Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697646435801.pdf (Australia)
Senate Standing Committees on Education and Employment Current levels of access and attainment for students with disability in the school system, and the impact on students and families associated with inadequate levels of support.

I am a mother of a child with a rare disease that leaves him with a server disability which presents physically, sensory and intellectually.

He is one of 300 in the world.


Karelle Logan – Mother of Spencer Logan (9 (CFC Syndrome) The school my 9 year old son attends is a public primary school.

The school is amazing and provides Spencer with what he requires to be able to access and participate in education every day.

I consider us lucky as Spencer is on the Sever Disability Register so he receives the maximum level of funding available.

It is the other children who don’t receive this kid of funding that we really need to support.
There are a few issues I see that would further enhance the educational experience and outcomes for these children and the resource needs of the school to be able to deliver these enhancements and outcomes.

There are a whole range of other issues which effect children with a disability not a severe as Spencer’s that go completely without the support they need to have a meaningful experience in their daily education and get the educational and social learning outcomes they need and deserve.
Teacher Support Workers Qualifications.

I am concerned that teacher support workers are employed with minimal or nil qualifications, especially for those who are supporting children with special needs.
The teacher can provide an incredible and suitable educational program, but if the teacher support person allocated to the child does not have the skills, or the ability to acquire the skills, either through training or through simply not being able to gain the skills due to their own level of ability, then the child is at a significant disadvantage – and the Teacher of the child is not getting a suitability skilled person to run the education program.
In addition to this, many allied health professionals write programs for the child that can cover physio needs, Occupational Needs, Speech Therapy needs and the responsibility to deliver that therapy program primarily falls to the teacher support person.
Again if the support person does not have the skills or knowledge of how to deliver and integrate such a program into the child’s educational day – then the child is again at a disadvantage and all the allied health professionals work on the program, their expertise in that field is in fact wasted.

I have seen this first hand with my child.


For 2 years he had a wonderful lovely kind and caring person allocated to him as his support person for 5 days a week (full time school), however that person was not able to deliver the educational programs developed by the Current levels of access and attainment for students with disability in the school system, and the impact on studentsand families associated with inadequate levels of supportSubmission 111 teacher and other specialists.
They simply did not have the skills, nor the ability to acquire the skills.

All teacher support persons should have a level of training that meets the needs of the child and the ability to deliver programs that are tailored to that child.

Consistency.

While consistency is the ideal, I understand its not always possible to staff a school in this way, with a child having a consistent support worker from day to day.

However I think this should always be the aim.


There should be no more than 2 people allocated to run the program for any child who is at full time school.

However this does depend on the child and their abilities.

For my son, every year we would get to November and both the teacher and the support teacher would say that they finally feel like they know him, only for the year to end and another group of people then starting the next year who have to get to know him all over gain.
My sons two best years have been when there was consistency with the teacher support persons and those two persons had a level of knowledge and the ability to acquire skills in delivering specialist educational programs.

While I understand it is up to the school to devise this part of any school program, it should be encouraged from a policy perspective.

Someone, either the teacher, or the support teacher needs to be consistence for a min of 2 years.
Sever Disability Register (SDR) While I’m unlucky my child is on this register, I’m lucky as it means he attracts funding for a support person.

I am very disappointed that the funding allocation through this register does not actually cover his full time support needs.

He did not qualify for the ‘physical’ disability section of this register – assessed in Kindergarten and now in grade 3 – yet he is unable to access any part of the school without the assistance of an adult.
Every year the school is required to find the funds, out of the allocated ‘pocket of funding’ that they manage to support my son to ‘top up’ his allocated funding so he can be supported full time.

It is my view that this money should be for the whole school, and that the SDR should fund the full amount for my sons support needs, not 50%, not 60%, not 80% - the school should be provided with 100% of his teacher support needs.
There are many other children who do not attract funding; however it is obvious that they need support in the education system.

This desperately needs addressing.

Early intervention is the key.

If these children can be supported early then they might not need the support later.

The teachers need as much support as they can get – it is only fair that they have what they need so they can educate all the children in their class to the standard that they expect of themselves and of the community.
Current levels of access and attainment for students with disability in the school system, and the impact on studentsand families associated with inadequate levels of supportSubmission 111 Allied Health Therapy – There needs be much MORE funding for these professionals to assist with the children’s additional needs and educational programs.

They need to be involved in delivering the therapy – and not just writing a plan and handing it over to the support person to implement.
This is critical and when funded properly, will make a massive difference in the outcomes for our children’s education, social needs and independence skills.

And therefore will directly impact on their quality of life and participation in the community as adults.

Childcare Limitations - The Inclusion Support Program limits what parents can do and how they participate in the workforce.

My son is only eligible for 3 sessions a week after school, yet I work full time and so does his father.
This is very restrictive and causes us a reasonable about of stress in always having to try and find solutions so we can (primarily me) still participate in the work force and earn a decent income.
Special Education Schools and Main Stream Schools – It is my very strong view that if we are to ever be serious about breaking down the barriers of discrimination, ignorance, bullying, intolerance and inequity of people with disabilities in our communities, then we must integrate children with special needs, regardless of their severity, into mainstream schools.

It is my view that classes could be shared and that some specialised classes would be required to cater for other needs.
These kids need to be together, regardless of their disability – they can have some of their education separated, but other aspects of their school life can be together.

Only this will change the future thoughts and mind set of our future generations.

It will build understand, knowledge and compassion and it will break down barriers to ensure that people with disabilities are treated fairly and respectively.
By combining resources of these schools, it’s possible that each school would have more resources for all of their students.

It also ensures that parents are not segregated and for those that have typically developing children as well, they are not multiple schools to manage when the children are young.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Karelle.
Karelle.

Current levels of access and attainment for students with disability in the school system, and the impact on studentsand families associated with inadequate levels of supportSubmission 111