Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

4099
House Bill No.

Introduced by Rep. LAWRENCE LEMUEL H. FORTUN

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Disability is one of the major reasons for the country’s exclusions in education. Children
with disabilities face the same dilemma of being unable to receive education because of financial
constraints and the lack of access to appropriate educational facilities. Recent data show that
52.6% of poor Filipino children and those with disabilities are not attending school while around
84% of the localities do not have Special Education (SPED) Centers. It is likewise regrettable
that access to schools, roads and transportation systems in the country are not ideal for, or friendly
to, persons with disabilities.

‘As one of the signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities, the Philippines is duty-bound to ensure that children and youth with special needs are
able to enjoy the fundamental right to education on the basis of equal opportunity and free from
any discrimination. It is mandated to provide for an inclusive education system at all levels directed
to the full development of the human potential and sense of dignity of PWDs and to empower them
to participate effectively in a free society. A core part of the Fourth Sustainable Development Goal
(SDG 4) and the 2030 Education Agenda, inclusive education is aimed at reaching out to all
learners and removing all barriers that could limit participation and achievement.

This bill aims to empower children and youth with special needs through free and
appropriate public education and related services to prepare them for adult living and enable them
to become productive members of society. It also intends to capacitate parents, caregivers, and
educators for interventions in addressing developmental disorders and disabilities and developing
positive attitudes towards disability. Among its salient provisions are the establishment of
Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers in all public school divisions, creation of the Inter-
agency Coordinating Council on Inclusive Education, implementation of a child find and referral
system, and inclusion of children with special needs in Child Development Centers.

This measure was introduced and approved on Third and Final Reading. It is/hoped that,
finally, this bill becomes a law in the 18th Congress. /

Republic of the Philippines

"UNICEF. (2018). Chiren with Disabilities: Finding the Way to an Inclusive Service Framework (Vol. 6, Policy brief). Mandaluyong. Retrieved
li

July 31,2019, from| feb inti
2 UNESCO’ - Intemational Institute for Educational Planning. (n.d). Inclusive Education, Retrieved July 30, 2019, from
Inap:/wwwriep.unesco orglen/inclusive-education


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 4099

Introduced by Rep. LAWRENCE LEMUEL H. FORTUN

AN ACT
INSTITUTING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION, ESTABLISHING INCLUSIVE
EDUCATION LEARNING RESOURCE CENTERS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH
WITH SPECIAL NEEDS (CYSNs) IN ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS DIVISIONS,
PROVIDING FOR STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS.
THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Inclusive Education for Children
and Youth with Special Needs Act.”

ARTICLE
POLICIES AND OBJECTIVES

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The following are hereby declared the policies of the
State:

(a) Protect and promote the rights of children and youth with special needs to make quality
education accessible to them;

(b) Recognize the vital role of children and youth with special needs in society, consider their
needs as integral part of national development strategies, and facilitate their active
participation and integration in public, civic and State affairs;

(c) Give full support for their welfare and development to ensure their full integration to
society;

(4) Consider the special requirements of disabled persons in the formulation of inclusive
educational policies and programs;

(e) Encourage learning institutions to take into account the special needs of disabled persons
with respect to the use of school facilities, class schedules, physical education
requirements, and other pertinent considerations;

(8) Support learning institutions, especially higher learning institutions, in providing auxiliary
services that will facilitate the learning process for disabled persons, ensure inclusive and
equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all,

(g) Recognize the right of the children and youth with special needs to education on the basis
of equal opportunity, in particular, making primary education compulsory and accessible
to every children and youth with special needs;

(h) Recognize the right of children and youth with special needs to the highest attainable
standards of health and to facilities for the treatment of illness; and rehabilitation of health;
and ensure that no child is deprived of the right of access to such health care and
rehabilitation services; and -

(i Ensure that children and youth with special needs belonging to ethnic, religious or
linguistic minorities or persons of indigenous origin shall not be denied the right to


education, health treatment, or health rehabilitation in community with other members, to
enjoy their own culture, profess and practice their own religion, or to use their own
language.

