Author: Doha Al-Ayasa
The study aimed to investigate the reality of the services and programs provided to people with intellectual disabilities in accordance with the CEC standards from the viewpoint of employees of the Palestinian special education institutions. The study approached the literature as a multi-dimensional phenomenon, which addressed both theoretical and applied research. The significance of this recent study is the first, which dealt with this theme, to the author knowledge, which in turn encourages other researchers to work on further research on this important issue.
The study adopted the quantitative research approach using the sampling survey method. The questionnaire is appropriate for the exploratory nature of the research. A 76-item questionnaire was distributed to a purposive sample which consist of (120) male and female respondents among the employees of the Palestinian special education institutions. The collected data was statistically analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS).
The results revealed that the quality level of the services and programs provided to the persons with intellectual disability according to the standards of the Council for Extraordinary Children (CEC) in the Palestinian special education institutions. (CEC) from the employees' point of view was high (M 3.87 SD 0.51).
The results of the study revealed significant statistical differences in the quality level of the services and programs provided to the persons with intellectual disability according to the standards of the Council for Extraordinary Children (CEC) in the Palestinian special education institutions according to the type of the institution. However, no statistical significant differences were found in the rest of the study variables that are, gender, academic qualifications, and experience.
In light of the findings and discussion, the study recommend, the need to develop the services and programs of special education institutions in the West Bank in accordance with international quality standards, creating the appropriate educational environment conditions for the needs of persons with intellectual disabilities, and further research is essential in the area of special education institutions using the qualitative research design.
Keywords: Services, programs, disability, CEC, Palestinian Special Education Institutions.
Doha Al-Ayasa, MA. Special Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Al-Quds University, Main Campus, Jerusalem- Abu Dies, Palestine. Independent Researcher, Hebron, Palestine. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
