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PROGRESS REPORT ON... abuse of persons with disabilities

Sally Rogow

Professor Emerita
Faculty of Education
University of British Columbia

Recent advancements...

In the area of education of children with disabilities, there have been several significant advancements.
On the social front, there has been a great deal of progress in establishing inclusive and integrated classrooms for children and young people with disabilities. Much more remains to be done in the preparation of teachers and strategies for real inclusion, but significant progress has been made.

Programs for very young children and integrated pre-schools have become a reality.

Technology, especially in the area of augmented communication is making it possible for chidren who are unable to speak to communicate, converse, and write. Computer technology has opened the world up for people who are blind, visually impaired, or physically disabled. Braille adaptations and other writing systems have been developed.

Current issues...

Current hot topics include inclusion and integration and the controversies that surround them. Economic cutbacks are severely curtailing services.

Indiscriminate and overuse of medications and the use of drugs to control children are a source of concern and controversy.

Broad community-based support for the civil rights of people with disabilities needs to be strengthened.

Poor availability of services to children and their families living in rural areas remains an issue.

A major source of concern is the lack of awareness of the needs of children with disabilities by professionals and the absence of information in their preparation and training programs. This includes teachers, phsycians, nurses, social workers, speech therapists, etc.

Reliance on the role of government in determining and setting policies is another "hot topic" because governments and their priorities change. Policies are fragile and not always well implemented.

There is too much emphasis on medical diagnosis and assessment and too little on program development and continuity of services.

Future Directions...

There are many social and technical areas which would benefit by long term qualitative research.

Policies and program development should build strong links to the community where they are to be implemented.