On Wednesday last week, the Federal Government released its long-awaited response to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of people with a Disability.
Released back in the September last year, the recommendations called for the introduction of an Australian disability rights act, a new disability government portfolio, a minister for disability inclusion, and a department of disability equality and inclusion.
However, in its response last week, the government accepted just 13 of the 117 recommendations that were under its primary or shared responsibility, with 117 being accepted only ‘in principle’.
The Educator recently sat down with Matthew Johnson, president of the Australian Special Education Principals Association, to ask him about the state of disability education in 2024 as he sees it, and what can be done to make a meaningful difference to Australia’s most marginalised students.
“It is quite clear from research and national data, that the number of students who are presenting with disability or that require adjustments continues to increase,” Johnson told The Educator.
“Every state and territory special education principals’ association reports increasing demand in the enrolment space.”
Johnson said the challenge for systems and schools remains the ability to attract staff, especially those who have experience or training in special education.
“The lack of specialised teacher education programs, especially high-quality professional learning to support teachers in working with students with disability or complex needs is impacting the quality and sustainability of programs in specialist schools and in support classes and programs in mainstream settings,” he said.
“There is an ever-increasing need for teachers to be supported when dealing with the ever-increasing complexity of modern classrooms.”
Regarding the Disability Royal Commission Recommendations 7.14–7.15 [phasing out segregated education], Johnson said it was pleasing to see that the Australian Government response acknowledged and ‘noted’ the ongoing role of specialist settings in service provision for students with disability and providing choice for students with disability and their families.
“Every parent in Australia can choose the education for their child, and the phasing out of special schools and support classes would have removed choice for parents of students with profound and complex needs, whilst maintaining choice for everyone else,” he said.
Looking ahead, Johnson said governments need to allocate sufficient funding specifically for special education services, including staffing, training, and resources.
“There also needs to be ongoing professional development for teachers and staff on inclusive teaching strategies, disability awareness, and the use of assistive technologies,” he said.
“Systems also need to fund and implement systems for early identification of disabilities and timely intervention.”
Johnson said systems need to ensure support from the earliest stages of education and develop and implement assessment methods that accommodate various disabilities, ensuring fair evaluation of students' abilities and progress across all school settings.
“The transparency of funding between the Commonwealth and the student is another area that needs to be addressed to ensure identified needs are supported and targeted and regularly reviewed.”