Dr Nadera ALBorno Trends & Challenges in Teacher Education for INCLUSION 11111www.britishcouncil.ae

Contents 2 UAE Legal Basis for Special Education “School for ALL” – Teacher Preparation for Inclusion Achievements & Challenges Current trends

1.UAE Constitution (14/1996) (Welfare & social security) 2.Federal Law (29/2006) (Rights of People with Special Needs) 3.Federal Law (14/2009) (Rights of People with Disabilities) 4.Federal Law (116/2009) (Ratification of UN (CRPD)) 5.“School for All” (2010) (Special Education Programs and Services) UAE Legal Basis for Special Education

Special Education Provisions in the UAE Provisions for Students with Disabilities Ministry of Social Affairs (MSA) Federal Government (5 centres, 564 students) Local Government (13 centres, 1,288 students) Non-profitable (2 centres, 1, 743 students) Private Sector (21 centres, 1,400 students) Ministry of Education (MOE) Government Schools Special Classrooms Resource Rooms Inclusive mainstream classrooms Private Schools

“School For All” Provisions Staff Training & Development School Structures Students Placement Accommodations & Modifications Support Services Speech Therapy Occupational Therapy Educational Psychologist Physiotherapy Assistive Technology Smart boards, Braille coders, enlargement printers, special education kits, hearing impairment kit, special tables, laptop computers for CP, special pens Community Awareness

Teacher Preparation for Inclusion “School for ALL” Training Portfolio الحقيبة التدريبة General Rules for the provisions of special education/ Special Education Categories/ Evaluation & Observation/ IEP/ Behaviour Modification/ Modifications & Adaptations/ Differentiation & Class Management / LD/ Case Studies) National Cadre Program الكوادرالوطنية Sensory Impairment (Visual & Hearing) Autism / Down Syndrome Learning Disabilities / Mental Disabilities Language & Speech Disorders 6

Teacher Preparation for Inclusion Year2009 / / / / (expected) Inclusive Schools Students7,0098,0199,282 Training Portfolio الحقيبة التدريبة  28 training Centres  Every Tuesday/ Wednesday  Public School teachers / Private  2011 – All KG teachers  2013 / 2014 – 82% of teachers in all cycles National Cadre Program الكوادرالوطنية  70 teachers yearly Timeline of ‘School for All’ progress

Achievements – ‘School for ALL’ Inclusive Cultures Friendly school climate Respect & support among stakeholders Inclusive Policies Induction policy for students & parents Assessment based on IEP – Age appropriate Physical accessibility Inclusive Practices Variation in teaching strategies Collaboration with parents & community

Challenges  Quality of Training  Shortage of specialists (OT/ ST/ PT)  Limited experience of special education teachers in leading class management & teachers’ collaboration.  Parents limited involvement & fear of social stigma.

Current trends – The way forward  Advances in technology,  Mindset of the local population,  Demand for more inclusive classrooms,  Requirement for teacher certification.