Peak disability organisations call for roadmap for inclusivity

19 of Australia’s peak disability organisations are calling for all candidates in the upcoming Federal Election to ‘show real leadership’ by  committing to a National Roadmap for Inclusive Education. 

The call has been prompted by the findings of a recent Children and Young people with Disability Australia (CYDA) survey which revealed that three out of four disabled students were bullied and 72 per cent were excluded from school events and activities

Based on the survey findings the coalition of peaks has called for  a clear, timely and evidence-based plan to transform Australia’s education system so that every student – including in the years before school – is genuinely included and supported to succeed.  

“Inclusive education is not negotiable,” CYDA CEO Skye Kakoschke-Moore said. 

“Without a concrete and actionable plan to address systemic barriers in Australia, students with disability will continue to be denied their fundamental right to be safe and included at school.”

“It’s time for every candidate that cares about children and young people to come to the table, to pledge to a National Roadmap, and to make sure the Federal government guides and supports states and territories on timely implementation.”  

The Disability Royal Commission recognised the urgent need for a roadmap in recommendation 7.13 of its final report, released in 2023.   

While the Federal government and all states and territories accepted this need ‘in principle’, to date there have been no clear steps toward implementation or to phase out segregated education as outlined in recommendation 7.14. 

Crucially, none of the Royal Commission’s recommended reforms, including the Roadmap, have been backed by funding, nor has there been sufficient commitment to ensure full public school funding is directed toward making schools truly inclusive. 

“What we have unfortunately seen in the 18 months since the Royal Commission is an unwillingness to commit to real change to the education system,” Youth Disability Advocacy Network CEO Isabella Choate added.  

“What message does that send to the many disabled children and young people who took the time to share their experiences of exclusion, segregation, and bullying at school with the Commissioners?”

The coalition notes that any meaningful National Roadmap for Inclusive Education should include:  

• Inclusion as a core part of teacher training  
• Professional development for teachers to adapt the curriculum for diverse learners 
• Tracking progress with better data  
• Definitive rules for reasonable adjustments in schools 
• A clear right for all students to be included in their local school and to learn together in the same classroom as their peers

The statement has been endorsed by: 

• All Means All (AMA)
• Australian Autism Alliance (AAA)
• Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training (ADCET)
• Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA)
• Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA)
• Community Resource Unit (CRU)
• Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA)
• Down Syndrome Australia (DSA)
• Family Advocacy (FA)
• First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN)
• Imagine More (IM)
• Inclusion Australia (IA)
• National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA)
• People with Disability Australia (PWDA)
• Physical Disability Australia (PDA)
• Purple Orange (PO)
• Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion (QAI)
• Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA)
• Youth Disability Advocacy Network (YDAN)

Learn more here; www.cyda.org.au/election