SEC. 3. Objectives. — This Act shall pursue the following objectives:

(a) Provide children and youth with special needs free and appropriate public education and
related services in accordance with their needs, and in preparation for adult living and
community life;

(b) Provide children and youth with special needs access to general education curriculum
through the formal systems and alternative delivery services in education;

(©) Facilitate the inclusion and integration of children and youth with special needs into
mainstream education in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities, and the Incheon Strategy to Make the Rights Real for Persons
with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific;

(4) Implement inclusive education and establish Inclusive Education Learning Resource
Centers (IELRC) for inclusion of children and youth with special needs in the educational
mainstream in the least restrictive environment;

(e) Ensure that children and youth with special needs fully develop their potential toward self-
sufficiency and become fully participative members of society;

(® Ensure that children and youth with special needs understand, appreciate and respect
differences amongst groups and members of society in which they live;

(g) Identify, through a Child Find System, children and youth with special needs ages three (3)
to twenty-four (24), and infants and toddlers under the age of three (3), in compliance with
Republic Act No. 10410, otherwise known as the “Early Years Act of 2003”;

() Develop, implement, and review Individualized Education Plan;

(i) Provide parents with information and opportunities to actively participate in the possible
school placement options and educational programs for their children and to enable them
to make informed choices and decisions;

(j) Enable and empower parents and family members by training and equipping them with
capabilities to identify, prevent, refer or intervene with regard to disorders, disabilities and
abilities of their children;

(k) Train and equip special education teachers, regular teachers, principals/administrators,
non-teaching staff of the school, and caregivers as primary sources of care, development,
education and advancement of children and youth with special needs;

(1) Increase school retention and cohort survival of children and youth with special needs;

(m)Create significant and positive changes in community orientation towards disability and
the need to provide inclusive education and proper care of children and youth with special
needs; and i

(n) Regularly consult and actively involve persons with disabilities, including children and
youth with special needs, through their representative organizations, in the implementation
of this Act and issue relating to it.

ARTICLE I
DEFINITION OF TERMS

SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act:

(a) Basic education — refers to a program of instruction intended to meet the basic learning
needs which provide the foundation on which subsequent learning can be based. It
encompasses early childhood, kindergarten, elementary and secondary education as well
as alternative learning systems for out-of ~school learners and those with special needs.

(b) Child Find System — refers to the process of identifying, locating, and evaluating every
qualified child or youth with special needs so that the concerned child development
teachers/workers who are under the jurisdiction of local government units (LGUs) can
notify parents or guardians of those who are not receiving public education services of the
right of their children to receive the same and facilitate such children’s integration into the
school system.


(c) Children and youth with special needs — refer to children and youth who are gifted or
talented, or with intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, mental, emotional or
behavioral disorders, speech and language disorders, sensory impairments, autism, long
term physical or health disabilities, deaf, blindness and multiple handicapping conditions
which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation
in society on an equal basis with others and are in need of special education as well as
services for rehabilitation. They differ from the average children in neuropsychological
characteristics, sensory and cognitive abilities, neuromuscular or physical characteristics,
and social attributes to such an extent that the use of modified school practices or special
education services are required to develop them to maximum capability.

(a) Disability — refers to 1) long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment that
substantially limit one or more physiological or anatomical function of an individual or
activities of such individual; 2) limitation or difficulty encountered by an individual in
executing a task or action; and 3) a participation restriction or problem experienced by an
individual in involvement in life’s situations. It does not just entail a health problem but
shall reflect the interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society
in which he lives as well as the difficulties the person has encountered to remove the
environment and social barriers.

(©) Inclusive education — refers to a process of addressing and responding to the diverse needs
of all learners by increasing participation in learning, cultural activities and community
life, and reducing exclusion within and from education. It involves changes and
modifications in content, approaches, structures and strategies, anchored on a common
vision for all children of the appropriate age range and the conviction that it is the
responsibility of the State to educate all children. It focuses on the achievement of high
quality education for all learners and the all encompassing development of more inclusive
societies.

