Services for young children with disabilities in China’s rural area: a case study

• Published in: Journal for multicultural education 2020-04, Vol.14 (1), p.33-44
• Main Author: Pang, Yanhui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic Accommodations (Disabilities); Age; Case studies; Cataracts; Children with disabilities; Compulsory education; Curriculum Design; Deafness; Disability; Early childhood education; Early intervention; Educational Legislation; Educational Quality; Elementary schools; Elementary Secondary Education; Enrollments; Families & family life; Foreign Countries; Grade 1; Hearing loss; Orphanages; Parent Teacher Cooperation; Peer Relationship; People with disabilities; Poliomyelitis; Preschool education; Professionals; Public schools; Rehabilitation; Rural Areas; School districts; Social support; Special Education; Students; Students with Disabilities; Surgery; Teacher Qualifications; Teachers; Visual aids; Young Children
• ISSN: 2053-535X; 2053-5368
• DOI: 10.1108/JME-05-2019-0042

Purpose Recently with increased legislative support and evidence-based studies on the importance of education for children with disabilities in China, special education programs and intervention and rehabilitation services have received more and more attention. There are limited studies on special education programs for children with disabilities located in China’s rural areas. This paper aims to select one special education program in China’s northeast rural area with a special focus on its curriculum design, accommodative services and teacher qualifications. Recommendations were provided on how to modify the curriculum to meet each child’s special needs, increase social interaction among children, increase teacher qualifications and improve teacher family collaboration. Design/methodology/approach The participating program serves orphans and children with disabilities between 6 and 18 years old and provides them 9-year free education, along with free textbooks, uniforms, food and boarding. Currently, there are approximately 100 students and 40 teachers, one director and one nurse. The teacher/staff and student ratio is 1:3. Data were collected through classroom observation and interviews. Afterward, the interview data were transcribed. Data were analyzed following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step approach. The researcher reviewed the collected data, then coded the data and reviewed, refined and revised the codes, and finally themes and sub-themes were identified with quotations that support each theme/sub-theme. Findings The identified themes are accommodations, education plan and curriculum and teacher qualifications. Accommodations include, but are not limited to, visual and hearing aids. National unity textbooks were adopted, along with national syllabus objectives, as a guideline for instruction and evaluation of child progress. Teachers also adjust curriculum-based students’ individual needs. All teachers hold an associate degree in special education, and those who teach specials hold a higher degree in the specialty area. Given that there is no speech language pathologist, physical therapist, or occupational therapist, teachers with rich working experiences in the related field serve as special professionals. Research limitations/implications The current research reports the program design, accommodations for children with disabilities, curriculum and syllabus, parent/guardian role and teacher qualifications in the selected school. Given that the