Speech

Welcome to the presentation ceremony for inaugural group of graduates of the Certificate in Education Studies (Special Education). The Certificate is a joint venture between the Social Service Training Institute, Singapore and Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. Flinders University has offered programs and in special education and disability studies for over 30 years and is recognized as one of only a few Australian universities now specializing in the provision of research and study in special education. The School of Education has been delivering special education course in Singapore since 2000 but commenced its association with the SSTI by offering a single professional development module in 2004. The partnership between the two organizations has grown significantly in the past three years and following a great deal of work and negotiation we commenced the Certificate program in May 2006 with 33 very enthusiastic students. The Certificate program provided the opportunity for a wide range of people committed to the education of students with special needs to further their own learning. The majority of the Certificate graduates were employed as teacher aides who aspired to improve their knowledge and skills. As Herbert Kohl reminds us, ‘Nobody starts out as a completely effective and creative teacher…The desire to teach and the ability to teach well are not the same thing. With the rarest of exceptions, one has to learn how to become a good teacher.’ The aims of the Certificate program were aligned to Kohl’s words; we aimed to provide learning opportunities in our program that assisted the students to become more creative and effective teachers and teacher aides. And given the work presented by the group we believe this aim has been achieved. The program comprised 5 modules and the assignments in each module required students to engage in a range of practical activities. The outcomes, beyond increased knowledge and skills, have been the creation of some outstanding resources, additional and targeted support for students with special needs and greater interactions with their families as well. Other outcomes of significant value have been the new networks established between students and organizations, increased confidence and sense of professionalism and recognition that learning is an ongoing process. We hope our graduates will be continue to work together to Wonder, Notice, Question, Focus, Challenge, Reason, Listen, Learn, Collaborate, Play, Respond, Inform, Connect and Inspire.

Flinders University has been involved in the provision of tertiary level special education in Singapore since 2000 and we have observed a growing professionalism in the field. Improving outcomes for students with special needs relies on a range of factors but a major factor that promotes improved outcomes is the quality and commitment of the teachers who work directly with students every day.

It is important to recognize that special education itself is a diverse and changing field and in our programs we aim to think beyond the traditional special school classroom as the primary focus for which teachers and teacher aides are trained. We hope to instill in our graduates a deep understanding of the complexities associated with working in the special education sectors and foremost to consider what is in the best interest of each individual learner. To do this we introduce our students to the concepts of diversity and opportunity.

Diversity and opportunity are two inter-related perspectives on disability that are important for educators to understand. The first perspective concerns diversity. There are numerous characteristics of people and their circumstances that contribute to this diversity, among them are gender, age, race, ethnicity, relative affluence, and geographical location. Ability also contributes to diversity in our communities. We and our students need to critically understand how variation in people’s abilities affect their lives, and how this impacts on our society. We also need to examine how disability, in particular, may be associated with disadvantage. Hence the need for knowledge about disability.

The second perspective concerns opportunity. Here we are talking about the opportunities we can provide to ensure all children and students have access to high quality educational experiences, irrespective of variations in their abilities. These experiences may occur across a range of settings including the home, school and wider community.

The perspectives of diversity and opportunity link to the notion that children and students with disabilities have the same rights, as all learners, to be successful in their education, and to participate fully in their communities. Precluding children with disabilities from the opportunities available to other children in the community amounts to discrimination. For children and students with disabilities to participate as full, and equal members of the community they must have educational opportunities to allow them do so. Some fundamental ideas that assist us in working towards children and students with disabilities participating as full, and equal member of the community include:

· Children and students with disabilities are first children and students. They also happen to have disabilities. It is important that our language reflect this, and that we do not use words such as ‘disabled’ or ‘autistic’ as adjectives or nouns; which diminish the person-hood of the individual. It is preferable to refer to ‘the students with a disability’ rather than ‘the disabled student’ or ‘the disabled’.
· Children and students who have a disability are not members of a homogenous group. Each person who has a disability must be seen as a unique individual.
· Children and students with disabilities have the same basic needs as their peers. These include the need to belong, to achieve, to fulfil potential, to have fun, and to become increasingly autonomous. Some of these children may have additional needs associated with their disabilities. They have a right to special measures in their care and education which may necessitate flexibility and adaptation of the environment, equipment, curriculum content, teaching methods and assessment.
· All children and students regardless of whether they have a disability or not have the right to educational opportunities that are developmental, in the sense that age-appropriate activities are provided to assist the student in achieving the next milestone in his/her development within any particular domain of learning; participatory, in that activities are offered so that student with the disability can learn things that are valued by similar aged peer groups and allow for maximum participation both in and out of school; and future-oriented, in that students can acquire the skills and knowledge needed for their next setting. Given such a scenario teachers need to design learning opportunities to fit the students’ needs rather than making the students fit an existing ‘one size suits all’ program.

To achieve such outcomes for students with special needs we need teachers and teacher aides who are passionate about their work and committed to improving their own knowledge and skills. Our graduates here tonight are shining examples of committed professionals and we feel sure the learning they have engaged in has resulted in improved outcomes for many students and their families. Several principals from the schools and organization our students work at have reported on the increased confidence of their teachers and teacher aides and the contributions they are now making to the learning of their colleagues and the organizations in general. The ripple effect of our graduates learning is difficult to measure but of significance to improved outcomes beyond the students themselves.

The success of the Certificate program can be attributed to the motivation and enthusiasm of the students and the different presenters in the program. I pay particular thanks to Professor Colin MacMullin and Dr Caroline Ellison, both exceptional teachers, for their commitment to the program and students. I would also like to acknowledge the work of Raj Singh, a graduate of Flinders University and Head of the Autism program at St. Andrew’s for his contributions to the program. A major factor in the success of the program is due to the work of the dedicated staff of the Social Service Training Institute. In particular I would like to acknowledge the work of Susan Han, who was instrumental in developing the program and more recently Yan Ling Goh for her valuable assistance but a special thanks must go to Gwen Ng who was employed as we commenced the Certificate program in May 2006. Gwen has been instrumental in having everything we ever needed ready and organized. The administration support has been exceptional from both SSTI and Flinders University and although she cannot be with us tonight I would like to thank Courtney Roe for her outstanding support in organizing the materials from Flinders and supporting staff in travel arrangements. Team work is central to success and we know our students’ experience has been all the better for the quality of the work of all administration staff.

In closing this address I would like to acknowledge the families of our graduates. I am sure many of you suffered through the stress of your loved ones trying to complete assignments and the extra time they were away from home while on course. I know some students had significant events in their family lives including the arrival of new babies, the ill health of loved ones and the extra responsibilities created by new positions. Without family support and understanding the journey for our graduates would be even harder. So it is fitting tonight for families to be here to join in the celebration and even take some of the credit for our graduates’ successful outcomes. Well done!
A final message for the graduates: congratulations on your outstanding achievements and remember learning is a life long adventure to be shared with others and to help you to keep making a significant difference to the lives of children and adults with special needs.

Now it gives us great pleasure to present the Certificate of Education Studies in Special Education to our graduates.