Literally exploring Disability Inclusion in education

So the thing is & where life has led us…..

I need a school.

I’ve been saying for years now that ‘our high-masking Neurodiverse children need a school’.

Now, I’ll admit I pushed it aside under the guise of schools convincing me that they could support my children & the thousands like them. I also pushed it aside because Covid, never-ending lockdowns & remote learning had me push aside any pipe-dream because life was challenging & difficult enough without adding to the load.

But here we are years later. So much has changed in the world & in our lives.

Except for the fact that I need a school.

And now, I need a school more than ever because Covid has shone a light onto the flawed Education system in this country & movers, makers & shakers are doing all of that & more to support marginalised, compromised & traumatised students & students at risk of not completing their education which will then impact the levels of unemployment & those that may require financial Government assistance.

This is very necessary. The real effects & impacts that the global pandemic has had on our social & economic environment have forced Governments to take immediate action.

So if the Government is making changes & the Education Department supports these changes & balls are rolling & funding is being provided to ensure all students can access their education, then why the urgency?

Well, because, the changes that are being considered &/or implemented are things that needed to be done anyway. They just became more urgent because kids were at home & parents got an insight into their education, questioned levels & also identified gaps in their learning which spurred on this immediate review & overhaul.

The overhaul may well end up being mere band-aids & stop-gaps & the students that have been falling through the cracks for decades will continue to do so, except now with an additional hurdle of ‘yeah we know you put ALL these things in place but our kids are still struggling’ whinging parents.

Because the fact still remains that our Neurodiverse students/students with a disability are in amongst the category of being the most vulnerable because of the lack of adequate & appropriate support.

So I want a school.

What I mean by this is that I need to start a school that truly understands & can properly & sufficiently support Neurodiverse students; high-masking or otherwise.

I’ll name it ‘Pipe-dream College’ for the purposes of this post. And in reality too, because it really is just a thought with NO idea how to even consider this to be an actual thing.

This plan for Pipe-dream College is that it would be set up with input from mental health practitioners, therapists & parents of Neurodiverse students based on their experiences within the current mainstream education system.

Now before you get stabby, allow me to add the most important people that would be involved in Pipe-dream College’s development; the voices & feedback of neurodiverse students themselves; past & present.

Would this school be an independent or alternative school?

Not sure. But what I do know, is that it would be incredible.

Now, I’ll introduce some more information about the future plans for education in Australia as there has been a paradigm shift in how education & disability inclusion can & could work together (which has been devised independently of the Covid-urgent responses).

*The definition of what’s meant by ‘Student with a Disability’ is any student who has a physical disability, visual impairment, severe behaviour disorder, intellectual disability, hearing impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorder &/or language disorder with critical educational needs.s://acie.org.au/acie-roadmap/

This roadmap sees an end to segregation which, as the current model is based upon, is where students with disabilities are provided different environments designed or used to respond to the needs of these children/students in terms of their impairments etc. This model is required to ensure Australia complies with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD).

The UN’s CPRD model is heavily based upon the evidence that disabled students benefit greatly in an inclusive setting & which best prepares them for life & success.

This inclusive education model at its core recognises the right of every child/young person – without exception – to be welcomed as a valued learner & genuinely included in general education. It involves ensuring that learning environments & teaching approaches support the full participation of all children/young people on an equal basis regardless of individual attributes & characteristics.

We know all too well all of the different forms of segregated education. They might be worded differently from State to State, from Territory to Territory, or depending on the kind of school it is, whether it’s public, private, independent or alternative, but no matter how they are packaged, they all lead to segregation education & learning. We know them to be called, ‘special school’ ‘specialist’ school or unit or classroom, ‘schools for specific purposes’, ‘special developmental’ schools, ‘education support’ units, ‘flexible learning’ centres, ‘learning studios’, ‘learning support’ centres, ‘multi categorical’ classes, diverse learning programs, learning enrichment centre, resource centres, disability units, and even ‘inclusive learning’ units & the list literally goes on!

Australia currently uses the Disability Discrimination Act’s phrasing & position in the development & implementation of their Disability Standards of Education*, that it’s against the law to discriminate against someone because of their disability & that students with a disability have the same right to take part in their education as students without disabilities. (The Disability Standards for Education also state that schools are required to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the curriculum to support any student with a disability).

*The definition of what’s meant by ‘Student with a Disability’ is any student who has a physical disability, visual impairment, severe behaviour disorder, intellectual disability, hearing impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorder &/or language disorder with critical educational needs.

