| Inclusive Schools: A Comprehensive Approach to Inclusive Education.
Dr. B. Punani, ICEVI West Asia & Blind People’s Association (Ahmedabad), India.
blinabad1@bsnl.in
Residential education began in South Asia in 1887. However, a true beginning of integrated education (IE) in Gujarat was made in 1981 with 11 children with support from an external donor. The Government of India lent support to this initiative in 1986 by giving a grant of US $ 1,200 for 8 children with visual impairment. Currently, this small sum has increased to an allocation of US $ 1.0 million. Hence, in Gujarat today, there are more than 125,000 children with disabilities studying under the Education for All campaign with full support from the government. This paper discusses some of the factors that have contributed to this success, while noting that Gujarat already has 3 dedicated inclusive schools serving as regular schools with focus on educational needs of children with disabilities. The hope is that by maintaining this momentum, soon every regular school will become inclusive and every children with disabilities will access appropriate education in Gujarat to begin with and India as a whole in the coming years.
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