Edith and Dana
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.
Edith has physical and intellectual disability. She is non-verbal and has ‘severe communication challenges’, expressing herself mainly through gesture.
Edith attends a special development school in Melbourne. Edith’s mum, Dana, told the Royal Commission that Edith is distressed by the current constraints caused by COVID‑19, in particular by not being able to attend school, to the point of requiring anxiety medication.
‘[Edith’s] irritability seems to have increased since commencing some online sessions with her teacher last week. This current mode of education delivery has left her more confused and distressed. She is someone who cannot learn at home but yet she is not able to attend school,’ Dana told us.
‘If the current guidelines were applied at her school all students like my daughter would be eligible to attend. This is not happening and as a result, students with disabilities who are vulnerable like my daughter are being disadvantaged. In my daughter’s case not only is her education being neglected but her mental health and hence that of our family is being significantly impacted.’
It is Dana’s hope that children with disability are thought of as part of the general school community within the state, and that their needs are included.
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.