Personal Submission to the Review of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992
Submitted by: Pixie Duran
Date: 17 September 2025
Type of submission: Individual
Introduction
My name is Pixie Duran. I am the mother and primary carer of three children, all with additional needs. Two of my children are neurodiverse; my youngest receives NDIS supports for Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disability, Speech and Language Delay, and Complex PTSD.
I have been a community advocate for more than a decade, campaigning for safe, inclusive schooling and accountability in education. I make this submission to share our lived experience of repeated discrimination in Queensland schools and to call for urgent reforms to strengthen the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
Lived Experiences of Discrimination and Harm
Forced isolation after raising concerns
After I emailed a school to raise concerns about harm caused by a relief teacher to my daughter, all of my children were removed from their regular classes and locked in another room for three days. The school denied this until nearly a year later, after I engaged a legal team. The Department eventually issued a formal written apology — but no consequences or changes followed. During this period, I was threatened not to share our story publicly. When I did, my family and I received taunting and threatening messages from teachers across the country.
“The cage” – use of mental health isolation rooms
At a previous school, my children were locked into what was called a “mental health area” — effectively a cage. This degrading practice forced me to withdraw them immediately. It traumatised my children and undermined their trust in teachers and education altogether.
Bullying and exclusion leading to loss of mainstream education
My daughter, who is intellectually disabled, experienced repeated suspensions and forced class changes due to bullying — by both students and staff. Teachers eventually told me they could not keep her safe in mainstream schooling and recommended her removal. This was despite her being a high-achieving music student who represented her school positively. She was pushed out because the system could not or would not protect her.
Misuse of Workplace Health & Safety (WHS) orders
A school principal worked with the Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) to demand that my non-violent disabled children be placed under a WHS order, even threatening strike action if this was not done. This abuse of workplace law treated my children as hazards rather than students with rights. Instead of rejecting this, the South East Regional (SER) office approved the QTU’s demands.
Exclusion of neurodiverse parents
As a neurodiverse parent myself, I have been repeatedly dismissed and excluded by school leadership. Rather than being treated with dignity, I have been labelled, silenced, and even banned from attending my own children’s awards days and school events. Schools use these bans to punish advocacy rather than engage in dialogue.
Silenced teachers
On several occasions, teachers have approached me privately — even in public places like shopping centres — to apologise for not speaking up. They admitted they knew children were being harmed but said they would lose their jobs if they reported it. This culture of fear forces staff to stay silent while children are abused and traumatised.
Legal barriers and lack of a child’s voice
For several years, my family has had active cases before human rights courts. Yet even in these forums, my children have not been given a chance to be heard directly. Parents like me are forced to carry the entire advocacy burden, only to be labelled as “crazy parents” for doing so. Cases drag on for years without a hearing date, denying children justice while they lose critical years of education and support.
Ministerial responses and systemic stonewalling
I have raised these matters repeatedly with Ministers. The last two Education Ministers — John-Paul Langbroek and Grace Grace — both replied by instructing me to “go back to the principal,” even though the principal was the very person responsible for the discrimination and harm. This reflects a system where Ministers and departments defer to schools rather than intervene.
Like many parents, I have also been denied information about my own children, receiving either no reply or heavily redacted documents. When authority gaps are exposed — for example, when a principal abuses their power — no formal amendments, training, or accountability measures are put in place. Instead, the Department has even stated in writing that punishments against my children were a direct result of my “email enquiries.” Multiple lawyers and professionals have reviewed those emails and confirmed they were valid and appropriate enquiries — yet they were used as grounds to punish children.
Systemic Failures
From these experiences and from countless other families who share similar stories, it is clear:
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Complaints are covered up, denied, or result only in empty apologies.
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Classrooms are overcrowded and understaffed, with aides rarely trained in neurodiversity.
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Early identification of learning needs is absent, leaving families dependent on overstretched health systems.
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Parents are retaliated against for speaking up, while teachers are silenced.
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Regional and departmental offices protect schools instead of protecting children.
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Ministers defer to principals rather than providing oversight.
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Legal pathways are too slow and exclude children’s voices.
Reforms Needed in the Disability Discrimination Act
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Independent oversight of complaints. Families must have access to an impartial body outside education departments with power to investigate, order remedies, and protect against retaliation.
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Explicit protection against discriminatory discipline. The DDA should clearly cover suspensions, exclusions, bans, and retaliatory punishments, recognising these as common areas of discrimination.
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Mandatory neurodiversity and trauma-informed training. All teachers, aides, and relief staff must receive certified training, regularly updated, as a condition of employment.
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Early identification and school-based assessment. Guidance officers and psychologists must assess children in Prep and early primary to reduce delays and ensure supports are in place quickly.
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Transparency and public reporting. Schools must publish data on suspensions, exclusions, and disability-related complaints.
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Protections for parent advocates. The DDA must prohibit retaliation against parents raising disability concerns, including bans from school events or using valid enquiries as grounds to punish children.
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Communication standards for neurodiverse parents. Schools should be required to provide appropriate communication adjustments for neurodiverse parents and carers.
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Whistleblower protections for teachers. Teachers and staff must be legally protected from retaliation if they report harm, discrimination, or unsafe practices.
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Prevent misuse of WHS orders. Laws must prohibit schools or unions from using workplace safety powers to exclude disabled children.
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Regional and departmental accountability. Authorities like SER must be bound to uphold disability rights, not approve discriminatory demands.
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Ministerial accountability. Ministers must not be able to dismiss complaints by redirecting families back to the very principals or schools responsible for discrimination.
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Guarantee children’s voices in proceedings. Children must have a legal right to be heard in discrimination cases, through advocates or direct testimony.
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Timely resolution of complaints. Disability discrimination cases must be resolved within enforceable timeframes to prevent children losing years of education.
Conclusion
The Disability Discrimination Act must deliver real protections for children with disability and their families. My children’s experiences — of isolation, cages, forced exclusions, WHS misuse, SER collusion, bans, silenced teachers, retaliation against parents, ministerial inaction, and legal systems that delay justice — are not isolated. They are systemic.
Without urgent reform, children will continue to be traumatised, parents silenced, and teachers forced into complicity. The DDA must be strengthened to ensure independent oversight, accountability at every level, staff training, early intervention, and true protections for children and their families.
I make this submission not just for my children, but for every family experiencing the same failures in silence.