Judith and Audrey
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Audrey has been working with children with disability for about 35 years. For the past few years she has been working in the education sector in remote areas of Australia, and the experience has left her feeling frustrated at the ‘extremely poor provision for students with disabilities in remote communities’.
Audrey is particularly concerned about a young girl named Judith. Judith lives in a remote station more than 200km from the nearest major town. She has multiple severe disabilities. She should be in year 7 but has never been able to attend school.
Audrey says there has been a failure to make appropriate provisions for Judith. Barriers to her attending school include lack of transportation and specialist disability support staff and educators, as well as community attitudes. Furthermore, cultural practices make it very difficult for non-family members to work with a child ‘at risk’.
‘As a specialist teacher I firmly believe that children with this level of need should be taught by teachers with qualifications and experience of disabilities,’ says Audrey.
‘No staff at the local school had such experience nor were they confident in supporting the child in their already extremely complex classrooms.’
When Judith became an NDIS client, Audrey had hoped that Judith’s NDIS plan would include residential provision for her to attend a relevant special school and board nearby.
Audrey had attended the case conference and had explained how important it was for Judith to attend school and be supported by experienced staff. However, Judith’s paediatrician responded that ‘things needed to be put in perspective as [Judith] was never going to be a candidate for university entrance’.
Audrey is aware of two other children with disability in the region who have also not been able to start school because the school has failed to put provisions in place.
Audrey would like the Royal Commission to look into education funding arrangements for children with disability.
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.