AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE BEST TEACHING STRATEGY TO TEACH STUDENTS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT ( EDUCATION PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS)
CHAPTER ONE
- INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Education is the best gift any parent can give to their child, education is the best legacy they say and all children even those with physical impairment has the right to full education just like every other normal child in the world (Adewale 2016, ). Education is an undeniable right of every human that nowadays is explicitly stated in numerous international documents and local legislative papers of many countries; however, this right has not always been declared for all, especially for the individuals with special needs. A visible movement towards constructing more just and inclusive societies started from the middle of the 20th century, uniting different nations around these concepts.
The right to education was acknowledged as the universal human right and found its legal place in the “Declaration of Humans Rights” (1948), followed by other international documents and agreements (Kokkala, 2006, p. 5). Ultimately, the ‘right to education’ as a notion has become more extensive. Inclusion of individuals with special needs in education can be considered in a broader context of education for all (EFA) that currently is a global millennium goal. Inclusive education is proposed to be the main principle for the realization of universal human right to education (Eklindh & Brule-Balescut, 2006, p. 32). According to Richler (2004, as cited in Kokkala, 2006), “rights, research and resources all point to inclusive education as the only way to guarantee that children and youth with disabilities receive a quality education, and thus that EFA targets are met” (p.10). Being a quality indicator, inclusive education is based on the recognition of and response to the diverse needs of learners, provision of quality education for all through appropriate curricula, individually adapted education and teaching strategies, necessary organizational arrangements and resources
(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, 1994). Nowadays many countries have incorporated international declarations and conventions supporting inclusive education into the national laws; however, the change in legislation is not the only factor enabling inclusion. A dilemma is how to make education accessible and individually suitable for the whole diversity of learners in a practical – classroom level as “moving towards inclusion is not simply about conceptual changes, but rather about process that couple theoretical changes with legislative and practical changes at the classroom level” (Eklindh & Brule-Balescut, 2006, p. 24).
