Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Students with disability

By Correna Haythorpe - posted Thursday, 27 November 2014


Children with disability need the same things at school all children need – to feel accepted and happy, to learn to the best of their ability, and to get an education that equips them for life and work after school.

Unfortunately this is not happening for many, despite the efforts of teachers, principals and support staff.

To give an idea of the scale of the problem, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has found there are over 290,000 children with a disability in schools in Australia, yet the number receiving any kind of funded support, no matter how small, is just 183,000.

Advertisement

Half of all parents of a child with disability say their child has not been able to fully participate at school, due to a lack of necessary support. At the same time, over half of educators believe they do not have the support, training and resources they need to teach students with disability well.

These findings, from a 2012 Victorian Human Rights Commission report, show the human cost of our neglect of students with disability.

Every year this neglect continues another cohort of students with disability will leave school with their potential untapped and their prospects for higher education or work needlessly damaged.

Changing attitudes to disability remains important, but we cannot fix this problem without finding funding for better facilities, more support staff and training for teachers.

Chronic underfunding of students with disability has been a long-term problem in Australian schools. We have a mess of different definitions and funding systems between States. Many students with disability aren't eligible for assistance and, for others, the funding their school gets does not cover the real cost of meeting their needs.

Fixing it will take time, money and political will, but it is something we must do.

Advertisement

This is why the recent announcement, from a meeting of Christopher Pyne and State and Territory Education Ministers, that an increase in funding through a "disability loading" will not happen in 2015 as promised, is such a setback to the cause of giving students with disability the education they deserve.

A "disability loading" simply means giving schools which educate students with disability funding which actually reflects those students' real needs, and lets them participate in school on the same basis as other students. This sounds like basic fairness, but it is not happening now.

The Gonski Review recognised the huge shortfall in funding for students with disability which meant their basic needs were not being met.

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

5 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Correna Haythorpe is Deputy Federal President of the Australian Education Union.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Correna Haythorpe

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Article Tools
Comment 5 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy