Months ago, my friend/office mate/co-blogger Faith Salazar informed me about the SPED Expo 2009 which will happen on the 1st of December 2009. A former SPED teacher herself, she truly knows the sentiments of the families of Special Children.

I’ve been getting a lot of hits from search engines and comments from my old post SPED Schools in the Philippines. I strongly recommend that you register and attend the SPED Expo 2000 with the theme “A World of Possibilities”. See the press release below:

Every child with special needs has a right to an educational program that is suitable to his/her needs. Having the right education and the right tools is crucial in ensuring that a child fully realizes his/her full potential for development, both as an individual and as a member of the society.

It is for this reason that our company, Etera Events, is initiating a Special Education Expo on December 1, 2009 at the newly renovated Glorietta Activity Center. Simultaneous to the exhibition is a Special Education forum, storytelling, games and performances by celebrities.

The Special Education Expo 2009 is the first fair on special education to be held in the country. With the theme “A World of Possibilities”, this event aims to bring together parents of special children, special education schools, therapy centers, toy manufacturers, suppliers of special tools and equipment, specialized food sellers, book publishers, and other SPED industry practitioners like teachers, doctors, therapists, among others.

The goal of the event is to create awareness on the needs of special children and provide options for these individuals to ensure they live a happy and normal life.

By contributing to make this event happen, you are helping improve the quality of life and dignity of more than 5.4 million Filipinos who are in need of special education products, equipments and services. Proceeds for the said event will be given to Support and Empower Abused Deaf Children, a non-profit organization dedicated at defending the rights of deaf children who are victims of sexual abuse and maltreatment.

One of the event’s major sponsors, World Vision, will be bringing celebrity endorsers to do intermission numbers, storytelling and other activities.

You can confirm your attendance through the SPED Expo 2009 Facebook page or simply register in this Google Docs spreadsheet.

Last month, I was able to attend the MEDICAL FESTIVAL 2008 by Super Olympics, an international organization created by the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation for the benefit of persons with Intellectual Disabilities. The event took place last September 12, 2008 at SM Mall of Asia – SMX. Approximately, more than a thousand special children participated the event.

I went there as a one of the representatives of the Ike and Nena Belo Foundation. I was assigned to bring with me Rochelle Pangilinan (Eat Bulaga, Daisy Siete) and Valerie Concepcion (Wowowee, Banana Split).

When I first entered the hall, I saw a variety of faces of different people with intellectual disabilities. Some of the, brought there moms and nannies with them. They also came from different families with different financial status.

When Rochelle Pangilinan came in, a lot of people went to her. I remember this little kid who did the “spagetti” dance infront of her (that dance step was popularized five years ago!). It only means that the kid is an avid viewer of Eat Bulaga.

A lot approached her asked for photo-ops and autograph. You can really see the genuine smile from their faces. Rochelle, on the other hand, entertained them by posing with them and signing autographs in the kid’s ID’s for the event.

After thirty minutes, Valerie Concepcion arrived. It is a known fact that she is a mom herself, that’s why she was really touched when she saw these two bubbly kids.

We all know that majority of the viewers of noontime shows like Eat!Bulaga and Wowowee are the individuals whose families are in the poverty line. Most of them try their luck in joining contests and raffles. Some of them are even willing to risk their lives just to get easy money by dancing or doing some embarassing stuff.

A lot of people might ask “Eh bakit ba sila asa ng asa sa mga palabas na yan? Bakit di sila magbalat ng buto?“.
With the alarming status of our country’s economy, a lot of companies are firing their employees not because they are not competent, but because they don’t have enough money to pay the salaries of their workers.

What if you have a relative who is considered as a special child?

Months ago, I wrote an entry about the current situation of the SPED schools in the Philippines which also served as my contribution to the Filipino Voices blog.

Thank God for organizations such as Special Olympics for exerting an effort to make the parents of the kids, especially the poor ones happy even just for a day.

I am hoping that our government officials and staff, specially those from the Department of Education and Department of Social Welfare and Development will also exert an extra effort on this for the sake of the poor.

I hope. Someday.

I am happy to announce that a group of parents in San Fernando, Pampanga are meeting up for The First Pampanga Dialog on June 28, 2008 3:30PM at Hacienda Royale, San Fernando, Pampanga. There will be discussions about the spectrum and ways on how to reach and teach the special children. It will surely be an event that you must not miss!

** For more information, please contact the admin of Coping Autism
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Since then, it has been his routine to buy a small Philippine Flag that he can put up as a display on our dining room. We even had a centennial collectible way back that my father got from the radio station where he works and he sort of collected the items for Carlo as he would smile every time he looks at it even at the tender age of three!

