Special Education

There are various special education schools set up across the country to help students with their disabilities. Special teachers are appointed for the schools to understand and help the students in learning better. Special Schools have different and unique ways of educating students by which they can grasp what is being taught easily. Some normal schools also dedicate extra time for their students where they have counselling sessions where they can understand if any student is differently-abled and needs help. At present, there are about 3,000 special schools for disabled kids across the country. 900 institutions are for the hearing impaired children, about 400 are for the visually impaired, 1000 schools are for the mentally retarded and the remaining 700 schools are for children with other types of disabilities. Around 40% of disabilities of any of the particular types is a standard level for identification and for admission in such special schools.Some colleges/universities allow students on the basis of merit for admission, while some conduct entrance examinations for the same.

To be eligible for Special Education, a child must have one of the following disabilities:·       Communication Disorder ( Speech & Language)·       Mental Retardation·       Specific Learning Disability (Dyslexia, Dysgraphia)·       Deaf and Blindness·       Visually Impaired·       Autism Spectrum Disorder·       Orthopaedic Impairment·       Traumatic Brain Injury·       Emotional Disturbance·       Hearing Impaired·       Other Health Impaired

Colleges in India offering B.Ed in Special EducationJamia Millia Islamia, Delhi: B.Ed in Special Education with emphasis on Inclusive EducationLady Shri Ram College, Delhi Books and Literature B.Ed Special EducationFor Special Education and Inclusive EducationTata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai: B.Ed in spl. education;RIE (Regional Institute of Education), Mysore - RIE, B.Ed in Special Ed with major as well as minor focus on different disabilitiesSri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai - An all-encompassing curriculum for B.Ed in Special EducationVisit individual college websites for further information about admission requirements and course offerings.

Some good and recognised colleges in India that offer D. Ed in Special Education with special reference to Learning Disabilities are as follows. 1. National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID), Secunderabad 2. Netaji Subhash Open University, Kolkata- This university offers distance education in special education with options in visual impairment, mental retardation, and the hearing impaired. It means that after interview and examinations, students are offered a direct admission by the university they are applying for, which undertakes to administer entrance examination to all applicants before admitting them into the university.  3. Sanskriti University, Mathura: Some of the taught courses include special education where certain specialised areas of teaching such as for the hearing impaired, the learning disabled among others are taught. The curriculum is therefore organized in a manner that nurtures skills for teaching and rehabilitation of the differently-abled children.  4. Durgabai Deshmukh College of Special Education, New Delhi- This college is run by the Blind Relief Association and the main focus of this college is to produce teachers of the visually impaired children. The college is RCI approved and the courses given cover all aspects of training for the beauty industry. 5. Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi: Specializations ranging from the hearing and visually impaired, the intellectually disabled among other areas of specialisation can be studied at BHU in both undergraduate and post graduate levels of study.  6. Amity University- Amity University functions under the University Grants Commission and it offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs in special education and integrated programme as well. 

Both the courses are designed to provide comprehensive knowledge to educators in a way that they can handle the diverse educational needs of children with disabilities. To understand the key differences between the two, refer to the table below:FeaturesB.Ed Special EducationD.Ed Special EducationQualification LevelBachelor's DegreeDiplomaFocus Special Education (All levels)Special Education (All levels)Curriculum In-depth knowledge of disabilities, IEPs, assistive technologies, adapted teachingCombines general special education knowledge with elementary educationEligibility Bachelor's degree in any discipline, some prefer education-related fieldsClass 12th completion with minimum marksCareer Paths Special Education Teacher in various settings, Rehabilitation SpecialistSpecial Education Teacher in elementary schools, Resource Room Specialist