‘Sana All’ Inclusive Education amid COVID-19: Challenges, Strategies, and Prospects of Special Education Teachers

Abstract

People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are confronted with diverse challenges as COVID-19 caused tremendous disruption in face-to-face educational settings. Apart from this situation, teachers are also facing difficulties in making their lessons adaptive and responsive to the educational learning needs of people with SEND. This article explores the challenges, strategies, and prospects of teachers for inclusive education during the pandemic. Using a qualitative approach, the researcher gathered data through Messenger chatbot and emails with five special education teachers in the Philippines. Findings revealed that the teachers’ experience educational apprehensions, intermittent virtual socialization, and psychological crisis. However, the teachers assisted the parents in supervising their children with disabilities' through online communication, homeschooling, parental engagement, psychological safety, and empathetic language strategies. The special education teachers also look forward to inclusivity in school policies and government-driven emergency interventions for people with developmental disabilities.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• inclusive education
• emergency remote teaching
• special education teachers
• developmental disabilities