ABSTRACT

This chapter reviews situation of special education in Asia with a population of more than 2.2 billion indicates that the region has a distance to travel in the directions prescribed by the UN agencies. There are very few national sample surveys on the prevalence and incidence of different types of disabilities in different countries in Asia, though there are a few studies that throw light on the magnitude of the problem. The prevalence and incidence of disabilities is quite similar in many other countries of Asia. There is a great variety of special education provisions in different countries of Asia, depending on the policy and legislation of the country, manpower and physical facilities and resources available for different types of disabilities. Meeting special needs is beset with many barriers, some of which are common to almost all the countries of Asia, some of which are specific to particular countries of the region.