TEACHERS' AWARENESS AND ADAPTATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Education is a fundamental right and a powerful tool for social transformation, particularly for marginalized groups such as persons with disabilities (PWDs). In India, despite constitutional provisions and legislative frameworks aimed at promoting inclusive education, students with disabilities (SWDs) continue to face significant barriers in accessing quality education. Teachers play a pivotal role in the successful implementation of inclusive education, yet their awareness, teaching adaptations, and perceptions towards SWDs remain underexplored. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the current state of teachers' awareness, teaching adaptations, and perceptions towards SWDs in government schools in Hyderabad, India. Using a descriptive research design, data were collected from 96 teachers across 60 government schools through a structured questionnaire. The findings reveal significant gaps in teachers' awareness and adaptation of inclusive teaching practices. Only 8.34% of teachers demonstrated a high level of awareness, while 70.83% reported low awareness. Similarly, none of the teachers reported a high level of teaching adaptations, with 83% showing low adaptation levels. Furthermore, 87.5% of teachers exhibited negative or indifferent perceptions towards SWDs. The study underscores the urgent need for comprehensive teacher training programs and policy interventions to foster inclusive education and address the barriers faced by SWDs in mainstream schools.