LEARNING CENTER

Designing a barrier-free environment for the disabled

I. Introduction

I.I

Background of the study

General Statement
Historical Citations
How the problem came into being
Why and how the study was chosen
W

I.2

Statement of the problem

Basic importance of the study that promotes research.

Indicate its timeliness
Research problem must be clear and concise
Statements can be descriptive or inquisitive

The biggest school which integrates students with disabilities in regular classes is the
Ramon Magsaysay High School Manila. However, due to the schools student population of
more than 6,000, it is hard for the disabled students to be more productive because the
regular students are more given importance. Also, the need to develop a better environment
for the disabled which is part of the law, Batasang Pambansa 344 or the accessibility law, is
not being implemented in the school, making it difficult for the handicapped to function well.

I.3

How can inclusive design affect the productivity of the disabled students?

Significance of the Study

Outstanding aspects of proposal

Must give credence to the main contribution which is Architecture
Magnify picture of its importance
The studys main significance is

I.4

Goal and Objective of the study

1.4.1

Goal of the study

The goal of the proposed development is to integrate the learning centre

while being treated and rehabilitated

It is also an experiment to merge the learning pedagogy of autistic children with the idea of a
community-based rehabilitation programme to create a better learning environment for the
children
I.4.2

Objectives of the study

To create an atmosphere in which community development can be strengthened by

stimulating environments through which communities will creatively learn, work, and
solve problems together through reciprocal cultural and educational exchanges and

projects; and

I.5

Scope and Delimitations

Scope- works extent or coverage

Delimitations are choices made by the researcher which should be mentioned.
Examples:

A researcher chooses to look only at female volleyball players.

The researcher chooses EMG to analyze electrical activity.

Zoning the entire community for an autistic child, the proposed development would contain a
residential colony, a school, therapy area for the child and a medical centre.

I.6

Justification of the Study

What is the potential value of the study?

To whom the results of the study will be important, in what way and how?
Examples:

"Given the absence of research on the effects of menstrual cycle on ACL injuries this
type of research is important."
The centre

II. SURVEY OF RELATED LITERATURE

RMHS: The state of Manilas biggest special education high school
by MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL and YVETTE B. MORALES

When she walked into her first day of teaching back in 2007, Leah Reyes was rendered
speechless.

It was not because all eyes were on her as the new substitute teacher. Rather, not all of the
students in the classroom could see.

Reyes had been assigned to teach mathematics at the Ramon Magsaysay High School Manila
(RMHS), which integrates students with disabilities in regular classes where most students have
none.

Fresh from college, she had not been trained to teach highly visual subjects like geometry and
trigonometry to students who are blind or with low vision.

I did not know anything, she said.

I thought the letter A was written as is. Turns out, there is only one dot, she added, recalling
her struggle in comprehending Braille handwritings.

To adapt to her new job, one of her first adjustments was relying on senses other than sight to
get her lessons across.

I just made my voice loud enough as I read what was written on the board, she said.
In eight years, Reyes, now 29, would become a multi-awarded special education (SPED)
implementer, fulfilling her calling on that day in 2007.

But those years were filled with more demanding adjustments. To accommodate the needs of
her students, she had had to improvise teaching materials on her own, sometimes using her
personal funds because of limited resources from the school.

She would have to do more of the same as another school year begins. Her story, and more
broadly, the sad state of special education in RMHS, carries special significance for all students
with disabilities in the country.

Manila has only three high schools for SPED learners.

RMHS, which last school year had 49 students with special needs, is the biggest of the three.

The combined efforts of Reyes and the now-retired Caja provide signs of hope for inclusive
education in the country. Still, their efforts are not enough if other teachers are not willing to
make adjustments in mainstreaming students with disabilities.
Sisters Czarinah and Camille Mercado, alumnae of RMHS, both have visual disabilities. Both
also experienced exclusion and discrimination during their high school years.

Discrimination is not the only challenge students with disabilities face at RMHS. The
inaccessible environment also poses dangers to their physical safety.

Because the school has adopted a mainstreamed, that is, integrated setup, students with
visual disabilities also have to transfer rooms and sometimes even floors to get to their next
classes.

They are usually guided by sighted students through the school corridors, but not all remember
to help.
Being inclusive, said Bing Baquir of NCDA Sub-Committee on Built Environment, is not only
about mainstreaming students to regular sections.

When you say full inclusion, it means the student should also be independent, she said.

This is easier said than done at RMHS, where even the most basic facilities such as
handrails, which are supposed to guide students through corridors on their own, are
rendered unusable because they are broken or dirty.

Some handrails have lost their wooden covering so she would rather not hold on to them
anymore, Camille said.
Perhaps most ironic is the SPED resource room itself, which is on the second floor of an RMHS
building. It would remain there in the near future because students had already gotten used to
its location.

Manalo said one other consideration for keeping the room in the second floor is the schools
susceptibility to flooding. Situated along Espana Boulevard, the surroundings of RMHS are
easily flooded even during light to moderate rains.

But the law is very clear on accessibility requirements for persons with disabilities (PWDs).

Republic Act 7277, or the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities, requires government
institutions to comply with reasonable accommodation of those with disabilities. This includes
proper modification of facilities and equipment.

