Silvana
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.
When Silvana was in primary school, teachers routinely removed her from the classroom because of her autism.
Silvana said that each morning the principal and other staff would go class to class and ‘pick out the disabled kids’. They made them stay in the ‘freezing hallways’ with nothing to do ‘for hours on end’. She told the Royal Commission they were never given any class work, ‘or anything like that’ to do.
Now in her late teens, Silvana remembers the principal following her and the other kids with disabilities around. He had a pad and pen and would record everything they did. She said he was like a ‘stalker’.
‘He never made any attempt to actually try and teach us anything.’
Silvana was often punished for things she didn’t do or for standing up for herself. Once she told a girl, who was teasing her about being autistic, to ‘shut up’. Silvana was suspended but nothing happened to the girl. Teachers sometimes punished other students by making them stand in the hallway with Silvana.
The school also excluded Silvana from excursions. Her father ‘had to scream in the deputy’s face’ for her to finally be allowed to go on one. But she wasn’t allowed to travel on the same bus or stay in the same accommodation as the rest of the class. Her father drove Silvana behind the bus to every activity and they stayed in nearby hotels.
Silvana believes the principal accepted students with disabilities because ‘the government would pay him more’ for each student enrolled. But, she said, the students weren’t taught or supported and were simply ‘left to rot’.
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.