PARENTS of children with disabilities sought the immediate approval of the Bicameral Committee version of the Inclusive Education Bill for Learners with Disabilities.

In a letter, they asked President Rodrigo Duterte to intervene to ensure the swift passage of the proposed law that seeks to ensure that all children with disabilities will have access to education.

The IE bill, which had the backing of the Save the Children Foundation, seeks to provide learners with disabilities access to public and private schools, support services and capacity building to students, their families/ caregivers, and teachers, including the establishment of Inclusive Learning Resource Centers that will serve as knowledge hubs.

The measure was approved on third reading in the House of Representatives in December 2020 and in the Senate last May 2021.

Jenny, a mother of a child with disability from Parañaque City, said that while all children have the right to education, not all of them have the resources and capacity to learn.

Nita, another mother of a child with disability, stressed the importance of inclusive education and support for parents to learn sign language and other skills enhancement trainings to support the needs of their children.

Through the IE bill, learners with disabilities who have not had early childhood and basic education services will receive support through the Child Find System which will identify and facilitate their inclusion in learning programs. Their parents will be provided with a support system to ensure that they can confidently aid their children’s welfare and learning at home.

“Our inclusive education Kabataang Aralin sa Lahat Ibahagi project has seen the long-lasting positive impact it can make if the parents, school, and community are provided with enough skills in supporting children with disabilities, and through the IE bill this can also be achieved for the millions of Filipino children with disabilities,” Save the Children Philippines Basic Education Advisor Sierra Mae Paraan said.