Enhancing Sri Lanka's proposal for differently-abled children through inclusive education

THE Sri Lankan Government recently announced an initiative to establish day centres for differently abled children, providing a supportive environment where they can spend the day and return home in the afternoon. These centres aim to ease the burden on parents, enabling them to focus on their daily responsibilities while ensuring their children are cared for and engaged. While this proposal is a commendable step forward, it presents an opportunity for further expansion through the introduction of inclusive education, inspired by the successful Inclusion Support Assistant (ISA) program implemented in Australia's Northern Territory.

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With firsthand experience as the program manager for ISA at the Department of Education in the Northern Territory during 2008-2009, I witnessed how impactful this initiative was in transforming the lives of differently-abled children and their families. This article explores how Sri Lanka's proposal can evolve into an inclusive education program, integrating differently-abled children into mainstream schools while providing specialised support.

The Northern Territory's ISA program: A success story

The Inclusion Support Assistant (ISA) program demonstrated the transformative power of inclusive education. By employing specialised educators to work alongside regular teachers in mainstream classrooms, the program ensured that differently abled students received tailored support while participating in a collaborative learning environment. Its success was evident in several areas:

Improved learning outcomes: Differently-abled students excelled academically and socially, gaining confidence and skills to navigate their world. Empowered educators: Regular teachers benefited from the expertise of ISAs, gaining insights and strategies to support all students effectively.

Inclusive school communities: Schools became spaces of diversity and understanding, fostering empathy and reducing stigma.

As someone deeply involved in the program's implementation, I witnessed the positive impact not only on the differently-abled children but also on their peers and educators, creating a ripple effect of inclusion across school communities.