Historical Foundation of Special Education
in the Philippines
TIMELINE
1902 The interest to educate Filipino children with disabilities was
expressed through Mr. Fred Atkinson, the General
Superintendent of Education.
`1907 Special Education was formally started in the country by
establishing the Insular School for the Deaf and Blind in Manila.
Currently as School for the Deaf and Blind.
1926 The Philippine Association for the Deaf and Blind was founded.
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1945 The National Orthopedic Hospital School for the Crippled
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Children and Youth is established.
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1949 Quezon City Science High School was inaugurated for gifted
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1950 PAD opened a school for the children with hearing impairment.
1953 The Elshie Gaches Village was established in Alabang to take
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care of the abandoned and orphaned children and youth with
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physical and mental handicaps.
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1954 The first week of August was declaredas Sight Saving Week.
1956 Special classes for the deaf in regular class were implemented.
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1957 The bureau of Public Schools of the Department of Educationand
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Culture created the Special Education Section of the Special
Subjects and Service Education.
1958 The American Foundation for Overseas Blind opened its regional
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office in Manila.
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1960 Some private collage and universities started to offer special
education courses on graduate school curriculum.
1962 The Manila Youth Rehabilitation Center was opened.
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1963 With the approval of R.A. no. 3562, the training of DEC teacher
scholars for blind children started at the Philippine Normal
University.
1965 Marked the start of training programs for school administrators
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on the supervision of special classes held at UP.
1967 The Bureau of Public Schools organized the National Committee
on special education.
1969 Classes for socially maladjusted children were organized at the
manila Youth Reception Center
1970 Training of teacher for Children with behavior problems started at
the University of the Philippines.
1971 DECS issued a memorandum on Duties of the Special Education
Teachers for the blind.
1973 The juvenile and domestic Relations Court of Manila established
the Tahanan special School for the socially maladjusted children
and youth.
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1974 The First National Conference in the Rehabilitation of the
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Disabled was held at the Social Security Building.
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1975 The Division of Manila City Schools implemented the Silahis
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Concept of Special Education in public elementary schools.
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1977 ME C issued Department Order No. 10 that designated regional
and division supervisors of special education programs.
1978 Marked the creation of the National Commission Concerning
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Disabled Persons later renamed as the National Council for the
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Welfare of Disabled Persons.
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1979 The Bureau of Elementary Education Special Education unit
conducted a two-year nationwide survey if unidentified
exceptional children who were in school.
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1980 The School for the Crippled Children at the Southern island
hospital in Cebu city was organized/
1983 Batas Pambansa Bilang 344, enacted the Accessibility law, an
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act to enhance the nobility of the disabled person by requiring
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cars, building, institutions, establishments and public utilities to
install facilities and other.
1990 The Philippine institute for the Deaf, and Oral school for children
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with hearing impairment was established.
1991 The first national congress on street children was held in La Salle
Green Hills in San Juan, Metro Manila.
1992 The summer training for teacher of the Visually impaired started
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at the Philippine National University.
1993 DECS issued the order number 14 that directed regional officers
to organize the regional Special Education Council
1995 The summer training for teachers of the hearing impaired was
held at PNU.
1996 Third week of January was declared as Autism Consciousness
Week.
1997. The first wheelaton-a-race for wheelchair users was the main
event on the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation
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1998 DECS order number 5 ‘Reclassification of Regular teacher and
principal items to SPED teachers and special school items.
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1999 DECS order No. 33 ‘Implementation of administrative order no.
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101 directing the Department of Public Works and Highways, the
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DECS and the CHED to provide architectural facilities or
structural feature for disabled persons in all state college,
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1. Philosophical Foundation of Special Education.
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3.1 Basic Philosophy of Special Education. Every child with special
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needs has a right to an educational program that is suitable to his needs.
Special education shares with regular education basic responsibilities of
the educational system to fulfill the right of the child to develop his full
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potential.
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3.2. All the efforts to uphold the rights and dignity of children with
disabilities primarily root from the philosophical understanding of man.
May it be in mental, psychological, social, spiritual/moral and physical.
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Some of these are: should have the rights as normal children do, must not
be isolated nor be looked down, must be treated as persons of dignity, and
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needs should be provided.
3.3 Objective of Special Education. To develop the maximum potential
of the child with special needs to enable him to become self-reliant and
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shall be geared towards providing him with the opportunities for a full and
happy life.
3.4 Specific Objective of Special Education. The development and
maximization of learning competencies, as well as the inculcation of values
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to make the learners with special needs as useful and effective members
of society.
3.5 Ultimate Goal of Special Education. The integration or
mainstreaming of learners with special needs into the regular school
system and eventually into the community.
