Q: What is the Center for Inclusive Education?

A: The Center for Inclusive Education (CIE) is a unit under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academics (OVCA) of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. Our main goal is to ensure that Benilde is an inclusive space for all the members of the community. We do this by providing support and reasonable accommodation to students as well as advocate and promote sensitivity to the members of the College.

 

Q: Are you under the counseling center of Benilde?

A: No, we’re a different office from the Benilde Well-Being Center (BWC). Unlike in BWC, the members of the Center for Inclusive Education (CIE), specifically those under the Learning Support Unit (LSU) are not Counselors but are Case Managers.

 

Q: What is the difference between your Center and the Benilde Well-Being Center?

A: We handle students with Specific Learning Needs (SLN) such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and the like while the Benilde Well-Being Center (BWC) handle students with Psychoemotional Needs (PEN) such as Depression and Anxiety.

 

Q: Does that mean your Center does not cater for those with Psychoemotional Needs?

A: In some cases, the Learning Support Unit (LSU) assists students with Psychoemotional Needs (PEN), specifically those with comorbidities. That means that the student has both a Specific Learning Need (SLN) and a Psychoemotional Need (PEN).

 

Q: What is your Mission-Vision?

A: We commit to the vision of a “Benilde for All” by working with the Benildean community and being of service to its members as they reach their full potential in order to build a just and humane society (Center for Inclusive Education, 2019).

 

Q: What are your mandates?

A: Our mandates are:

• To provide support services to students with specific education needs and other physical and sensorial disabilities in the areas of learning and socialization;

• To provide reasonable accommodations to our students to bring them from application, graduation, and to some extent even internship placement and employment;

• To build an awareness of and sensitivity towards diverse individuals in our community and creating and sustaining partnerships related to inclusive education; and

• To ensure that different sectors and offices develop and implement guidelines on inclusion and include these in their respective policies, handbooks, and manuals.”

 

Q: What are the units under your Center?

A: The CIE has three units:

1. Director’s Office – this unit leads the whole team in making sure that the mandate of the Center is followed and the vision-mission is fulfilled. Under this unit is the Center for Inclusive Education (CIE) Director and CIE’s Operations Assistant.

2. Learning Support Unit (LSU) – this unit ensures that students with specific learning needs reach their full potential by providing case management services, conducting case conferences and consultations, and administering training and orientations. Under this unit is the LSU Head and the two LSU Case Managers.

3. Inclusion Advocacy Unit (IAU) – this unit cultivates the culture of inclusion in the community by providing advising services, producing digital and printed publications, facilitating and conducting inclusion-related events, workshops, and training, and developing policies and modules. Under this unit is the IAU Head.”

Q: What are the services you provide?

A: We have seven main services. These are:

• Case Management – the coordinated and collaborative process headed by the Learning Support Unit (LSU) to assist students under the Center for Inclusive Education (CIE) on their academic concerns. CIE, together with the professors, provide reasonable accommodations that can help the students thrive in the College.

• Passages Transition Program – this is a series of talks given to CIE students to equip them with the skills needed to succeed and thrive in Benilde. This Program is headed by the LSU in collaboration with the Benilde Well-Being Center.

• Advising Services – this the effort of CIE to help both Benildeans and Non-Benildeans in their studies or research on inclusion. This program is headed by the Inclusion Advocacy Unit (IAU) in close collaboration with experts in the field as well as different inclusion-related advocacy groups.

• Events, Workshops, and Training – these are inclusion-related gatherings hosted by CIE to ensure that Benildeans and Non-Benildeans are well-equipped with the skills needed to be inclusive. These programs are headed by the IAU and are usually done in collaboration with the different units of Benilde and other inclusion-related advocacy groups such as the Autism Society of the Philippines, ADHD Society of the Philippines, and Best Buddies Philippines.

• Policy Development – this is the effort of CIE to ensure that the College is an inclusive environment for all by writing or assisting in the writing of inclusive legislation. This service is headed by the IAU in collaboration with the different units of Benilde.

• Module Development – this is the effort of CIE to educate the community about Benildean Inclusion by writing or assisting in the writing of inclusion-related lessons. This service is headed by the IAU in collaboration with the different academic units of Benilde.

• Digital and Printed Publications – these are inclusion-related contents (e.g. articles, videos, and photos) developed by CIE to promote Benildean Inclusion. This service is headed by the IAU in collaboration with the different units of Benilde.”

Q: Do you counsel students?

A: No, we don’t counsel students. Members of the Center for Inclusive Education (CIE), specifically those under the Learning Support Unit (LSU) only assist with the academic concerns of students under CIE’s care.

 

Q: What are the reasonable accommodations students can ask for?

A: We categorize them into four clusters:

1. Enrollment Accommodations

2. Classroom Accommodations

3. Curriculum Accommodations

4. The Use of Assistive Technology

 

Q: Who can avail the different services of your Center?

A: Case Management and Passages Transition Program services are available to diagnosed and declared students with specific learning needs such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Epilepsy, those who are hard of hearing, have physical disabilities, and have specific learning disabilities.

Advising Services may be availed by Benildeans and Non-Benildeans – both students and professionals – who want to learn about inclusion. The Center for Inclusive Education (CIE), however, has the right to decline to requests depending on the topic.

Access to our events, workshops, and training would depend on the topic since there are sessions that are exclusively for Benildeans. However, most of our webinars are open to the public. Details are always posted every time a session is promoted.

• Benildeans may request for training on Benildean Inclusion; while both Benildeans and Non- Benildeans who want to collaborate with us for inclusion-related events may do so.

• For questions or requests, please email us at cie@benilde.edu.ph.

Policy Development and Module Development are only for units under Benilde.

Printed and Online Publications are open to both Benildeans and Non-Benildeans. You may request for soft copies of our printed publications through our email address cie@benilde.edu.ph, and you may access our digital publications through our social media accounts at  https://campsite.bio/ciebenilde.”

Q: What should I do if I don’t know how to handle my student(s) with Specific Learning Needs (SLN)?

A: We can set an individual consultation on how you can handle your student(s). Please email us at cie@benilde.edu.ph.

 

Q: How can I contact your Center if I have more questions?

A: You may email us at cie@benilde.edu.ph and you may check our social media accounts at https://campsite.bio/ciebenilde