A disability child’s developmental milestones, community and education barriers

Introduction

Children with disabilities are the most marginalise and excluded group of student. Discrimination increases the disability intrinsically in nature. The aim of the assignment is to observe a disability child and find Child’s developmental milestones, community and education barriers in the child. The child’s lack of understanding and knowledge of causes and implication, difference from other, cultural view, religious view of disability fear more in personal.

World health organization explained about Disability is any restriction or lack, resulting from an impairment, of ability to perform any activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.

Hana’s lives in island

It’s a remote island, located in part of Maldives island Villingili. She is the third of six children, and her parent estimated that when she was young she is normal as like other children. But when she grown up she found the disability in reading, very large letters can be see small letters were seen blur or scattered. There is A’ level school but there are no resources for such disabled child, Hana has attend the school rarely.

A report for the Education for All Fast Track Initiative (FTI), it has been estimate the one third out of school students are disabled (Keynes, 2007).

“Hana stay and help us in the home”, explained by Hana’s father. We are not afford help for educational supporting materials to give and send to school because again we have five more children’s and it is difficult to pay attention if she go out of the house.

School and facilities

Even though school supports to provide special materials and teaching. It’s not fully satisfied to follow and manageable. Who are not know much about her they were trick to play with her, they know that she cannot see. The teasing also sometime hurts mind many time. Going to the school difficult because someone have to come to drop to school. In school, sanitation is a very changeable thing to do. The cleanness of the wash rooms are not good, special setup for disabilities are not made. Participation in classroom activities are difficult, while other do the activity mostly everyone ignores. That discrimination hurts remembers the disability and mentally disappoint.

Developmental delay

A survey report says that in Maldives 30,000 disabilities are there, government giving pension and care to the disabilities (Treasury, 2015). By though government scheme disabilities cared, however that supports are not full filled all needs. Even developed countries, concern about disabilities received significant studies and went to job and less recognitions (DeLeire, 2000). Some of disabilities plan propose but part of project explored and few are pending due to expected result not achieved.

Hana play with her brothers and sister, said her father this is the social of Hana. If any bring her to outside it’s a burden to them because she has to be watched every time. So she just plays near the house. Sometime other children don’t understand disability not her fault, so children’s make tricks on her because she cannot see. So better let her be separated from all this matter.

The development delay happens because of surrounding behavior acceptance of disability, understanding of disability are very less. There discrimination avoiding when common work place. She could not realize and practice the activities so it affect her social developmental delay. And parents used to have more than that disable kid. So their concentration about the normal kid education arrangement expenses and life future. But the idea of disabled children have to participate in community or country scale decision making that is vital to improve their lives and fulfilled the development.

Discrimination of disabled child happens in various forms. Not only because of gender, but also because of young age and disability to act like normal children sanitation of discomfort. This is called as intersectional discrimination. However, when polices and framework planned by the government and aid donors they consider as gender disability children. Most of the situation disabilities project execution are neglected because of the minor groups. Eighty percentage of disability lives are poverty, marginalization and inadequate educational opportunities (UNDP, 2003). Indeed, as Harlan and Robert (Harlan & Robert, 1998) pointed in their discussion of the Americans with Disabilities Act, “There is a great difference between passing a law and the social process that leads to actualization of the intended reform” (p. 398).

Delayed in following area

·         General health or condition

·         Anxiety/lack of confidence

·         Lack of suitable practices and opportunities

·         Fear of harassment

·         Lack of accessible transport

·         Lack of accessible information

·         Lack of personal or social care

·         Lack of special aids or equipment

·         Lack of qualifications

General health or condition of Hana is merely not good, considerable health care provide, but not fully treated well.

Anxiety/lack of confidence in all activities because of discrimination and disability of completing working shame of feelings.

Lack of suitable practices and opportunities in communities not taught any common activities than the need of the children.

Fear of harassment in all social community teases disappointed her moves were not appreciated.

Lack of accessible transport because transport state that either have to walk around or distance travel carried through boat. Without other support cannot be accessed, disabilities facilities are not added.

Lack of personal or social care happen because of demotivation of life by the surrounding.

Lack of special aids or equipment availability is minimum provided.

Lack of qualifications happen because of special school is not available, sending to special school is also expensive.

Medical and social model

A 2009 survey conducted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community reveals Islands has more violence over girls and women in the world, with 68% of girls and women experiencing physical or sexual abuse by friends or relative members. In a society women’s are treated as second citizen respect and consideration are different with little respect for their basic human rights, what chance do further marginalized and vulnerable groups have of claiming and enjoying the rights that they are born with?

Then why the government organization and donors not considering the problem as an issue and make correction on the equality, in various form of harassment violated over girls and women’s.

Donators a government work together, donators collect money from supports and with the permission of government donors help to the society. Government doesn't have any clear policies in place to develop the lives of people with disabilities. It's just not a support it give life to disabilities. UNICEF funding has to come directly from international donors; we get no funding from the government.