2. Legal foundations of Special Education in the Philippines
Special Education in the Philippines is anchored on the following legal
documents.
Disability Legislation from the National Council on Disability Affairs
(Formerly National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons)
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1935 Commonwealth Act No. 3203, a provision in this act for the care and
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protection of disabled children. Articles 356 and 259 of the Civil Code of the
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Philippines mention ‘the right of every child to live in an atmosphere
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conclusive to his physical, moral and intellectual development’, and the
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concomitant duty of the government to ‘promote the full growth of the
faculties of every child.
1954 RA 1179 - An Act to Provide for the Promotion of Vocational Rehabilitation
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of the Blind and Other Handicapped Persons and Their Return to Civil
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Employment
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1963 RA 3562 - An Act to Promote the Education of the Blind in the Philippines
1965 RA 4564 - An Act Authorizing the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to
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Hold Annually Special Sweepstakes Race for The Exclusive Use of the
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Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Social Welfare Administration, in its
Development and Expansion Program for the Physically Disabled
Throughout the Philippines
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1969 RA 5250 - An Act Establishing A Ten-Year Training Program for Teachers of
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Special and Exceptional Children in the Philippines and Authorizing the
Appropriation of Funds Thereof
1989 RA 6759 - An Act Declaring August One of each Year as White Cane Safety
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Day in the Philippines and for Other Purposes
1991 RA 7277 - An Act Providing for the Rehabilitation, Self-Development and
Self-Reliance of Disabled Persons and their Integration into the
Mainstream of Society and for Other Purposes
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Executive Orders (EO)
1987 EO 232 - Providing for the Structural and Functional Reorganization of the
National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons and for other
Purposes
1993 EO 385 - Creating a Task Force to Address the Concerns of the Persons
with Disabilities
2005 EO 417 - Directing the Implementation of the Economic Independence
Program for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)
2005 EO 437 - Encouraging the Implementation of Community-Based
Rehabilitation (CBR) for Persons with Disabilities in the Philippines
Administrative Orders (AO)
2002 AO 35 - Directing all Departments, Bureaus, Government-Owned and/or
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Controlled Corporations, Government Financial Institutions, Local
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Government Units, State Universities/Colleges and Schools, and Other
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Government/Instrumentalities to Promote and Conduct Relevant Activities
During the Annual Observance of the National Disability Prevention and
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Rehabilitation Week
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Proclamations
1965 Proclamation 465 - Declaring the Last Week of February of Every Year as
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Leprosy Control Week
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1974 Proclamation 603 - Child and Youth Welfare Code
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1975 Proclamation 1385 - Designating the Period from February 14 to 20, 1975,
and Every Year Thereafter, as “Retarded Children’s Week”
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1979 Proclamation 1870 - Declaring the Third Week of July every Year as the
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National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week
1991 Proclamation 829 - Declaring the Period from November 10-16 of Every
Year as “Deaf Awareness Week”
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1993 Proclamation 125 - Proclaiming the Nationwide Observance in the
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Philippine of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002
1994 Proclamation 452 - Declaring the Second Week of October of Every Year
as National Mental Health Week
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1996 Proclamation 711 - Declaring the Third Week of January as Autism
Consciousness Week
2000 Proclamation 361 - Declaring the Third Week of July as the National
Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week which shall Culminate on the
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Birthdates of the Sublime Paralytic: Apolinario Mabini on July 23 Each Year
2001 Proclamation 92 - Declaring the Third Week of August of Every Year as
Brain Attack Awareness Week
2002 Proclamation 157 - Declaring the Month of February as “National Down
Syndrome Consciousness Month”
2002 Proclamation 240 - Declaring the Period from the Year 2003 to the Year
2012 as the Philippine Decade for Persons with Disabilities
2002 Proclamation 230 - Declaring the First Week of September of Every Year
as the “National Epilepsy Awareness Week”
2003 Proclamation 472 - Declaring the Third Week of October of Every Year as
“National Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) Awareness
Week”
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2004 Proclamation 588 - Declaring the Period from September 16 to 22, 2004
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and Every Year thereafter as Cerebral Palsy Awareness and Protection
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Week
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2004 Proclamation 657 - Declaring the Year 2000-2010 as the “Bone and Joint
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Decade”
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2004 Proclamation 658 - Declaring the Third Week of October of Every Year as
“Bone and Joint (Musculo-Skeletal) Awareness Week”
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2004 Proclamation 744 - Declaring the Last Monday of March of Every Year as
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Women with Disabilities Day
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2006 Proclamation 1157 - Declaring December 3, 2006 and Every Year
Thereafter as “International Day of Persons with Disabilities in the
Philippines”
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