Special Education During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Perspectives of Special Educators

Abstract

On 23rd March, 2020 the Indian government imposed a nationwide lockdown in response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. With this nationwide lockdown, the entire education system shifted online. There have been many changes in the education of children throughout the country and schoolchildren have been affected by this sudden shift in the mode of education. Special education is a specially designed education system for children who are different – socially, mentally, or physically, as compared to the average population. The children availing special education have also been affected by this change to the ‘new normal’ for over 2 years. Several studies have been conducted so far to explore the problems and challenges faced by these children. However, the present study aims to understand this issue from a different lens; that of special educators. This study thus aims to understand the benefits and challenges of special education during the pandemic and the strategies the educators came up with during this tumultuous time. The First Chapter of the study is devoted to understanding and explaining the concepts of special education and the Covid-19 pandemic. The scope of the present study has also been discussed. The Second Chapter is dedicated to the review of all relevant literature where studies from all over the world on special education during the pandemic have been explored. The Third Chapter states the methodology of the study. This chapter explains the objectives, the sample, the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the sampling technique, the tools, and the procedure for data collection along with the method of data analysis. The Fourth Chapter presents the results of the study in the form of graphs. The Fifth Chapter is made up of the discussion. This chapter includes the applicability of the study along with the limitations and also suggestions for future studies and research.