Inclusive Education - Part C

This week’s Hopkins Centre #dignityproject blog explores the concept of #inclusive education with Dr Riona Tindall, Cathy Easte and Rachael Tania.

Education is a theme that is present in our Dignity Project research. Our data reflects that access to comparable education is a fundamental piece of dignity for people with disability.

Despite what the statistics tell us about the prevalence of disability in Australian society, particularly children and young adults, Australia has been slow to respond, and does not yet offer an education system which is suitably inclusive enough, particularly when measured against what is happening elsewhere in the world.

On the back of the past few weeks Dignity Project guest blogs, we have received much feedback, particularly from teachers themselves. Therefore, in this week's post, we explore the perspectives of those working at the coalface of inclusive education, as well as delving into the confronting statistics in Australia.

Cathy Easte, Student Disability and Accessibility Manager, at Griffith University, who has a hearing disability herself, has ‘a burning desire for her job to be no longer required… and is passionate about one day ruling out the need for disability officers for students with special needs and instead empowering everybody to champion the needs of future generations of people with disabilities.’

Dr Riona Tindal, Senior Disability Advisor, at Griffith University, also Deaf and a lifelong learner and academic herself, is perplexed that ‘disability has been around thousands of years, and the Disability Act implemented 27 years ago, yet it is only now that we are starting to “modernise” the inclusion – why so long and so slow? One hat does not always mean one size for all, however lately the education system believes that you can adjust that hat to fit any head! It is a wheel constantly reinvented but going nowhere.’

Rachael, an Early Childhood and Primary School Teacher – who specialises in Special Needs Education and 'At Risk' Students believes teachers are set up for fail by the increasing class sizes and pressures put on individual teaching staff. Class sizes make it extremely difficult for teachers to do as much as their heart desires for children that may need extra support. My personal experience, in a class of 24 plus early childhood students, where on average six (6) may need major adjustments (all differing due to being on the spectrum, Deaf or hard of hearing, dyslexia/visual, OCD, ADHD…) then you may have a couple of students perhaps needing extension work. So, this is where teachers become overwhelmed, because they feel they are not doing enough due to time/resource restrictions, and not being supported by the school or department. If the government either allowed two (2) teachers in a class or reduced class sizes, the outcome would be so much better and obviously more inclusive.’

Some food for thought:

· 15% of the world’s population or over a billion people have some form of disability.

· One in five people have a disability in Australia, this equates to 2.4 million or 40% of the population – which means over a third of Australian households, have at least one person with a disability.1

· 19% of people in Queensland live with a disability.

· 340,000 people in Australia are active NDIS participants with approved plans.

· By the turn of the century, it is estimated that five million people in Australia will have a severe or profound disability – more than triple the current number.1

· Half of all people with a disability are reported to use some form of aid, equipment, or technology for support, and roughly 60% need assistance with at least one activity in their daily life. 29% communication aids, 18% hearing aids and 17% aids for mobility.

· 7.7% of Australian children under 15 are affected by disability.1

· For many of these children, their disability, and the limitations it presents, will have a profound effect on the child’s social engagement and education outcomes.

· People with disability leave school earlier than people without disability.

· In 2018, 92.3% of young people (101,900) aged 5 to 20 years on the autism spectrum attending school had some form of educational restriction (92.3%), including a small number who were unable to attend school because of their disability. Two in five (40.8%) of the children attended a special class in a mainstream or a special school. 1

· Of the 106,600 young people (aged 5 to 20 years) with autism who were attending school or another educational institution, 77.7% reported experiencing difficulty at their pace of learning.1

· 41% of people with a disability aged 15 to 64 years have completed Year 12, compared with 63% of those without a disability.

· In 2018, just 17 per cent of people with disability aged 20 years and over had obtained a bachelor’s degree compared with 35 per cent of those without disability.

· Approximately $7.8 million is available each year through the Higher Education Disability Support Fund (DSF) to universities and higher education institutions nationally to attract domestic students with disability, and to undertake activities that assist in removing barriers, improving access, and offering appropriate support for them to succeed.2 Read more here: https://www.dese.gov.au/higher-education-disability-support-program

· Attaining a higher level of education is proven to lead to better employment outcomes and earning potential – key factors in attaining economic security and independence.

· People with a disability in Australia are 2.7 times more likely to be at risk of poverty than other OECD countries.1

· 45% of those with a disability in Australia are living either near or below the poverty line, more than double the OECD average of 22%.1

· Almost 1 in 10 Australians with disability have experienced discrimination or unfair treatment because of their disability.

We would love to learn more about your experiences with inclusive education or accessibility options/adjustments you have utilised throughout your education.

Some questions to ponder….

What does inclusive education mean to you?

Have you experienced inclusive education? Tell us about it?

Write to us on Community Hub or via email: dignityproject@griffith.edu.au

Further reading:

A series of articles written by Cathy Easte, Student Disability and Accessibility Manager, Griffith University.

Shaping the next generation of people with disabilities – Griffith News https://news.griffith.edu.au/2014/11/19/shaping-the-next-generation-of-people-with-disabilities/

Pathways 12: Disability Dialogues: From medical models to empowering students for the challenges ahead (ADCET) https://www.adcet.edu.au/resource/9124/pathways-12-disability-dialogues-from-medical-models-to-empowering-students-for-the-challenges-ahead

Sources:

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics – Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings – 2015 https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/disability/disability-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-findings/latest-release

2. Higher Education Disability Support Program, Australian Government https://www.dese.gov.au/higher-education-disability-support-program

We would love to learn more about your experiences with inclusive education or accessibility options/adjustments.

 

To read the rest of this blog and others in full, visit The Dignity Project and join the Community Hub, by clicking the button that says "Join the Community Hub": www.hopkinscentre.edu.au/the-dignity-project