The Department of Education in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DepEd-CAR) continues to invest in facilities that will enable it to bring more learners with special needs to the education system.

“There are still many learners with disabilities who are outside the school system. The Inclusive Learning Resource Center (ILRC) facilities bring them a step closer to inclusive and meaningful learning,” DepEd-Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) Regional Director Estela Leon-Cariño said in a phone interview on Friday.

Cordillera opened two ILRCs — at the Special Pupils’ Education (SPED) Center- Baguio on Wednesday and another at the SPED Center Benguet on Thursday.

The ILRCs can provide services such as management, assessment, information and communication technology (ICT) skills development, bridging, speech and language therapy, occupational and behavioral therapy, physical therapy as well as water or hydrotherapy.

The facilities are also equipped with e-libraries, instructional materials and materials to help develop the daily living skills of the children.

Cariño said the center was funded by the DepEd with PHP10 million each for the procurement of the necessary equipment and supplies.

The establishment of ILRCs is under DepEd Order No. 45- 2021 mandating the conversion of select SPED Centers into prototype ILRCs—designed to make education more inclusive, learner-centered, and sensitive to the diverse needs, capacities, and circumstances of all learners.

“We encourage the parents to enroll their children and immerse them in the real educational system and use the ILRC for the special needs to develop and skills of the learners with special needs,” Cariño said.

Temporarily to be operated with the help of the teachers and the school administration, the ILRCs are expected to be given by the DepEd a program support fund to recruit a multidisciplinary team composed of therapists, psychologists, language specialists, and other professionals to ensure comprehensive support for every learner.

The two ILRCs are among the 32 that DepEd opened in SPED schools nationwide to attain inclusive education for the learners with special needs. (PNA)