ANGELES CITY — Pampanga 1st District Rep. Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. wants to strengthen the implementation of RA 11650 (Instituting a Policy of Inclusion and Services for Learners with Disabilities in Support of Inclusive Education Act) through the establishment of Specialized Inclusive Education (SPED) Service Units in all cities and municipalities for learners who are hearing-, vision-, or speech-impaired.
Under House Bill No. 8310, filed by Lazatin on March 5, the Department of Education, in collaboration with local government units, shall establish SPED Service Units in cities and municipalities as part of, co-located with, or operationally-linked to Inclusive Learning Resource Centers (ILRCs) established under RA 11650.
The SPED Service Units shall assist the DepEd and the ILRCs in providing special and quality education support services; assisting covered learners enrolled in regular schools, or those who have left school programs, in their transition to independent living, vocational training and competitive employment; and providing hubs and/or satellite facilities that are architecturally and programmatically designed according to the needs of the covered learners.
“Despite the enactment of RA 11650, implementation gaps remain in ensuring that services are readily available to learners who are sensory impaired, particularly at the local level where specialized personnel, assistive technology, and accessible facilities may be limited,” Lazatin said.
DepEd data for School Year 2016-2017 show that 232,975 learners with disabilities or learning exceptionalities were being mainstreamed into regular classes. Of these cases, 19,535 were diagnosed with visual impairment, 13,365 with hearing impairment, and 6,568 with speech or language impairment.
“Providing quality education to Filipino learners is already very challenging, but making quality education inclusive would definitely test our commitment to this goal,” Lazatin said.
Throughout his years in public service, Lazatin has remained a champion of inclusive policies. Team Lazatin Media
