Special challenge for public schools

• Last Updated: May 07. 2009 1:23AM UAE / May 6. 2009 9:23PM GMT

‘Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.” That truism was voiced by Helen Keller, a deaf and blind woman who overcame her disabilities to become one of the most respected figures of the 20th century, a companion of presidents and champion of social causes.

As UAE government schools prepare to enrol more than 2,700 special needs pupils in the next school term, it is with the hope that these young people too will realise their full potential.

It is an ambitious step both for pupils and schools. The special education debate weighs the need to socialise disabled and otherwise challenged children in a mainstream environment with the specialised instruction they require.

It is a fallacy to believe that an educational system can save money by simply pushing these children into regular classes with their peers; without special instruction and care the children won’t have access to the education they deserve and, in some cases, the class may be disrupted as a whole.

In that light the plan to offer additional training, assistant instructors, special equipment and other support for the new enrollees could determine the success or failure of the pilot project.

The complexity of the mission is exemplified by the unique needs of the children, whose disabilities range from deafness and blindness, autism and other physical and mental issues.

The education initiative can be seen in the context of a recent, much needed, local movement to address the diversity of these issues, exemplified by a recent Emirates Foundation grant to special needs institutions and the growing sensitivity to the subject.

But at root the welfare of these children, like any others, depends on the care and attention they receive in the family.

Ms Keller had learnt more than 60 “home signs” by the age of seven to communicate with her family, the initial vocabulary of a woman who would become an accomplished author.

With the proper support from families and the best efforts of schools, we shall see these children shine, no longer defined by their disabilities but by the contributions they can make to society.