Alianna and Marceline
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Alianna is in her early 20s and is about to start a TAFE course. She is autistic and has cognitive impairment but has chosen not to seek any NDIS support for her study, or to identify as disabled in the TAFE system.
She asked her mum, Marceline, ‘Mum, do I have to tick that box? … If I tick that box they are going to treat me differently straight away.’
Marceline told the Royal Commission that TAFE will be Alianna’s first in-person formal learning since year 8, when she withdrew from the mainstream high school where she attended a special education class.
‘She had some moments where special ed teachers had called her a moron and an idiot ... Her perception was that those who should have been keeping her safe and supported actually were not doing that.’
Marceline made a formal complaint but it ‘went nowhere’.
‘After that incident she didn't leave our home for two years. She didn't leave our home at all. She was terrified of the outside world,’ Marceline said.
Marceline is a trained special education teacher. Lack of specialised training for special education teachers in mainstream settings is ‘a massive issue’, she said.
‘[The attitude is –] Oh, there’s that PE teacher who had cancer on their lip, so we will just make them a special ed teacher. Or here is a teacher who's not performing in the classroom, so they can be a special ed teacher.’
Alianna wanted to enrol in a special school but her intellectual capacity was marginally too high to meet the criteria.
‘A special school setting would have been a wonderful opportunity for her because she would have actually gained some really valuable skills and developed friendships,’ Marceline said.
Instead she tried another mainstream school. Marceline asked for some special measures to give Alianna time to adjust, but the school resisted. Instead the principal called her to a meeting. Numerous school staff members were present and Marceline asked them what they knew about Alianna and her needs.
‘Not one of them could tell me anything about my daughter. They had just made assumptions. She's special ed, has disabilities and whatever came after that. They indicated to me that they wouldn't … continue her enrolment at the school unless she was medicated. And I asked if any of them were psychologists, psychiatrists, paediatricians, and they all said no. I said, "How dare you suggest that you have the right to tell me whether my daughter requires medication or not." And I called the meeting to a halt.’
Marceline said that advocating for Alianna is often difficult because she fears that speaking up might result in the loss of services.
She said this is an ‘absolute fear’ for her and many others. ‘How am I going to be treated if I really say what I'm thinking or what I feel?’
Alianna completed high school by distance education. As she starts at TAFE, Marceline hopes for the best.
‘We've been talking to her about re-imagining herself, creating the new [Alianna] ... She doesn't know who she is or what she is, and that's based on she doesn't feel she has any rights.’
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.