(f) Individual Education Program (IEP) — refers to the systematic, purposive and
developmental educational programming of curricular and instructional priorities and
contents designed to meet a learner’s special needs and aimed at ensuring mastery of target
skills and behaviors. It specifies the services to be provided and how often; describes the
learner’s present level of performances and how the learner’s disabilities affect academic
performances; and specifies accommodations and modifications to be provided to the
learner. An IEP must be designed to meet the unique educational needs of a child in the
appropriate and least restrictive environment.

(g) Learning Resource Center (Center) — refers to a teaching/leaning support system for
students, teachers, school personnel and other education stakeholders of children and youth
with special needs. It includes appropriate, accessible, disability-, cultural-, and gender-
sensitive instructional learning materials, tools, devices, gadgets, equipment to facilitate
and enhance learning; assessment tools and instruments to evaluate developmental
domains and specific areas of concern necessary in determining appropriate services and
placement decisions; medical, health, and allied professionals for care, rehabilitation and
development of learners.

(h) Least restrictive environment (LRE) — refers to the situation where a learner, who has a
disability, is accorded the opportunity to be educated with non-disabled peers to the
greatest extent appropriate. The children and youth with special needs should have access
to the general education curriculum, or any other program that non-disabled peers are able
to access. The children and youth with special needs shall be provided with supplementary
aids and services necessary to achieve educational goals if placed in a setting with non-
disabled peers, and shall receive an appropriate version of educational and social benefits
which non-disabled students routinely receive in school.

(i) Private sector participation — refers to all forms of indispensable, substantial and
meaningful participation of private individuals, partnerships, groups or entities, disabled
people’s organizations, community-based organizations or non-government organizations,
and business and industry groups in the delivery of educational and rehabilitative services
for children and youth with special needs. ,

(j) Special Education (SPED) ~ refers to the customized instructional program/service
designed to meet the unique needs of individual children and youth with special needs,
which may necessitate the use of supplementary aids and services and teaching strategies



in classroom and non-academic settings and includes instructions on physical and
vocational education, social skills development and travel training. It is geared towards
their integration into mainstream education and to prepare them as independent and
functioning members of society.

(k) Special Instructional Materials — refer to textbooks in Braille, large type, audio, digital or

any other medium or apparatus that convey information to a student or otherwise

contributes to the learning process.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) - refers to a scientifically valid framework for

guiding educational practice established by Department of Education (DepEd) that:

(1) Provides flexibility in the way information is presented, in the way students respond
or demonstrate knowledge and skills, and in the way students are engaged, and

(2) Reduces barriers in instruction, provides appropriate accommodations, supports mental
and physical challenges and maintains high achievement expectations for all students,
including students with disabilities and students who have limited English proficiency.

(

Italso refers to a set of principles that guides the design of inclusive classroom instruction
and accessible course materials. The three principles of UDL are:
(i) Recognition ~ refers to multiple methods of representation that give learners a
variety of ways to acquire information and build knowledge;
(ii) Strategic Learning — refers to multiple means of student action and expression that
provide learners alternative modes for demonstrating what they have leamed; and
(iiiyAffective Learning — refers to multiple modes of student engagement that tap into
learners’ interests, challenge them appropriately and motivate them to learn.

ARTICLE II
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION LEARNING RESOURCE CENTER

SEC. 5. Establishment of Inclusive Education Learning Resource Centers. ~ All public
schools divisions of the DepEd shall establish an Inclusive Education Learning Resource Center,
hereinafter referred to as the Center, for children and youth with special needs, where there are no
existing Centers: Provided, That all Centers shall comply with the Universal Design for Learning
as defined under Section 4, subparagraph (1) of this Act: Provided, further That, all Centers and
facilities for children and youth with special needs shall also be compliant with the requirements
of Batas Pambansa Bilang 344, otherwise known as the “Accessibility Law.”

