Unit 14

E1

People who have a special need disability means that they have a physical or mental impairment that has a long term effects on their ability to do the normal and same things as other people. There are a number of ‘models’ of disability which have been defined over the last few years. The two most frequently mentioned are the ‘social’ and the ‘medical’ models of disability.

Medical Model of disability looks at disabled people as a problem. For example if a child couldn’t get into the setting the medical model would say that it was the wheelchair that could not get into the building rather than the setting being a problem itself. Children should be cared for because they are not independent therefore they depend on others. Medical Model suggests that children should live in the same society as others. Disability is a heartbreaking fatal fact that leaves the person with little chance of a normal life. However, Medical Model of disability impacts upon practice as illegal and discrimination, it can even be classes as labelling children.
I believe that social model of disability are views that people have on disabled people, they are generally created by people without a disability. The social model of disability focus is that it is society that disables people. They see everything to be designed to fit the needs of the majority of people who are not disabled. The social model tries to reduce the disabling barriers and take it as the responsibility of the society for doing this rather than blaming it on the disabled person.

I also think The Disability Acts are tools to help to improve the answer of society to disability. However, it is not their fault that they have some sort of impairment and need specialist help in order for them to be treated. Personally I feel that people who have a disability it does not make them any less suitable for society because it is just in other people’s minds to discriminate against people who are different. It effects on the people who have a disability this could be, visual impairment, Autism, Dyslexia, Hearing impairment etc. it has a huge impact on children who get upset and get discriminated against this could cause them to feel fear of what other people are going to say.. Social Model is about children being inclusion and being challenged.

E2
Special educational needs and disability act 2001 is a law that reforms the code of practice for SEN (special education needs). It strengthens the rights of the parents and children to access mainstream education. It extends the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) and gives additional rights to disabled children and adults in colleges and universities.
The main features of the code are SEN children have more rights to be educated in the mainstream school, LEAs are required to give advice and information to parents, settings have a duty to tell parents when they are making special educational provision for their child and schools and nurseries have the right to request a statutory assessment of a child.
To be able to offer the child a different type of teaching method and strategy you have to be sure that the child really needs this. Teachers and schools may start to notice difficulties in children and become concerned. Noticing little progress in the child and emotional or communicational problems could give you the knowledge that this child needs help or extra support or even a different approach to how they work.
Schools have a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) and teachers will involve the family or parent and make sure that everything they do to help support the child is run past them. They will have to collect information about the child to make sure that they know exactly how to work with the child and around the problems. The SENCO will assess the child frequently and will make an individual education plan for them.
Ways to help the child can be trying different learning materials, using special equipment, involving or start to do group work, having individual support, training different staff to work closely with the child so that child always has someone and could possibly have support from the local authority.
Outside specialists may be asked to come in and look at the child’s reviews and records and may suggest other ways to help. They look at what targets are set and whether or not they have been achieved. The specialist may develop a different plan for this child. The child’s teacher will be responsible that this is included in their plan.

E3
Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to progress in schools than most children of the same age. Children with SEN may need extra support in a number of areas such as schoolwork, communication and understanding other people, personal behaviour and overcoming barriers caused by sensory or physical disabilities. For most children this will be within the school, but for some we may identify a need for them to have additional support outside the school.
Making sure that all students are included?
Provide children and families with a welcome and make an approach that you will support them both. It may be the case that the child is starting or returning to a mainstream school from a special school. Make sure that everything is accessible for the child and change anything that you can to help the child to access it. Treat them equally and make sure you note their progress and what they are capable of doing so that when you plan you can challenge them to do something more or can work around this to plan something you know they are able to achieve.
All schools have an educational needs co-coordinator, who manage and provide additional and different arrangements to address identified special educational needs. There are staff available who are trained to address literacy and numeracy skill development and identified special educational needs. Some primary schools provide a dedicated sanctuary delivering nurture / emotional support. Secondary schools have a school counselor to provide counseling to students and staff, and support emotionally literate management of troubled students. Learning Support Units in secondary schools provide short-term programmers addressing emotional and social development
“Education, Sport & Culture (ESC) aims to provide equal opportunities to all pupils so that all children can access education regardless of their circumstances.” http://www.gov.je/Education/Schools/Sen/Pages/WhatSupportAvailable.aspx