Chantelle and Suzanne

As a baby, Chantelle began having catastrophic seizures which affected her ability to walk and talk. She is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair. She can walk short distances if she is properly supervised.

Suzanne, her mum, told the Royal Commission that Chantelle’s primary education, at a disability support school, was ‘quite good’. There were ‘some wonderful teachers’ and ‘a lot of care shown for children’.

However, when Chantelle moved to the high school campus of the same school she ‘lost her spark and happiness’.

Chantelle started putting on weight and became less mobile. She would often come home from school soaked, covered in large bruises and with unexplained injuries.

One time the mother of another student told Suzanne a student vomited on Chantelle and hit her when they were on the bus.

Another time the bus driver was pushing Chantelle off the bus and trapped her leg under her wheelchair. Someone noticed and stopped the bus driver before Chantelle’s leg was more seriously injured.

Staff were supposed to receive training to operate Chantelle’s wheelchair, but this didn’t seem to happen and it was often damaged. One day, a repair person went to the school and found Chantelle strapped to the chair in the classroom. A young staff member had attempted to get Chantelle out of the chair by lifting her front-on with the foot pedals down. When the repair person intervened, the staff member apologised and said she had worked at the school for a month but had not had any training in manual handling and safety.

Although Chantelle could walk around her classroom, most days she was restrained in her wheelchair and left in the corner of the classroom. During breaks teachers wheeled her to the playground and left her restrained while they supervised other students.

When Suzanne made a complaint to the principal he responded, ‘We don’t have enough staff to allow [Chantelle] to walk.’ Suzanne couldn’t understand how a school set up for children with disability didn’t have enough staff ‘to support our children to practise their skills’.

Suzanne said the principal became ‘emotionally abusive’. He didn’t like having his authority questioned and wasn’t receptive to feedback. ‘If you stand up and complain you’re labelled as a problem parent.’

Suzanne made a complaint to the education department but said it was ‘a law unto itself’ and refused to take any action.

‘No place is perfect. I recognise that. But our children should never be locked in a wheelchair. Our children should never come home in bruises. Our children should never come home limping. Our children should never come home in urine. Our children should never come home afraid of a man’s voice.’

Suzanne withdrew Chantelle from the school and began to homeschool her.

She approached the NDIA about additional in-home support for Chantelle. They refused because support during school hours is the responsibility of the education department.

Suzanne contacted the education minister to no avail. ‘I've tried to encourage them to support me to support my daughter's education but there are no options outside of that school and that school isn't an option.’