Special Education

The toxic effects of the post industrialization period is manifested in a number of social evils , the lead being disability or retardation of various sorts among children, a genetic disorder most potently prevalent among the Japanese after the Second World War. The aftermath of man’s action resulted in increasing number of disabled children which led to the discovery of Special Education.

Special education is an instruction code that is customized and tailored to accommodate the needs and demands of the students with special needs, such as physical, mental or psychological retardation, slow learning, autism, children suffering from the Down’s syndrome et al.

The evolution of the theory of special education and its practice in society underwent a major change with Wolf Wolfensberger's theory of Normalisation which states that all people with special needs have the right to lead "normal" lives. Their normal human rights encompass rights such as right to family living, right to elementary education, right to employment etc. The ideals and goals set down by the theory of Normalization paved the way for a global reformation in the field of special education with special emphasis being laid on a more progressive seat of learning being set up for this particular section of society

The 1960’s saw a major decline in the theory of normalization which was contended by the eugenic theory. The exponents of the eugenic theory believed that educating the disabled sections of society would however decelerate the growth of society as a whole. This theory however does not hold good since a welfare society can only be formed by the contentment of the maximum number of people which would be impossible without imparting special education to the needy.

The modern vision reinforces trust in the fact that all children are capable of learning notwithstanding the kind of medical diagnosis they undergo. This reaffirms the faith in special education with a greater intensity.