As parents and guardians, we place a lot of trust I teachers. Not only do we need to trust them for more pragmatic reasons like needing to return to work, but the idea of socialising a child hinges on the trust that a teacher – and by extension school leadership – can provide.

As you can imagine, these issues of trust are compounded when you have a child with a disability, no matter how mild or serious it may be. This week the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability kicked off in Townsville, with a four- day hearing devoted to the educational experiences of children with a disability in Australia. 

In must be said from the outset, that well-trained, well-suited and supported mainstream teachers are doing incredible jobs in some parts of the country. Three north Queensland schools, in particular, have introduced policies of full educational inclusion, adjusting curriculum requirements and making students feel valued and welcome. However, as testimony after testimony made clear, one instance of violence, abuse and segregation of a child with disabilities is one too many.

Listen to the podcast to hear how the sector needs to change.

As parents and guardians, we place a lot of trust I teachers. Not only do we need to trust them for more pragmatic reasons like needing to return to work, but the idea of socialising a child hinges on the trust that a teacher – and by extension school leadership – can provide. As you can imagine, these issues of trust are compounded when you have a child with a disability, no matter how mild or serious it may be. This week the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability kicked off in Townsville, with a four- day hearing devoted to the educational experiences of children with a disability in Australia. In must be said from the outset, that well-trained, well-suited and supported mainstream teachers are doing incredible jobs in some parts of the country. Three north Queensland schools, in particular, have introduced policies of full educational inclusion, adjusting curriculum requirements and making students feel valued and welcome. However, as testimony after testimony made clear, one instance of violence, abuse and segregation of a child with disabilities is one too many. Listen to the podcast to hear how the sector needs to change.

Education Review

As parents and guardians, we place a lot of trust…

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