Two years ago, I caught him drawing something on a paper. He drew the Philippine Flag and he started applying the necessary colors to make a simple yet special flag.

Carlo just turned eleven years old when the photo was taken. Apparently, they had an activity in school that’s why he was enthusiastic in making his own flags and even used the stick from the walis tambo as the support.

Anyway, I am writing this entry not only to share my brother’s interest in flags, but I would also like to share my thoughts on the present condition of the schools for special children here in the Philippines.

As we all know, the population of the Philippines is increasing every year. It also means that there is an increase of special children with special needs like those who have celebral pulsy, mental retardation, ADHD and autism. A lot of teaching techniques have been introduced and are being used in SPED schools, but I saw one problem here.

I remember the first time my brother was enrolled in pre-school. He was first enrolled in a normal school for little kids hoping that he would socialize with them. Unfortunately, our dear Carlo would rather play by himself in one corner as the teacher concentrates on the other kids. We had no choice that time since we don’t really know any SPED schools in Pangasinan.. until we found one a month after.

We then transferred him in a new school. This time, he had other classmates with special condition. There’s a variety of them. Luckily, all the teachers who handled Carlo were really nice. When I asked my mom how much they pay for my brother’s schooling, I was a bit overwhelmed with the amount. It is somewhat bigger than my tuition fee and if not mistaken, it’s times two times bigger.

I would usually drop by the school to check him out especially when his nanny is not there. I was able to meet some of the parents and nannies of other SPED students. You can really hear different stories: There is this one kid with mental retardation who is very much loved by her grandmother and her nanny. I never saw her parents come. There is also a kid who suffered from Celebral Pulsy. She is the eldest among three siblings and had successful parents. She kid passed away a few years ago. There is a young, handsome teen who I think is fifteen years old. I can say that the kid is lucky to have a patient yaya since his parents are not really looking after him. Thank God the families of these kids have can afford to send them to a special school.

But there is this one kid who is a year younger than my brother. He was thin, dark yet he is never fails to attend his class.

I was able to meet the parents of the kid. The father works as a messenger and has part-time jobs and the mother is a labandera. They have another son who is not going to school since they can’t afford sending two kids to school at the same time. The normal brother once told his parents that he is willing to sacrifice for one year just to give way to his brother who has special needs. Ate Virgie (Carlo’s nanny) would bring some extra food for the kid and they usually go to the park on Saturdays and Sundays.

After five years of staying in the school, we decided to enroll Carlo in another school who really focuses on Special Children. They offer one-on-one and offer therapy courses and as expected, the payment for his classes increased. I was able to contribute money from the salary I got from my first ever part-time job which was very fulfilling on my part.

As you can see, the education of special children here in the Philippines is really expensive. Before a child is enrolled, they still need to observe, assess and evaluate him as each kid has different needs. In Carlo’s case, he needs some special, occupational and therapy classes. He would only go to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and once he won’t get dressed for school by 1pm on his school day, he would throw some tantrums to express his disappointment.

A year after my father died, my mom decided to apply for a job in England. It is the only way we can earn more money for our family and at the same time residing in a country like England have a lot of benefits particularly for special children Carlo.

Presently, my brother is studying in a public school for special children somewhere in England. The government supports the tuition fee and the transportation of my brother to school. Isn’t that great? Also, he improves a lot specifically in his social skills in a short span of three months.

The main question is : What if the parents of the special child in the Philippines do not have enough money to send their kids to school?

The usual answer: Consult a Public School

Today, we usually hear news reports about the shortage of books, school supplies, classrooms and the like in public schools. What more for public SPED classes? I can imagine a worse scenario.

Another sad reality about this issue is that the kids are not really taking up lessons at all. All the teachers instruct them to do is play, sleep and eat.

I know a number of parents who would enroll their kids to normal schools despite the fact that they know that their child has special needs. Ok, you enrolled him in a reputable school and the administration gladly accepted him. Do you think he will do just fine? Do you think he can meddle easily with his classmates? Do you think he’s happy staying inside the room with all the little bullies? The answer is NO.

I am not writing this entry to make the parents of special children feel bad or to discourage you to enroll your kid in a public SPED school. I am writing this to make an appeal to the concerned individuals to also focus on SPED. The increase of children with special needs is alarmingly increasing. They have the right to education and a right to live a normal life. Parents do want the best for their children so please, work on the program that are best for these kids and follow them correctly. There may not be any cure available for their conditions now, but they can possibly improve for the better.

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