This new model would override the Disability Discrimination Act & focus on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD). They essentially say the same thing about access, however, the CPRD focuses more on the school setting in terms of segregating students with disabilities & not just about a student’s ‘right to take part in their education’.

I genuinely understand how beneficial this model would & could be for those children/students with physical disabilities. I’ve literally never understood why deaf & blind students needed to be separated from other children their age. Their challenges could be supported in the mainstream setting with the use of ramps, bathroom facilities & adjustments in classrooms such as science labs & art rooms. Locker bays could be moved to allow for wider corridors. The setting & curriculum the way it is today can & could be accessed by those students with physical disabilities.

(I honestly can’t see how Including students with intellectual disabilities in the mainstream education system would work. These students require specialist teachers, possibly behavioural assistance & would struggle socially. Teenagers are hard work, not always compassionate, understanding or considerate. If abled students, students with a physical disability & those without intellectual differences struggle in that environment, I can’t see how those with intellectual differences will thrive. Unless I’ve misread the plan, I don’t believe these students have been incorporated into the overall plan, but it would be remiss of me not to include them in my opinion piece.)

In theory, & I hope in practice, this inclusive education model looks promising & if we’re all honest, seeing an end to segregated learning which is just unnecessary & reinforces differences & exclusion. These students can well be supported in the mainstream system & benefit disabled students greatly by being in an inclusive setting that will best prepare them for life & success.

So to summarise:

* I need a school for Neurodiverse students.

* The disability inclusion in education roadmap aims to put an end to segregated learning. (Again, not sure how or if students with intellectual disabilities would be in this model. I have no excuse for this lack of information & knowledge other than to admit that I’ve not read more into it, as it’s not my focus).

And this is where the idea for ‘Pipe-dream College’ gets challenged.

Because it would be its own school.

And please introduce our old, outdated & ending friend, segregation to the stage.

But, what’s SO wrong with this segregation if it will provide our children with the most accessible education?

Why do we need to continue on this road of uphill battle within the mainstream education system, which continues to not support, or in some cases, half-heartedly support our kids?

Who is going to be more affected by this ‘segregated’ model? The students? The parents? People’s feelings in the name of social justice? Who’s social justice?

Would it not be considered segregation if students were given a choice as to whether or not they wanted to attend? Because if your child wanted to go to school with the other kids in the hood, then that’s their choice & it’s completely fine.

Is there a stigma or fear that a segregated school would be a public declaration or acknowledgment that our children are different?

Is this an issue of privacy a person’s right not to disclose their differences?

Is this an issue for parents who have not shared with others their child’s diagnosis? Because for me, this doesn’t count; these parents won’t be on tours or enrolling their kids anyway! I don’t mean to be disrespectful when asking this, but could it be the ‘literal’ connotation of segregation that is being challenged, rather than the fact that this segregation will have positive impacts & repercussions for our children? (Again, if this doesn’t or isn’t, students can choose to attend other mainstream settings).

Our kids need a school because the mainstream just can’t support them well enough & our kids are at risk of not completing their education. Let’s introduce the Governments fear of a high unemployment rate & dishing out financial assistance.

Year after year, Neurodiverse children are leaving mainstream schools & being home-schooled, un-schooled, accessing distance or virtual schooling or being tutored all because the mainstream schooling system is failing our kids. (And also literally failing them by scoring them ‘below level’ having their assessments modified – you can see more about that here: https://literallyausome.com.au/…/student-with-a…/).

It’s been well documented by Neurodiverse members of society that it’s the environment that makes them disabled. So how about we create an environment to educate, support & enable our Neurodiverse community?

Mainstream education settings are all using the right & official terminology to support our children, whether or not they actually can, because they’re following policy & what the Department of Education has instructed them to endorse & include in their overall offerings.

What we find time & time again, is that this policy & promise is as useful as a ‘g’ in lasagna. Sure, it looks fancy, impressive & authentic, but really, the word sounds the same whether the ‘g’ is included or not.

It’s all about perception & setting expectations, isn’t it?

