Inclusive Education of the Deaf in Hong Kong

Transcription

1 Inclusive Education of the Deaf in Hong Kong Mr. MAK Hoi Wah, Asst. Prof., CityU, & Mr. YAU Tat Yan, Deaf Education & Parental Support Project Officer, HKAD

2 Inclusive Education Special Education / Special schools for children with disabilities before 80 s Mainstreaming started in 70 s - placing students with special educational needs (SEN) in ordinary or mainstream schools; Integrated education policy to fit SEN students into existing schools Inclusive education equipping school environment to fit the needs of SEN students

3 Integrated education Started as special classes and special programmes in ordinary schools for SEN Whole school approach (WSA) in 1999 to include all children in mainstream schools regardless of their individual difficulties and differences EOC Code of Practice on Education (2001) to ensure PwD have equal opportunities in access to, and meaningful participation in local education SEN covers Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD), Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD),Emotional and Behaviour Difficulties (EBD), Communication Difficulties (CD), Hearing Impairment (HI), Intellectual Disabilities (ID) Physical Disabilities (PD), Special Learning Difficulties (SLD), and Visual Impairment (VI).

4 Principles in Promoting IE Early identification starting from Primary 1; SEN students increase from 17,600 (08/09) to 28,600 (11/12) Early intervention provide Learning Support Grants & School-based Education Psychology Service (SBEPS) to schools (e.g. HI -2 hearing aids and replacement in 3 years) Whole School Approach 3-Tier Intervention Model; Tier 1 basic resources for mild learning difficulties, Tier 2 add on intervention and after-school remedial programmes, Tier 3 intensive individualized support for severe learning difficulties Home-school cooperation Parent Guide on WSA to engage and educate parents Cross-sector collaboration promote professional exchange, enhance effective support to SEN students

5 People with Disabilities in HK Census & Statistics Dept s Special Topic Report No. 48 on People with Disabilities and Chronic Diseases (2008): Restriction on bodily movement (187,800, 2.7%) Seeing difficulty (122,600, 1.8%) Hearing difficulty (92,200, 1.3%) Speech difficulty (28,400, 0.4%) Mental illness/mood disorder (86,600, 1.3%) Autism (3,800, 0.1%) Special Learning Disability (9,900, 0.1%) AD/HD (5,500, 0.1%) Totaling 361,300 (5.2 ) Intellectual disability (67,000-87,000, %)

6 Education of the Deaf There were 4 special schools for the Deaf in 70 s Lutheran School for the Deaf with 120 student places (85 enrolled) Chun Tok School (secondary, 63 students) converted to mainstream primary school Kowloon Bay St. John Catholic primary School Norte Dame College admitting S1 students Small HI students in IVE, and post secondary schools

7 HI Students Learning Auralism or lip reading is the main media of teaching in Deaf schools Children are prevented from using sign language in class for their learning Teachers are not signers and hence do not help them sign and even punish them for signing Many HI students do not sign School starts to introduce signing in teaching with the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) in place in Total communication is to be used in teaching not necessarily emphasizing on using sign language There is no Hong Kong Sign Language yet

8 Bilingual Co-enrolment Programme Kowloon Bay Primary School collaborate with the Centre fro Sign Linguistic and Deaf Studies to run the bilingual co-enrolment programmes for HI students Whole School Approach with special class in each Form admitting 5-7 HI students Deaf signers are employed as Teaching Assistant to do signing in class and assisting school work HK Association of the Deaf provide after-school programmes for children and Mutual Aid-Group for Parents

9 Benefits of Programme WSA with parents involvement to provide a conducive learning environment for HI and other students Signers helped HI students to learn and socialize, making their academic achievement at par with other students Other students can acquire sign language and make friends with HI students Parents more receptive of Hi students After-school programmes and counselling support to HI students and parents help to use and respect sign language Promotion to Secondary school together ensure smooth transition

10 Programme by HKAD Sign interpretation and Sign language courses Mental Health & Peer Support for HI Deaf students academic support programme Community inclusion education programmes Audiology screening and speech therapy HI Parents mutual aid Group and sign language course

11 HKAD programmes

12

13 CRPD UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was in place in 2008 and China has been one of the signatory to make its first report in It provided an opportunity for local DPOs and NGOs to lobby for policy and legislation changes Over 24 organizations come together to form the HKCRPD (HK Coalition for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities)

14 IDA Workshops International Disabilities Alliance organised workshop to engage local disabled persons organizations (DPO) to prepare submission to the UN CRPD Committee on the first China, HK & Macau Report in 2012

15 HK Coalition for the Rights of PwD 1st Step Association Alliance for Patients Mutual Help Organizations Amity Mutual Support Society Chosen Power (People First Hong Kong) Democratic Party of Hong Kong Forthright Caucus Grand Alliance of Parents for the Rights of Persons with Special Educational Needs Hong Kong Association of the Deaf Heep Hong Parents Association Hong Kong Guide Dogs Association Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor Hong Kong Neuro-Muscular Disease Association

16 HKCRPD

17 CRPD

18 Changes afterwards for HI Government formed the Committee on the Promotion of Sign Language NGO & DPOs form together to agree on the format of sign language courses Accreditation of Sign Language Interpreter training Use of sign language in Legislative Council Promoting a Hong Kong Sign Language Government support on using sign language in deaf school Promote sign language news and announcement

19 References LegCo (2012). Progress of Implementing Integrated Education in Ordinary Schools and the Way Forward. EOC (2012). Study on Equal learning Opportunities for Students with disabilities under the Integrated Education System.