Batas Pambansa 344 or the Accessibility Law, meanwhile, requires schools to install barrierfree facilities and features such as stairs, walkways, doors and entrance, washrooms and
toilets, handrails, parking areas, floor finishes, ramps and seating accommodations, among
others.

Clearly, RMHS fails to meet the standards set by these laws. And it is not alone in this
regard.

Government offices and institutions, instead of being models of accessibility, are even the top
violators of BP 344, said Baquir of the NCDA.

Despite all the information dissemination (and) the advocacy, people are still unaware of what
BP 344 is and why it is needed, she said.

But oversight is not an acceptable reason for the noncompliance with the law, Baquir said.

That excuse has already been used a lot of times. If you go through the law, can you still say
you have overlooked it? she said. Unless we change our mindset and take PWDs into
consideration, nothing will happen because they will always be left out.

Accessibility features can even be installed through the use of indigenous materials, she said.
For example, in NCDAs non-handicapping environment project in New Lucena, Iloilo, coco
lumber was used for ramps and bamboo for handrails.

More than a year ago, RMHS made an attempt at providing accessible facilities through the
installation of a ramp, low door knobs and wide corridors in the schools new building, which
was intended for the Home Economics department. Yet the old accessibility challenges remain.

As another school year begins, the job of adjusting and accommodating students with
disabilities again falls squarely on the shoulders of teachers like Leah Reyes. And in the
absence of accessible facilities, she is not the only one doing the adjusting.

We also teach the students to adjust, she said, because we cannot always provide the best
for them.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/501078/news/specialreports/rmhs-the-state-ofmanila-s-biggest-special-education-high-school

Barrier free design

The Center for Universal Design would go on, under Maces leadership, to develop and refine a
set of seven principles or criteria against which designs could be judged:
1 Equitable use the design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities.
2 Flexibility in use the design accommodates a wide range of individual 2 preferences and
abilities.
3 Simple and intuitive to use use of the design is easy to understand, regardless
of the users experience, knowledge, language skill or current concentration level.
4 Perceptible information the design communicates necessary information
effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the users sensory
abilities.
5 Tolerance for error the design minimises hazards and the adverse
consequences of accidental or unintended actions.
6 Low physical effort the design can be used efficiently and effectively with a 6 minimum of
fatigue.
7 Size and space for approach and use appropriate size and space is provided 7 for
approach, reach, manipulation and use regardless of users body size,
posture or mobility.

DepEd reassures special education centers of continued subsidy

Tags: Department of Education
The Department of Education (DepEd) assured continued subsidy for some 276 Special
Education (SPED) Centers for children with special learning needs.

DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro said this is the third year the DepEd is providing financial
subsidy to SPED Centers, including P115 million for this year.

These efforts are geared towards creating an environment for inclusive education. It also aims
to open all the avenues of learning to all kinds of learners," Luistro said in a news release.

He said the subsidies will be proportionate to the number of enrollees and the exceptionalities
being served in a particular center.

The DepEd said the Philippines is one of the signatories to the United Nations-initiated
Millennium Development Goals having universal education by 2015 as one of the goals.

Thirty percent of the amount will be used for pupil development activities, training, educational
visits, camp activities, sports, and pupil participation in SPED-related activities.

Another 25 percent will be earmarked for the procurement of assistive technology devices like:
Perkins Brailler
Braille display
speech synthesizer
canes
magnifiers
writing slate and stylus
abacus
Job Access with Speech program (JAWS)
computers
sports
musical instruments
speech trainers
vestibular balls
sensory integration materials
early stimulation devices
adapted PE apparatuses
sewing machines
stoves
cook wares
carpentry tools for the work centers/transition program.

Another 25 percent will be used for the procurement of instructional and reference materials,
psychological tests, early intervention materials and science manipulative materials.

The remaining 20 percent is alloted for:

the professional development of teachers and school heads,
travel expenses for activities related to the program,
training of classroom parent aides, and
contracting the services of allied personnel such as psychologists, occupational, physical,
speech and behavioral therapists.
- VVP, GMA News

House OKs bills establishing centers for gifted kids, disabled children
The House of Representatives has approved two measures seeking to establish local centers
for children with disabilities and children in need of special education (SPED).

A total of 197 lawmakers voted to pass House Bills 6547 and 6509 on Thursday night, before
the lower chamber went on a two-week break.

House Bill 6547 provides for the establishment of a SPED center for each school division in the
country to serve as a resource and support center for children who are mentally gifted, mentally
retarded or those with autism.

The measure requires the Department of Education to provide these centers with SPED
teachers, social workers and an educational psychologist.

House Bill 6509 requires each city and municipality to have a rehabilitation center for children
and youth with disabilities.

Under the proposed legislation, these rehabilitation centers shall provide them with physical
therapy, regular counseling and self-development training.

Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy, vice-chairperson of the House

committee on childrens welfare, welcomed the passage of these measures, saying they will
help in the development of the countrys youth.

These two bills underscore how important it is for government to help guarantee a better future
for young PWDs who are often denied access to good education and physical rehabilitation,
she said in a statement on Sunday. BM, GMA News