them (50%) said that it was a balancing act of catering to different levels of children, the huge class size, the time restraint, their lack of training for teachers made it difficult to understand the child with disability and lastly dealing with the apprehension of the parents of normal students often leads to isolation, low self-esteem and even depression. A large majority of the participants (75%) indicated that normal/regular children find it difficult to adjust to the child with disability, misunderstanding them, pitying them and sometimes even being afraid of them and their behaviour and needs. Teacher’s judgment about children with disabilities could have a significant influence on children’s emotional, social and intellectual development. Since general educator’s willingness to include students with disabilities in their classroom is critical to the success of inclusion, a number of researchers have stressed the importance of understanding teacher’s attitudes and beliefs towards inclusion