Dear Disability Discrimination Act Review Committee,
I am parent to a neurodivergent 11 year old with severe emotional dysregulation. Her public school is underfunded and does not have the money to pay a teachers aide to be with her full time despite all recommendations that this is a support she requires. In term 3, I was called to collect my daughter 33 times. This year she has been suspended at least half a dozen times. The teachers are overworked and overwhelmed, and so is my daughter. But she deserves an education and she deserves to be in the classroom learning just like all of her peers.
The government decided not to “leave her behind” or “other” her by taking away the dedicated safe space of a special ed unit at her state school. Worst decision ever! Where does she have to cool down, get away from stress, and find her regulation again? Who is available to help her work through those big emotions? No one. No where. There’s nothing.
By taking these services away and not providing funding to support her needs, she is being hugely disadvantaged and missing far too much school.
I am not in a position to home school her as NDIS will not pay our rent or mortgage, and we both like eating so I keep working to buy groceries funnily enough.
Every time I leave work because the school can’t cope, we feel it financially. But that isn’t the hardest part. It crushes my soul knowing that she might be missing out on learning because the school can’t cope and decide to over discipline and just send her home so frequently.
It’s not good enough. Kids need understanding and support. What we have in place isn’t working. Zero tolerance policies don’t work in the context of the nuance of kids with disabilities.
If my child needed a wheelchair, no one would be angry with her for not being able to do star jumps and a layup. But because her disability isn’t visible, she is expected to just turn it off when it doesn’t suit others. She isn’t given the support she needs because they don’t have any to give her. They just give up, and I understand why.
I care about disabled people being able to access quality education at all stages of life — from childcare and school to tertiary education. I’m making this submission because I believe every student deserves the right to learn in an inclusive environment. I support the A Right to Learn campaign’s call for suspensions and exclusions to be used only as a last resort.
Students with disability should be learning alongside their peers, not separated from them.
Protect the right to learn:
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Section 22(2)(b) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) should be amended to cover ‘suspension and exclusion’ as well as expulsions.
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The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and associated Disability Standards for Education should be amended to require education authorities avoid exclusionary discipline unless it is necessary as a last resort to avert serious harm to the student, other students, or staff.
I urge the government to strengthen the Act so students with disability — and all students — can fully exercise their right to learn, together.
Yours sincerely,