Enabling the students with disability in education

Other parents told of shifting schools, or even States, in an attempt to find a school with the right programs to suit their child, and of the struggle of negotiating the bureaucratic maze around funding to get their child a fair deal at school.

Every piece of data we have shows that the funding for disability is far short of the number of students who need it.

The ABS estimated in 2012 that 127,000 students with disability in mainstream schools are not getting any funded support – that's half the total number. That includes 37,000 students with severe or profound disability.

National data presented to State and Territory Education Ministers in April last year showed that 13.1 per cent of students had some kind of disability, learning difficulty or mental health condition and that 88.2 per cent of these needed some funded support.

That is more than twice the 5.3 per cent of students currently receiving it, and doesn't take into those who get less than they need.

There are thousands of dedicated and passionate educators working overtime to support children with disabilities, but their efforts are not being backed up with the resources required.

The rate of children in our schools with disability, learning difficulty or mental health condition is on the rise, and is far outstripping the funded support available.

Principals tell me of a rise in children being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders, a rise in anxiety disorders and a rise in children affected by family violence who require extra support.

How do these children get the support they need?

At the moment most principals do not receive enough in support funding for students with disability. Our surveys of principals have found that 84 per cent reported shifting funds from other parts of their school budget to support students with disability.

It is clear that attitudes in the education system need to change, but a lack of resources exacerbates every problem, and limits the ability of those schools which are doing great things for students with disability to expand what they do.

The lack of funding was recognised by the Gonski Review, which recommended an increase in funding for disability from 2015 which would mean all children who needed funded support could get it.