SEC. 6. Functions of the Center. — The Center shall function as a learning resource center
that shall assist in promoting inclusive education and in capacitating regular schools to effectively
handle the needs of children and youth with special needs. It shall:

(a) Assess children and youth with spécial needs to identify specific developmental areas of
‘concern and determine appropriate services and grade placement options;

(b) Support children with disabilities and special needs in such a manner that they could be
integrated/included in regular schools in the least restrictive environment;

(c) Conduct school-based training of children and youth with special needs;

(d) Produce appropriate teaching materials for children and youth with special needs;

(€) Provide training to regular teachers, administrators, non-teaching personnel and parents on
inclusive education;

(£) Monitor case management of children and youth with special needs within the division;

(g) Ensure that the children and youth with special needs within the division shall receive the
appropriate services needed;

(h) Implement the programs of the Center such as individualized education, transition
program, alternative educational programs and early intervention program;

(i) Establish a referral system that shall provide and develop multi-disciplinary services such
as healthcare delivery system and other child and youth support systems to address the
challenges and difficulties of the families of children and youth with special needs and
stimulate community resources which shall promote and foster systems integration with
education;



G) Provide access to auxiliary aids and services that are basically non-educational but which
rv unce the education process for children and youth with special needs. These aids and
services may include:
(1) Language and speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical and physiotherapy,
among other modes of therapy, through multi-disciplinary specialist team;
2) Quality reading or other effective methods of delivering reading materials to
individuals with visual impairments;
(3) Acquisition or modification of equipment or devices;
(4) Appropriate classroom accommodation;
(6) Other similar services and actions or all types of aids and services that facilitate the
learning process; and
(© Assistance in the transfer or admission of qualified children and youth with special
needs to post-secondary or tertiary education institutions.

ARTICLE IV
PARTNERSHIP MECHANISM AND ROLES OF PARTNERS

SEC. 7. Partnership Mechanism. - The DepEd and the concerned agencies may
coordinate and enter into cooperative agreement, arrangement or contract with other government
agencies, private non-profit agencies, institutions or organizations duly accredited or recognized
by the government agencies, civil society, business and industrial sector, and other concerned
sectors in the furtherance of the provisions ‘of this Act: Provided, That DepEd shall coordinate with
the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD),
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
‘and the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) for the establishment or creation of Centers
on the implementation of programs such as the following:

(@) Technical assistance to teachers who are preparing to serve or are serving in the Centers;

(@) Training of professional or related services personnel, including all regular teachers;

(© Replication of successful innovative approaches in providing educational or related
services to CYSNs;

(@ Facilitation of parental involvement in the education of their children and youth with
special needs;

(©) Diagnosis and educational evaluation of children and youth with special needs;

( Consultative counseling and training services for the families of children and youth with
special needs;

(g) Familiarization of the municipality or city being served by an Inclusive Education Learning
Resource Center with the problems and potentials of children and youth; and

(4) Entering into agreements with medical and allied medical professional groups.

Centers created under this Section shall remain part of the DepEd System.

SEC. 8. Responsibilities of Agencies. — In conformity with their respective charters and
mandates, government agencies shall define and delineate their respective arcas of responsibility
wvith respect to the implementation of this Act. These areas shall be subject to periodic re-
wrressmeat of the Inter-Agency Coordinating Council on Inclusive Education (IACCIE), as
provided in Section 9 of this Act, whenever necessary.

For purposes of this Act, the different agencies shall have the following roles:

(a) Department of Education (DepEd) ~ The DepEd shall be the lead government agency
responsible for the implementation of this Act to ensure inter-agency coordination and
integration of services among school systems, early intervention programs, mainstreaming
of children and youth with special needs in the regular classroom set-up, concerned welfare
agencies, children and youth with special needs availability of access and classification of
developmental domains and establishment of a referral system and redress mechanism for
parents and guardians.

