We at IVWS are happy to call ourselves an Inclusive school. We believe that inclusion is not tolerance; rather, it is unquestioning acceptance. No child is a ‘poor fit’ in our institution.
The SEN (Special Education Needs) department was not born out of compulsion; rather we perceive it to be our social responsibility to offer ourselves as a disability – friendly school. It is this belief that urged us to be equipped with the basic infrastructural prerequisites like ramps, elevators and disabled-friendly washrooms.
With the conviction that all students can learn, the school makes an effort to provide additional academic and skill based learning support to students enrolled in the department. We have specialist qualified teachers guiding children with Autism, ADHD, Specific Learning Disability, Developmental Delay, Dyslexia, Intellectual Impairment and Muscular Dystrophy. Being an inclusive school, there are umpteen opportunities for teachers and special educators to collaborate in the classroom to work on specific deficits of the children with special needs. Moreover, one – on – one supervised study programmes are organized to sustain an enabling environment.
To eliminate the broken belief of ‘not being good enough’ and to promote a true self-image, every student in the department gets a fair chance to participate in the plethora of events – including sports and co-curricular activities – designed round the year along with their peers at their grade level.
With regard to assessments, the school offers several accommodations to children with Special Educational Needs. Children are offered assistance in reading the question papers, extra time in writing the answers and, up to Grade VII, teachers also design assessments according to the readiness level of the child. In keeping with the CBSE guidelines, children in Grades IX – X who have been diagnosed with specific learning difficulty are allowed to drop Mathematics / Science and opt for alternative schemes of study.
Above all, the caring and nurturing environment of the school blended with a personalised approach from the very nascent stage till the highest grade, help the students with special needs to acquire the necessary life skills and to make a smooth transition from dependence to independence.
