Status of inclusion of children with special needs in tech based distance education
A study was conducted by the Muttha Foundation in Nov 2020 across Maharashtra to understand the roll-out of the tech-based distance education across the state during the school closures due to COVID-19. 19 Children with special needs and their parents were interviewed as a part of the study and their experiences and responses were recorded in the form of case studies. The type of disabilities in these children was diverse, for eg. Visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech disorders, cerebral palsy, etc. These disabilities ranged from mild to severe in case of both physical and mental disorders seen in the children.
In most of the observations, the online platforms used were not compatible with assistive technology used for teaching children with visual, hearing, or any other impairment. Out of the total 19 students interviewed only 4 students had access to the synchronous type of classes, while 10 students had asynchronous classes going on. 3 students were being taught by teachers in their homes. And 2 students out of the 19 were reported to have been completely left out of the online classes. This kind of distribution in online classes is similar to the distribution seen in the regular students, and no special situation was seen for the CWSN separately.
This study was conducted to understand the approach, challenges and implications of tech-based distance education for the primary school students from the government and budget private schools across Maharashtra.
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