(b) Department of Health (DOH) — The DOH shall make available health care services for
children and youth with special healthcare needs, child mental health service providers,



health plans, oral health providers, family-to-family health information and education,

advocacy organizations and other community organizations serving children and youth

with special needs and their families. Due to the importance of integrating primary care
with mental health services, the DOH shall collaborate with the National Nutrition Council

(NNC) and the Early Childhood Care and Development Council (ECCD) in the provision

of inclusive health and nutrition services for the implementation of this Act.

(©) Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) — The DSWD shall be
responsible for the effective management and provision of social and welfare services for
poor and deserving children and youth with special needs based on their assessed needs,
subject to guidelines it shall prescribe.

(a) Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) - The DPWH shall prescribe the
proper physical set-up of the Centers and shall build and maintain roads that shall ensure
accessibility to children and youth with special needs.

(¢) Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) - The DILG shall promulgate the
policies and guidelines relevant to the implementation of this Act by the local government
units.

(f) Local Government Units (LGUs) - The LGUs shall allocate a portion of their Special
Education Fund (SEF) for the following:

(1) Provision of sites, buildings or centers where there are no existing school facilities that
may be used for the special education of children and youth with special needs as well
as the establishment of Child Development Centers (CDCs) pursuant to Sec. 11 hereof;

(2) Identification, coordination and partnership with public and private volunteers and
private organizations, national or international, duly recognized and accredited by
appropriate government office, for information dissemination campaigns and funding
support to augment the funding for Inclusive Education programs and activities;

(3) Provide assistive devices, instructional materials and teacher’s training provisions;

(4) Provision of funds for the delivery of health and nutrition services and interventions,
educational assessment program for children and youth with special needs in their
respective localities that would be initiated by the DOH and DepEd, respectively;

(5) Participate in all efforts concerning integration of children and youth with special needs
to regular schools, health services, transport services and other social and welfare
services;

(6) Develop government and community awareness and responsiveness to the needs of
children and youth with special needs;

(7) Provide a means for redress in case parents are not amenable to educational program
for children and youth with special needs under the jurisdiction of the Local School
Boards;

(8) Coordinate with other agencies in ensuring the proper implementation of the provisions
of this Act within their territorial jurisdiction, including the child find and referral
system; and

(9) Enact appropriate ordinances to implement the LGUs role in this Act.

ARTICLE V
INTER-AGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL ON INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

SEC. 9. Inter-Agency Coordinating Council on Inclusive Education (IACCIE). ~ For purposes
of policy integration, harmonization and coordination of functions, there is hereby created an Inter-
Agency Coordinating Council on Inclusive Education (IACCIE), which shall be attached to the
DepEd and which shall be composed of the following officials or their duly authorized
representatives, up to the level of Assistant Secretary or its equivalent:

© Secretary of the DepEd, as Chairperson;
Secretary of DOH, as Co-Chairperson;
Secretary of DSWD, as Co-Chairperson;
Secretary of Department of Finance (DOF)
Secretary of DPWH
Secretary of DILG
Secretary of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)


© Director General of Technical Education and Skills Development Administration
(TESDA)
© Commissioner of Commission on Higher Education

The IACCIE shall perform the following functior

(a) Develop and set criteria on Individual Education Programs. It shall evaluate fundamental
changes both in educational practice and in the design of educational services for inclusion
of children and youth with special needs in regular schools. Inclusive Education involves
changes in philosophy, curriculum, teaching strategy and structural organization;

(b) Implement appropriate and coordinated programs in health and related physiological and
psychological health services, multidisciplinary domains, transportation and accessibility
for children and youth with special needs;

(c) Acts as catalyst of change and source of information for the benefit of both regular students
and children and youth with special needs;

(a) Constitute and authorize a multidisciplinary body to conduct an annual audit to determine
the compliance of the Centers on its operations;

(e) Document, monitor and assess the performances of the Centers and their personnel;

(f) Coordinate and disseminate information with partner agencies or local government units.