Therefore while donators make a critical plan to support the government need to react and make an organization and execute the plans. Instead of that government not acknowledge and responding to the action.

The society model constrains awareness of disabilities are less. The small communities the disabilities are care by only family member and community tease the person. Disabilities should be treated respectfully, this comes through the understanding of disability of the person is not their fault it happened. Awareness of disabilities over the world and types of difficulties and which are the remedial taken to make their live happy. The Millennium Development Goals includes issues like eradicating extreme poverty, fighting disease epidemics and promoting gender equality – but disabilities lives are not included.   

Insufficient social and medical environment

Having care and support on while get ready to school in everyday life such as, to get dress up, to get washed, having meals requisitely every moves have finish up. If this all are not satisfied and full filled then the ability of learn, work on the community is significantly hampered.

Almost 80 percent of disabilities are not attend school, disability discourse including that on inclusive education continues to be structured in the global North and transferred to the global South, with no much changes in to context or culture, or how this discourse is framed, applied or even barrier in practice (Grech, 2011).

Social environment are not aware the disabilities problems and percentage level over the world, understanding about their special needs and flexibilities are not accounted. The medical awareness about the disabilities are still ignored it not taken as a serious issue. Government provides many needed scheme and plan for the disabilities improvement is not known and reached to need people. Medical facilities and council required to lead their life, but small community does not have sufficient facilities to guide. So far these requirements are not considered and more expensive to facilitate.

Area to focus

After interviewing the child and the care persons some of the area to be change to get a better life for the disabilities.  

Having sufficient choice and control about the education organization have to think about the facilities in the school is enough for the disabilities or not. Considerable disable candidate to be participate in school.

Access and inclusivity have to add in the organization flexible equipment need to provide the disabilities is important.

Having their voice heard whenever they require help, it need to be noticed respond immediately.

Stigma and discrimination compounding the other challenges, many disabled people are treated unequally because of the stigma attached to their condition. It need to aware other who are work with them.

Participation and connectedness the research suggests that reduced funding and other pressures are limiting the ability of disabled people to maintain social connections.

Need change attitudes in health and social care

After observe participants who took part in the qualitative research feel very strongly that there is an urgent need for a change in the attitudes and behavior of health and social care professionals and staff, through training and education. Specially, they feel that health and social care professionals need to take more care on disabled people.

Disabilities are more empathy and sensitivity and a better understanding of the social impact of their conditions. So organisation need to take in serious and work in care of health and well structured environment.

Hana feel all difficulty because of lack of resources, medicine and transport. Facilities in school not well structurally furnished to access washroom and ground well.

Financially wellbeing

Many disabilities care taker and disabled students feel that government can establish their idea of disabilities to give well infrastructural environment. Participants also feel that there is an urgent need for a more sensitive benefits applications and assessment process that ‘treats people as people not just as minor group.

Hopeful education and employment

Disabilities hope in education and employment is not motivated so that they never feel the future with their ability to succeed. Government can give more priority to disabilities to the job in some percentage to give hope in live.

Living independently in the community

Disabilities felt that there is a need for island council and government to play a ‘regulatory’ and ‘enforcement’ role to ensure that spaces, places and transport are accessible for disabled people. Some also felt that there is a need for more support for Disabled People Organisation given that they play a valued role in enabling disabled people to establish and maintain a sense of social connectedness.

Help students as SEN teacher

Special educational need teacher vital role is to engage the student all the time in learning. Disabled students are more sensitive and emotional, the behavior of the student will be different from normal. (Jangira N K, 1991) Well infrastructure have to make the student to practice learning, learning environment can give through practical and through practicing aids. As a SEN teacher have to work with administration, disability awareness program, council. The government scheme and plan have to update regularly and use the opportunities to help the student in all needs.

Basically SEN teachers are less throughout the world, regular teachers are pulled to work on the SEN teaching because many paper work load is the reason. The infrastructure to the student such as basic need to the disability like washroom for disabilities, equipment for the special child, transporting equipment have to be facilitate.

Conclusion

Even though many organization and donor support for the disabilities live, still more than 60 percentage of student are out of school. Social attitude and medical facilities improvement can help the disabilities to live with hope in the world. The education and employment for the disabilities have to give high priority. According to Maldives inclusive education is the best way to improve the disabilities learning.

  

References

DeLeire, T. (2000). The Journal of Human Resources. The wage and employment effects of the Americans with Disabilities Act., 693-715.

Grech, S. (2011). Recolonising debates or perpetuated coloniality? Decentring the spaces of disability, development and community in the global South. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 87-100.

Harlan, S. L., & Robert. (1998). The social construction of disability in organizations: Why employers resist reasonable accommodations. Work and Occupations, 397-435.

Jangira N K, A. A. (1991). Effective Teacher Training. Delhi: National Publishing House.

Keynes, M. (2007). Education’s Missing Millions. UK: World Vision UK.

Treasury, M. o. (2015). Statistical Pocketbook of Maldives 2015. Male’: National Bureau of Statistics.

UNDP. (2003). Millennium development goals. Beirut: UNDP.