Education Committee for South Australia – so students can thrive, not just survive
03/06/2015
Dignity for Disability has today enjoyed unanimous support from the Labor Government, Liberal Opposition and minor parties to establish a Select Committee to investigate the experience of students with disabilities in the South Australian education system. The demand for this Committee follows overwhelming evidence from parents that students with disabilities are regularly being suspended, or excluded, from the education system.
Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent thanked her colleagues for their support.
“I am grateful that all of my parliamentary colleagues can recognise that there are some serious challenges within both the government and non-government education systems for students with disabilities,” she said.
“Their support to establish this Committee shows they are willing to listen to the experiences of South Australian families who are struggling to get access to a fair education for their kids.
“The last thing we want here in South Australia is to hear stories of children being bullied because of their disability or regularly suspended. However, we know that there are some very negative experiences for some, and we need to find a solution.
“Dignity for Disability don’t want students to survive the education system, we want them to thrive.
“Providing fair and equal access to all students in our education system requires that we recognise and individualise a plan for each child or young person, in theory this happens – in practice in too many cases it does not.
“Australia, has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and we must ensure that every opportunity to learn and fully participate in our education system is given to young people in this state.
“Article 24 of the UNCRPD outlines education and states: ‘effective individualized support measures are provided in environments that maximize academic and social development, consistent with the goal of full inclusion.’
“I look forward to working with my colleagues to find workable options for young South Australians, so we can meet our obligations under Article 24 of the UNCRPD,” said Ms Vincent.