SEC. 10. The IACCIE Technical Working Committee. ~ The IACCIE shall be supported by a
Technical Working Committee (TWC) which shall be composed of representatives from the
following agencies and institutions:

a. Bureau of Curriculum Development of the DepEd

b. Early Childhood Care and Development Council (ECCD)

c. National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA)

d. Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC)

e. National Nutrition Council (NNC) of the DOH
£. Local Government Units-Leagues of Provinces, Cities or Municipalities
g. Health organizations, such as PhilHealth and other healthcare services of the DOH
h. Civil society organizations on persons with disability and indigenous peoples’ concerns
i, Academe

The TWC shall provide groundwork technical support to the IACCIE on its activities to

capture varied clientele scope and needs, management programs, and reach grassroots levels.
Representatives of civil society organizations and the academe shall be nominated through a
process designed by the IACCIE.

ARTICLE VI
OTHER EDUCATION AND HEALTH INTERVENTIONS,

SEC. 11. Inclusion of Children with Special Needs in Child Development Centers. ~ Child
Development Centers (CDCs) specially designed for pre-school children and their parents where
early identification of disabilities and/or special needs and introductory educational and
intervention programs will be administered, and development of future multi-disciplinary child
development centers shall be established near all schools or within existing Inclusive Education
Learning Resource Centers. As far as practicable, the use of CDCs and facilities shall be
maximized.

The ECCD Council shall coordinate with the DepEd, DSWD, DOH, LGUs and other
agencies to provide the necessary programs and support for children with special needs under five
(5) years old.

ARTICLE VII
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES

SEC. 12. Hiring of Personnel and Staff. - In addition to teachers and licensed social workers who
have knowledge, skills and special training in handling cases of children and youth with special


needs and to ensure the effective implementation of this Act, the DepEd, DOH, and DSWD may
hire the necessary personnel and support staff to operate, administer and oversee the Center.

SEC. 13. Remuneration, Benefits and Incentives for Inclusive Education Learning Personnel
and Staff. - The salary grades of Special Education (SPED) teachers and Program Directors
managing the Centers shall be in accordance with the Revised Compensation and Position
Classification System and other civil service rules and regulations.

The DepEd shall enhance the access of teachers/instructors to specialized and continuing
training and education and ensure that the Centers shall endeavor to attract the best available
teaching staff and talents through adequate remuneration, benefits, scholarship and training grants,
teacher exchange programs, incentives and allowances and other means of securing their job
satisfaction and tenure in their respective posts. A similar program shall be designed for support
personnel to include interpreters, psychologists, social workers and health service
professionals/workers involved in the education, health and rehabilitation of children with special
needs.

The DepEd shall identify at least one (1) leading institution or university in Luzon, Visayas,
Mindanao and in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao whose faculty is considered or
regarded as highly competent in the area of special education and where a uniform or standardized
curriculum for any post-graduate education program shall be designed to benefit SPED teachers
and other personnel of the centers. The manner of selection of such institution shall be provided
under the rules and regulations to be formulated to implement the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 14. In-Service Training of Teachers, Administrators, Non-Teaching Personnel. — To
enhance the inclusive education program, the DepEd shall coordinate with the appropriate national
government agencies to offer basic and advanced seminars on disability awareness and inclusive
education for the concerned education stakeholders.

The appropriate and necessary trainings, seminars and other opportunities for upgrading
the performance of DepEd teachers implementing the inclusive education curriculum shall be
conducted and evaluated by the National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines.

ARTICLE VIII
RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP AND OTHER SUPPORT MECHANISMS

SEC. 15. Continuing Research to Identify the Needs of Children and Youth with Special Needs.
~ The DepEd, by itself or in coordination with organization or institutions, shall undertake
continuing research to identify and design programs that shall meet the full range of needs of
children and youth with special needs: Provided, That such continuing research shall also be used
to develop instructional techniques for use by the Centers towards improving the acquisition of
skills by the children and youth with special needs necessary for their transition to independent
living, vocation training or competitive skill development: Provided further, That such continuing
research shall be used by the DepEd in designing holistic programs for all schools and all Inclusive
Education Resource Learning Centers to enhance the potential of the children and youth to
participate and be integrated into community life.

