My brother was diagnosed with intellectual disability and dyspraxia at a very young age. I won’t go into the specifics of his diagnosis, but I will say that my brother’s disability is not cause for pity. As a family, we can confidently say that we do all that we can to help him reach his full potential without coddling him or limiting his experience of reality. But, we do need help, especially when it comes to my brother’s higher education—help that proper legislation and initiatives from the private sector can provide.
The struggle to find appropriate schooling—whether primary, secondary, or tertiary—for individuals on the persons with special needs (PWSNs) spectrum is an experience that many special education (SPED) families are familiar with, but this shouldn’t be the case. SPED students and their right to education must be safeguarded as much as anyone else’s, yet lacking legislation and initiatives from the private sector point to an urgent need to bring SPED back into the discussion after decades of being pushed aside.
In terms of legislation, perhaps we can begin by revisiting the late Miriam Defensor Santiago’s proposed Special Education Act of 2008, which still remains at the Committee Level to this very day. Santiago’s proposal covers the basics: A clear understanding of PWSNs “distinctive circumstances,” the need for “greater commitment” to fulfill their educational needs, and the minimum requirements of “a trained staff,” and “budgetary support for the establishment of [SPED] centers,” among others.
Still, Santiago doesn’t extend SPED beyond secondary education. This is where the private sector can come in to broaden the advocacy. For instance, as a premier educational institution, Ateneo stands at a prime position to provide more SPED avenues for basic education and college-level PWSN students. Ateneo’s 160th anniversary and the gradual implementation of the AMDG 2030 also presents an opportune moment for the University to explore the possibility of a SPED arm for PWSNs who need specialized conditions, curricula, and facilities for their educational growth and eventual mainstream integration. Perhaps Ateneo’s initiative may even be the spark that lights the fire, inspiring other universities to look into more SPED avenues for PWSNs as well.
I acknowledge that SPED legislation and initiatives may be difficult and costly given the many considerations that have to be taken into account. Perhaps it will take decades to see concrete change, but this only means that we have to start sooner rather than later—alternative entrance exams, SPED modules, special classes, and pull-out programs are only some of the initiatives universities can begin to explore.
My brother is now 17-years-old. He dreams of going to Ateneo for college, watching the Ateneo Football Team play live, and eating in JSEC (God knows why). His chances of passing and surviving any college without SPED considerations are slim, but we’ll still do all that we can to make that happen. All that we ask is for others, especially those in power and those who have the means, to do the same.