If you order a lasagna & it ends up tasting exactly how you imagined or just needed a shake of parent input – which we can call salt, pepper & other seasonings – then enjoy your meal & visit us again. However, if the lasagna ended up being the frozen & re-heated variety & disappointing you, why on earth would you keep ordering/trying in hoping that it won’t still taste like dirt next time? The mere definition of insanity doing the same thing over & over again & expecting a different outcome, so here you are ordering the same shit because there’s nothing else on the menu. Meanwhile, you’ve lost faith in all lasagna establishments disbelieving their claims that only use cheese from the hills of Monza & are disheartened realising that there is no such thing as an authentic lasagna unless you make it yourself.

And here we are friends. Making it ourselves.

Now, a gentle reminder that ‘Pipe-dream College’ is not real. It’s an idea that’s maybe been said out loud out of desperation & now written down, but that’s all it is.

It could be more, but because I’ve been met with the term ‘segregation’ it’s put all thoughts on pause & possibly on delete.

As much as I want a solution, I don’t want one that will cause more harm & division within the very community that it’s aimed at supporting. I don’t want the idea of ‘Pipe-dream College’ to vanish out of fear that it would be not accepted by the Neurodiverse community, but what other options have we got?

If we use up all of our energy to fight so hard against ‘segregation’, how are we actually helping our children? If we want inclusion, the roadmap & model is there for the taking. Just like your main meal.

BUT

The thing is, the roadmap is fundamentally flawed.

Why? Because the roadmap doesn’t include invisible disabilities, aka Neurodiverse students.

It’s been suggested to me that the only real way to address our children’s current situation is for every parent whose child is not receiving the support they need, to make discrimination claims. The result of this would be that the system would be overwhelmed & force change.

Now, I don’t know the inside workings of any Government settings, but I imagine being ‘forced’ into making changes would not create a harmonious & unified approach to supporting our kids. And, as little as I know about these sorts of organisations, I would be safe to say that they would rather invest millions for the mere right not to be forced or coerced & not appear to be bending to pressure.

There may also be an argument that by allowing schools to continue to have all kids with disabilities go to segregated schools the mainstream schools get what they want, which is to not have to deal with these kids.

And you know what, that’s true.

But the thing is, they’re already not dealing with these kids. I’m making a choice to not fight the Department & not to overwhelm them & force change. I’m exhausted. I don’t want to fight. I just want an educational setting that can & will actually support my kids!

If segregation is an issue for you, then don’t consider ‘Pipe-dream College’ as an option for your family.

Let me lower the temperature again…..

Here we are, eating lasagna at Nonna’s/5 Michelin Stat restaurant & it’s still shit.

Why? Because the recipe never included the herbs & spices that you can’t see. The recipe didn’t add them, because they weren’t obvious. They weren’t visible. They didn’t stand out. Were complimentary, or compliant, but without them tasted like garbage.

But in everyone’s defence, the recipe did say ‘including other herbs & spices’ without actually acknowledging them.

This all has me, in addition to getting hungry for spaghetti bolognese, still wanting a school for Neurodiverse students.

Everyone sat proudly at the dinner table because of our collective efforts to ensure that everyone was able to sit together, that no one was seated at another table & we could all partake of the same meal. And now we sit together realising that we spent all of our energy making sure everyone could be at the same table, without considering that maybe not everyone actually wanted the same meal.

I want a school. What I don’t want, is the burden of being accused of approving or condoning segregation to get in the way.

Segregation is not an intention of ‘Pipe-dream College’, yet a result of providing the best setting for our kids that literally no one sees.

Perhaps we could re-frame the term segregation (for these students in particular) to ‘recognition’ as they’ll be finally seen, recognised & appropriately & adequately supported.

If we used a different term, then the ‘segregation’ accusers & fighters would focus their efforts elsewhere, while we fight to keep our children educated & safe.

Whatever the future holds & whatever changes or improvements are implemented, we won’t be spared from the fact they won’t benefit everyone, be accepted by everyone & won’t make everyone happy. That in itself is a pipe-dream. And this is a pipe-dream I’ve got no say in & absolutely no energy for.

I’m not choosing segregation over inclusion…. especially when this model of inclusion won’t legitimately & effectively support Neurodiverse students.

What I am doing, with only a notion of opening ‘Pipe-dream College’, is choosing to focus on supporting my family & families like mine whose children will never ever be supported by the mainstream education system in whatever model of inclusion they ever consider, simply because you literally can’t support challenges that you can’t & won’t ever see.

Segregation needn’t be seen as a disadvantage when it comes to the education of Neurodiverse students. The disadvantage is that this inclusion model still fails to incorporate invisible disabilities into its framework & plans & won’t actually do anything to improve the outcomes for our children.