Amid preparations for the opening of classes, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to ensure that learners with disabilities continue to receive access to therapies and other health care and rehabilitation services on August 6.
“While DepEd preparations are underway to provide learning modules to learners with disabilities, a comprehensive mapping and action plan are needed so that allied medical professionals, including speech, physical, and occupational therapists can keep providing services to these learners,” Gatchalian said.
“Bringing these therapists and health care professionals to the homes of learners with disabilities — while strictly observing health and safety protocols — is one way to deliver the much-needed therapies and support services,” he added.
In mapping out access to therapies and other healthcare and rehabilitation services, the chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts, and Culture said DepEd should work closely with local government units (LGUs) who should be tapped to provide transportation, the Canadian Inquirer reported.
Gatchalian made the call after noting the marked decrease in the number of learners with disabilities who enrolled for the upcoming school year.
Based on records from the DepEd, there were 231,631 learners with disabilities enrolled in self-contained classes or those who were not part of regular classrooms in 2018.
