Chrisos
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.
Chrisos wrote to the Royal Commission about the abuse and neglect of students with disability he witnessed as a teacher at a secondary school about 10 years ago.
One student, Jenny, used a wheelchair. The school told her parents they would look after her. But Chrisos said the only real attention Jenny got was when a teacher’s aide would take her for ‘a walk’ each day, pushing her around the school in the wheelchair. The rest of the time they mostly left Jenny in corridors, empty classrooms or empty offices. Chrisos never saw anyone try to teach Jenny or engage her in activities.
Another student, Mark, had acquired a disability from a car accident. Chrisos said that Mark felt neglected at the school. He came into the staffroom one day and, in front of Chrisos and other teachers, talked about how he had wanted to transfer to another school but the deputy principal had come to his home, harassed his parents and intimidated them into keeping him at the school. Chrisos believes that this was because of the funding the school received for having Mark there.
In both cases Chrisos tried to take matters up with the deputy principal, to no avail. ‘Other teachers were too scared to speak lest they lose their jobs in that government secondary school,’ he said.
Around the same time, Chrisos was a councillor in the local government. He has cousins with disability, so he took a particular interest in relevant forums and joined the council’s disability committee.
He tried to find out whether the council actually hired any people with disability. He also asked, ‘Do we look after any disabled persons with whatever support they require?’ The chair of the disability committee insisted that the council ‘ticked all the boxes’ and said Chrisos should ‘mind his own business’.
As a former teacher and councillor, Chrisos thinks every level of government should publish policies regarding the employment and support of people with disability. State governments should formulate clear guidelines for the education of students with disability and for employing and supporting staff with disability in school systems. Also, he says, each state should have a disabilities ombudsman with appropriate powers and resources.
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.