SEC. 16. Student Assistance. - The DepEd, DSWD, DOLE, NCDA and the LGUs shall develop
programs to support the financial and educational needs of the marginalized or disadvantaged
children and youth with special needs, as defined in Republic Act No. 8425, known as the Social
Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act. The benefits accorded by Republic Act No. 8545, otherwise
known as the “Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE)
‘Act” shall likewise be extended to qualified children and youth with special needs in the secondary
levels.

SEC. 17. Recreational and Artistic Opportunities, ~ The DepEd shall establish opportunities for
the safe, wholesome, interactive individual as well as group recreation and social activities of


children and youth with special needs, optimal use of their leisure hours and advancement of their
physical, mental, social and cultural development.

SEC. 18, Special Instructional Materials. — Publishers shall grant the DepEd the authority to
transcribe adopted instructional materials into accessible format, without penalty or payment of
royalty, in accordance with Republic Act No. 8293, otherwise known as the “Jntellectual Property
Code of the Philippines”: Provided That, publishers of a newly adopted instructional material shall
provide, not later than the second working day after the adoption of a textbook title by the DepEd,
the digital copy as specified by the DepEd for the purpose of producing accessible versions of the
textbooks for students with reading disabilities. The accessible versions may be produced by the
DepEd or by non-profit accessible book producers which may be copied and distributed upon
request by a Schools Division for instructional purposes.

Copies of these instructional materials shall be furnished without cost either to the children
and youth with special needs or their teachers in charge.

SEC. 19. Family Members, Guardians, Caregivers and Day Care Workers Education. — A
formal training and counseling program for family members, guardians, caregivers, and day care
workers of children and youth with special needs shall be developed jointly by the DepEd, DSWD,
LGUs, ECCD Council, disabled people’s organizations, parent-support organizations, health
professional organizations, healthcare services, non-government organizations, and civil society
organizations to provide them with a working knowledge of special education and an
understanding of the physical and mental needs of children and youth with special needs; and set
their important role as educators, so as to maximize their knowledge and skills to fully participate
in developing the potentials of children and youth with special needs.

ARTICLE IX
PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION

SEC. 20. Incentives for Private Sector Participation. ~ Partnerships between the government and
private institutions catering to the needs of children and youth with special needs shall be
encouraged. Private entities which team up with the DepEd or provide the necessary educational
assistance and service of children and youth with special needs enrolled in public schools shall be
entitled to the benefits and incentives provided under R.A. No. 8525, otherwise known as the
Adopt-a-School Act and its implementing rules and regulations.

ARTICLE X
PUBLIC INFORMATION AND DISSEMINATION

SEC. 21. Public Information, Education and Communication. — A nationwide information
dissemination campaign on the prevention, early identification and the strategic intervention
programs for children and youth with special needs shall be intensified. This shall be the joint
responsibility of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), CWC, NCDA and the DepEd.
Likewise, the DepEd, in collaboration with the DOH, DOLE, CHED, TESDA and DILG shall
disseminate materials and information concerning effective practices in working with, training and
education of children and youth with special needs.

ARTICLE XI
FINAL PROVISIONS

SEC. 22. Appropriations. - The Secretaries of the DepEd, DOH, and DSWD shall immediately
include in their respective Departments’ programs the implementation of this Act, the funding of
which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 23. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within one hundred twenty (120) days from
the effectivity of this Act, the Secretaries of the DepEd, the DOH and the DSWD, in coordination
with the heads of other concerned agencies, shall promulgate and issue the necessary guidelines
for the effective implementation of this Act. The implementing rules and regulations issued


pursuant to this section shall take effect thirty (30) days after its publication in two (2) national
newspapers of general circulation.

SEC. 24. Separability Clause. ~ If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or unconstitutional,
the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain valid and subsisting.

SEC. 25. Repealing Clause. — All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules and
regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed,
modified, or amended accordingly.

SEC. 26. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the
Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved.