Special Education in the Philippines
1902 - The interest to educate Filipino children with disabilities was expressed through Mr. Fred Atkinson, the General Superintendent of Education.
1907 - Special Education was formally started in the country by establishing the Insular School for the Deaf and Blind in Manila.
1927 - The government established the Welfareville Children’s Village, a school for people with mental retardation in Mandaluyong.
1945 - The National Orthopedic Hospital School for the Crippled Children and Youth is established.
1949 - Quezon City Science High School was inaugurated for gifted students.
1950 - PAD opened a school for the children with hearing impairment
1953 - The Elsie Gaches Village was established in Alabang to take care of the abandoned and orphaned children and youth with physical and mental handicaps.
1956 - Special classes for the deaf in regular class were implemented.
1957 - The Bureau of Public Schools of the Department of Education and Culture created the Special Education Section of the Special Subjects and Service Education.
1960 - Some private college and universities started to offer special education courses on graduate school curriculum
1963 - With the approval of R.A. No. 3562, the training of DEC teacher scholars for blind children started at the Philippine Normal University.
1965 - Marked the start of training programs for school administrators on the supervision of special classes held at UP
1969 - Classes for socially maladjusted children were organized at the manila Youth Reception Center
1970 - Training of teacher for Children with behavior problems started at the University of the Philippines
1973 - The juvenile and domestic Relations Court of Manila established the Tahanan Special School for the socially maladjusted children and youth.
1975 - The Division of Manila City Schools implemented the Silahis Concept of Special Education in public elementary schools.
1979 - The Bureau of Elementary Education Special Education unit conducted a two-year nationwide survey if unidentified exceptional children who were in school.
1980 - The School for the Crippled Children at the Southern Island Hospital in Cebu City was organized.
1990 - The Philippine institute for the Deaf, an oral school for children with hearing impairment was established.
1992 - The summer training for teacher of the visually impaired started at the Philippine Normal University
1993 - DECS issued Order No. 14 that directed regional officers to organize the Regional Special Education Council (RESC)
1995 - The summer training for teachers of the hearing impaired was held at Philippine Normal University
1998 - DECS order No. 5 “Reclassification of Regular teacher and principal items to SPED teacher and special schools principal item"
1999 - DECS order no. 33 “Implementation of administrative order no. 101 directing the Department of Public Works and highways, the DECS and the CHED to provide architectural facilities or structural feature for disabled persons in all state college, universities and other buildings
2000 - DECS Order No. 11, s. 2000 - Recognized Special Education (SPED) Centers in the Philippines
2002 - An ongoing mobile teacher–training program by the Department of Education and the University of the Philippines trains regular and special education teachers on how to educate children with special needs.
2007- Special Education Act of 2007 identifies ten groups of Children with Special Needs
2009 - DepEd under its wing had 217 SPED Centers that cater to the needs of children with special abilities. The department issued Braille textbooks to help especially visually impaired children.
2010 - Special Education Act of 2010, An act establishing at least one Special Education center for each school division and at least three Special Education centers in big school divisions for children with special needs, guidelines for government financial assistance and other incentives and support
2012 - DepEd has increased the funding for its Special Education program and is set to open new centers
2013 - DepEd organized a National Conference for SPED Teachers to sharpen their skills.