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Disabled students let down
Royal commission hears schools are failing students with disability .
By Eleanor Campbell
Australian schools have failed to provide students with disability the ongoing support and accessible learning they need , a royal commission has heard .
In June the Royal Commission into the Abuse of People with Disabilities began its five-day inquiry into the experiences of children and young people with disability in the education system .
Former school students , advocates and parents shared experiences of being excluded , isolated and discriminated against in the mainstream and segregated schooling system .
One of the first witnesses to give evidence was Brittney Wilson , a 21-yearold disability advocate living with muscular dystrophy .
She described her mainstream high school as being “ fraught with bullying ” and said educators ’ lack of experience made her feel like “ a training tool ”.
“ I wasn ’ t allowed to be a kid because I was constantly monitored ,” she told the Canberra hearing .
“ Rather than helping me be included , the TAs [ teachers aids ] became kind of a segregation in themselves because no one wanted to be around a teacher 24 / 7 .
“ It became very , very isolating .”
Of the 4,677 submissions put forward , 21 per cent brought up issues around schools ’ inaccessibility for young people and children with a disability .
Wilson , who uses a manual wheelchair , said she was forced to go without support staff at her high school because she chose not to be separated from her ablebodied peers .
“ Segregated learning isn ’ t a choice anymore ,” she said .
“ Mainstream has become so inaccessible [...] that it doesn ’ t feel like a choice anymore .”
Around 1 in 10 school students in Australia live with disability , according to a 2020 report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare .
Nearly 89 per cent of these students attend mainstream schools , with the remainder attending one of Australia ’ s nearly 500 special schools .
The second witness at the first hearing was mother-of-four Kimberly Langcake , who spoke about her 20-year-old son ’ s struggles at a special school before the launch of the NDIS in 2014 .
She said her son , who is on the autism spectrum , was not challenged in a segregated environment and subsequently lost “ many learning opportunities ”.
“ There was no structured learning program , no structured meeting even probably twice a year where you would
I was very frustrated by the lack of communication and lack of collaboration .
get together ,’’ said Langcake , who was living in Tasmania at the time .
“ I was very frustrated by the lack of communication and lack of collaboration we had .”
A 2019 analysis of student placement data found that segregated schooling has increased in Australia , despite global trends moving towards inclusive education .
Negative attitudes toward disability are one of the main barriers preventing students with disability from participating in the mainstream system .
A report from the Royal Commission , published in 2021 , found most schools fail to identify and provide adjustments for students with disability , and neglect to follow policies and laws preventing unlawful expulsion or suspension .
Youth advocate Gi Brown , who spoke at the hearing , said he was not provided with any ongoing support during his transition out of school .
“ I struggled so much with the change and was so unprepared and so distressed by it that I became quite unwell mentally , to the point of a psychotic episode ,” Gi said . ■
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